demo

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Each course at Central

features ingredients that grow

together in an ecosystem at a

particular altitude in Peru

Five-star fortress

ALILA FORT BISHANGARH,RAJASTHAN, INDIA

Elevating

indigenous

ingredients

CENTRAL,LIMA

Two centuries ago, this hilltop

fortress housed royalty and

guarded the kingdom of

Jaipur. Now, after a seven-year

restoration led by the Alila Hotels and

Resorts, it has been reborn as a luxury

hotel—while still retaining many of its

original features, such as turrets, dungeons

and secret passageways. “We laid

immense emphasis on detailing to take

[guests] back to the era of the Mughals,”

says general manager Binny Sebastian.

Modern amenities include several gourmet

restaurants, guided tours and a state-of-the-

art spa as well as a 360° view of the rolling

Rajasthan landscape. Rates start at $200

per night for a Heritage room.—S.H.

Run by Virgilio Martínez

and chef Pia León, a husband

and wife duo, Central’s goal,

Martínez says, is to help diners

“understand what we see in nature.”

To that end, the tasting menu travels

through Peru and each course features

ingredients that grow together in an

ecosystem at a particular altitude:

scallop and seaweed from the ocean,

piranha and yuca from the Amazon, or

goat and olluco (a tuber that looks like

a potato) from the Andes. Diners have

been wowed by the food—so much so

that Central, which opened in 2008, just

moved to a new location and opened

several spin-ofs. While the menu may at

times seem overwhelming—it features

some 230 ingredients, including little-

known stuf likecushuro (a caviar-like

cyanobacterium), chaco clay and yacón

root—Martínez promises that guests are

in good hands. “We know what to do,

how to be with the unknown,” he says.

—Merrill Fabry

A HIDDEN LANDMARK

TEMPLE OF MITHRAS,LONDON

Six decades after this Roman-era

temple was unearthed under the

streets of London—and then put on

display atop a parking structure—it’s

back in its original home 23 ft. below what is

now 12 Walbrook. That building is the European

headquarters for Bloomberg, which led the reloca-

tion and helped turn the temple into an immersive

exhibit, replete with sculptural light effects,

sounds of Roman voices and shufling feet,

and a display of more than 600 archaeological

artifacts. Admission is free, but reserving a spot

is recommended.—Alejandro de la Garza

DELICIOUS

NOSTALGIA

HAPPY PARADISE,

HONG KONG

UNLIKELY OASIS

ZARYADYE PARK,

MOSCOW

May Chow was

already a rising

culinary star when

she opened this

outpost in 2017.

An homage to

1960s Hong Kong,

the Formica-clad

Happy Paradise

twists Cantonese

classics and haute

cuisine. Think tea-

smoked pigeon and

sourdough chicken-

fat wafles. “We’re

not afraid,” she has

said, “to serve whole

birds or brains.”

—J.H.

Huge public parks

were a main feature

of Soviet cities,

central but also

stately and formal—

nothing like Zaryadye,

Moscow’s irst new

large-scale public

park in 50 years.

With a design led

by Diller Scoidio +

Renfro, the U.S.

architects behind

New York City’s

High Line, the park

features a concert

hall, an ice cave and

a boomerang-shaped

bridge cantilevered

over the Moscow

River. Nearly

10 million people

have visited since

its September 2017

opening.

—Karl Vick

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