Good morning, bom dia from sunny, balmy Lisbon, where the parrots have returned for their early morning coffee visit, the banana trees at either end of the terrace are looking a bit sad and I’m about to start packing for a little jaunt to São Paulo.

If you missed last week’s column, it was autumn quiz time. First, I want to say thank you to all the participants who obediently observed the Monday deadline. Second, who knew that there were so many clever, funny Greeks who read this newsletter and also did very well with their answers? While no one nailed all 10 questions, a few came very close and a couple of others deserve high marks for simply being so darn witty. Here’s a recap of the quiz, with the winners’ answers beneath each question. 

1. 
You’re in a restaurant with colleagues in the US and you’re really thirsty and hungry. There are a lot of people weaving around the restaurant who very much look like they work there and you’re doing amateur acrobatics to get someone’s attention. Finally someone in an apron approaches your group and offers up something between a wince and a smile. What’s the most annoying thing that they can say to you? 
“I’m not your server.” Ideally followed by absolutely no attempt to find whoever is. [Elīza, Riga]

2. 
You’re still in the US and you arrive at the reception of a big tech company with a woman who pretends that she’s all smiles and cookies but is, in fact, a distant Californian cousin of one of those bad-ass French riot officers. What is the most grating thing about being “welcomed” at a US corporate HQ these days? 
The airport-security welcome. ID, photograph, tablet, badge, NDA – all delivered with a Californian smile beneath a sign saying “Welcome”. I’ve come for a meeting, not to defect. [Maximin, Paris]

3. 
You’ll notice that barrel-leg trousers continue to be all the rage on the rails of certain retailers. While this voluminous look is fine if you have long pins, it also makes those who are shorter than 165cm (5ft 5in) look like circus acts. How many more weeks, months or years will this silhouette endure? 
The trend will continue until the precise moment I have given in and purchased a pair. [Rebecca, Auckland]

4. 
As it’s Paris Fashion Week, can you name the next big maison that’s going to define a whole new space at the top end of the luxury market? 
Mathieu Blazy at Chanel. [Theodoros, Patras]

5. 
Can you name the most bothersome and overused term in the English language, which should have disappeared from everyday conversation long ago but is still kicking around? Here’s a hint: it comes at an angle. 
I will lean in on this one and circle back. [John, Philadelphia]

“Lean in.” And now, “lean into.” Can we please stand upright and get on with it? [Maximin, Paris]

6. 
Were the men who wrestled and restrained the rogue, likely radicalised co-pilot on that Flydubai flight this week really random civilian heroes – or were they rather more professional? Or extras from Fauda? 
Off-duty pilots, a plumber, a dentist and plenty of adrenaline. Not quite Fauda, but a cast everyone would want on their next flight. [Lala, Taipei]

Like my country – Greece – Israel has military service. Whatever one thinks of this, what’s undeniable is how it provides young people with (sometimes lifesaving) skills and a sense of purpose for themselves and those around them. [Dimitrios, Athens]

7. 
Why has China, despite all its purchasing muscle and production prowess, not yet managed to create a global luxury brand? Or has it? 
One of its car brands is about to. [Mal, Sydney]

8. 
Where will Monocle’s next café be opening? And when? 
Toronto. [Noor, London]

Toronto, before the end of 2026. [Theodoros, Patras]

9. 
Name the European automotive group that is ramping up production to meet demand for its surprise four-wheel success story. Hint: the vehicle lives across two of the group’s brands.
Not a close automotive follower but I’ll say Stellantis – due to my wife’s top two vehicular desires: the Topolino and the Amis. If these get roadworthy badges in the States, she’ll be top of the pre-order list. [John, Philadelphia]

10.                              
What is going to be the hottest hotel opening of Q4? Bonus question if you also name the designer and can pronounce their last name properly. 
JNcQUOI House. Vincent Van Duysen. [Noor, London]

All winners will receive a copy of Sophie Grove’s new book, Konfekt: A Guide to Generous Hosting. The next quiz will be just in time for Christmas.

Enjoying life in ‘The Faster Lane’? Click here to browse all of Tyler’s past columns.

Traditional Dutch pubs, known as bruine kroeg or “brown bars” because of tobacco and candle smoke that darkened their walls, have fallen out of favour (writes Ilze Vitola). In the past 30 years, half of Amsterdam’s living rooms – as they’re also affectionately known – have been mercilessly converted into minimalist matcha spots or restaurant chains. But a handful have been taken over by a new generation intent on returning these old haunts to their former glory. Here are three of Monocle’s favourites.

Café de Linden
The duo behind Café de Linden’s revamp did most of the renovation themselves, revealing a 19th-century mosaic-tiled floor that had been partly concealed by the bar. The menu is simple. “The more complex that you make something, the more expensive it gets,” says co-founder Olivier Brackel. A glass of house wine costs €5.50; a cheese toastie is €8. The same mindset shapes working hours: Café de Linden is open seven days a week from 08.00 until 00.00.
cafedelinden.nl

Kamer
“Open-minded” is how Russo-Irish chef Ciaran Patrick characterises the clientele at Kamer. He took over the brown bar in late 2025, together with business partner Justin Grooten. To respect the neighbourhood, a Dutch name was non-negotiable. Kamer derives from huiskamer (living room), a nod to the homely setup, with a kitchen in the corner. Housed in an 18th-century building, the space has original details including a stained-glass window bearing Amsterdam’s coat of arms.
kamer.bar

Bar Kaat
The pub was untouched for almost 50 years until 12 school friends took it over this summer. “People say don’t mix business with friendship but we know each other’s strengths,” says co-founder Pim Muns. A steady stream of customers has kept the place busy since a local TV station from their native province, Limburg, in the south of the Netherlands, broadcast a segment about them. Drinks arrive with Dutch deep-fried bar snack bitterballen, served the Limburg way, with pulled beef rather than diced.
barkaat.nl

Frédéric Bodenes is the artistic and image director of Parisian department store Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche, where he has worked for more than three decades (writes Chloé Nakao-Pélata). Here he shares his love of flea markets, his favourite Parisian cinema and why life without butter is unthinkable.

What do we find you doing this weekend?
I’m heading to Sologne in the countryside to join some friends for a barbecue. There are two flea markets that I’m going to stop at on the way. They’re an incredible source of inspiration for me. I love mixing objects that make absolutely no sense together – that’s what gives them their character. 

Where do you go for your caffeine fix?
I stay at home. For me, coffee isn’t really a moment to pause. I carry a mug around the apartment while getting things done – ironing clothes, checking emails. 

A Sunday soundtrack?
I’m a classical music kind of guy. Otherwise, I might listen to Les Rita Mitsouko because I’ve always been a great admirer of Catherine Ringer. I actually invited her to Le Bon Marché for the Punk exhibition, where we put on a wonderful concert together in 2019. 

Sunday arts-and-culture must? 
Cinema. Specifically the MK2 Quai de Seine or the Quai de Loire. I’m a little sad that the boat on the Canal Saint-Martin is no longer running. It used to connect the two cinemas, so you could take the boat from one to the other with your ticket. I thought that was such a lovely idea. 

What are you reading? Magazines or books?
Clément by Romain Lemire. I discovered it thanks to François Morel on France Inter. I also finished rereading Le Pays Pagan last week, whose author, Louis Elégoët, is from Brittany like me. 

What’s on the menu?
I’m the happiest man in the world if I have lunch to prepare. Cooking is like yoga for me and Sunday lunch is about taking time and having people over for roast chicken. Guests often bring dessert. It’s a bit of a surprise but, increasingly, it’s flan. Sometimes it’s homemade, sometimes it’s bought from a bakery or pastry shop.

And to drink?
Wine. Also some tomato juice and sparkling water. I’m not particularly into champagne. 

A pantry essential?
Salted butter. I’m a Breton – when I don’t have salted butter, I don’t know what to do anymore. 

Which brands does your wardrobe currently consist of?
Am I allowed to share that as a distributor? My wardrobe has a bit of everything. And when I say everything, I mean something I bought at a flea market or a secondhand clothing shop, alongside a more expensive piece from Le Bon Marché. I mix things together. I hate uniforms. 

Next on the travel itinerary? 
Montréal next week. I’ve only been once for a one-day trip. I can’t wait to discover it in a bit more depth.

Correction note: In last week’s Sunday Roast we asked London restaurateur and entrepreneur Dan Keeling where he goes for his weekend caffeine fix but incorrectly stated his response. He said, “The Lido café”. We erroneously referenced Daisy Green, a different café in the same neighbourhood. We’re happy to clarify this for the record and hope that we’re still welcome at our favourite Bloomsbury bolthole and neighbourhood wine shops.

The humble onigiri is a popular snack for on-the-go commuters looking for a convenient bite to eat. Its simple flavours make it the perfect blank canvas to experiment with fillings, from teriyaki chicken to tuna mayo or umeboshi (pickled plum). Here Monocle’s Japanese chef adds butter-fried corn to the sushi rice for a bit of crunch and to complement the umami flavours of the soy sauce.

Makes 12 onigiri

Ingredients
300g sushi rice
25g unsalted butter
100g canned corn, drained
1 tbsp light soy sauce
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Method

1.
Place the rice in a sieve set over a bowl and rinse, changing the water twice. Leave the rice to drain in the sieve for 30 minutes.

2.
Place the rice and 360ml water in a pot with a heavy lid over medium-high heat. As soon as the water begins to boil vigorously, turn the heat down to low and cook for 10 minutes (it’s important not to lift the lid during the cooking time). Then turn off the heat and let the rice steam for another 10 minutes, still covered.

3.
Melt the butter in a frying pan, add the drained corn and stir for 1 minute. Add the soy sauce and stir until the liquid has mostly evaporated.

4.
Once the rice has steamed, add the corn and freshly ground black pepper. Dampen a rice paddle or wooden spoon and