Food & Wine

Tyler Brûlé, Andrew Tuck, Fiona Wilson, Joe Pickard
The Monocle team celebrates the endlessly fascinating and culturally rich country of Japan.

Ever since it launched in 2007, Monocle has had a rich and deep connection with Japan. From day one the magazine has had a Tokyo bureau – which today also encompasses a Monocle shop and radio studios – run under the watchful eye of Asia bureau chief Fiona Wilson.

Over the past decade the magazine has built up a unique understanding and passion for the nation. It has covered everything from a live journey on the Emperor’s jet and the tastiest places to eat in Kagoshima to the fashion designers crafting new levels of excellence and the businesses with remarkable stories untold outside Japan. This new book reveals the best of the nation in the run up to the 2020 Olympics. Complete with stunning photography and intriguing essays, it is a unique showcase of a country that for many remains a mystery.


Contents List
1. Introduction (illustrated) • 2. Essays • 3. The Nation (main photo section) • 4. Business & Brands • 5. Culture & Sport • 6. Portraits of the People (profiles) • 7. Architecture, Design & Fashion • 8. Retail • 9. Mobility/Transport • 10. Hospitality, Food & Drink 11. Know your cities (expos on main cities)


About the Author
Monocle is a global affairs and lifestyle magazine, 24-hour radio station, website, retailer and media brand, all produced by Winkontent Ltd. It was founded by Tyler Brûlé, a Financial Times columnist, and founder of Wallpaper* magazine. Described by CBC News reporter Harry Forestell as a ‘meeting between Foreign Policy and Vanity Fair’, the magazine aims to provide a global perspective on international affairs, business, culture, design and fashion. The magazine is edited by Andrew Tuck.


Format: Hardback without Jacket
Size: 30.0 x 22.5 cm
Extent: 304 pp
Publication date: 14 May 2020
ISBN: 9780500971079

The Seriously Good Kids Cookbook is packed with over 50 simple, delicious and fun recipes containing easy-to-follow captions and 300 photos in a unique cartoon-strip style to inspire children of all ages to get busy in the kitchen.

Original and creative projects will capture kids' imaginations, such as the paper bag breakfast of a bacon and egg sandwich in a paper bag cooked on a barbecue. The kick'n'roll tin can ice cream is bound to be the project of the summer: pack a large tin can with ice and rock salt, insert a sealed ziplock bag containing cream, sugar and vanilla and kick it to the park or the beach... within 25 minutes... homemade ice cream!

Kids will also learn as they go along; each recipe contains a culinary technique such as beating, whipping, piping or baking and 'Adult alerts' appear throughout the book and ensure the recipes are all easy and safe to make.

This is a book which will become treasured as it helps children to discover the endless fun to be had in the kitchen and to learn skills which will stay with them for life.

128 pages

Sophie D. Coe, Michael D Coe

A richly detailed and illustrated investigation into the story of the world’s favourite food

Chocolate – ‘the food of the Gods’ – has had a long and eventful history. Its story is expertly told here by the doyen of Maya studies, Michael Coe, and his late wife, Sophie.

The book begins 3,000 years ago in the Mexican jungles and draws on aspects of archaeology, botany and socio-economics. Used as currency and traded by the Aztecs, chocolate arrived in Europe via the conquistadors, and was soon a favourite drink with aristocrats. By the 19th century and industrialization, chocolate became a food for the masses – until its revival in our own time as a luxury item. Chocolate has also been giving up some of its secrets to modern neuroscientists, who have been investigating how flavour perception is mediated by the human brain. And, finally, the book closes with two contemporary accounts of how chocolate manufacturers have (or have not) been dealing with the ethical side of the industry.

About the Author
Sophie D. Coe, an anthropologist and food historian, was the author of America’s First Cuisines.

Professor Michael D. Coe is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and Curator Emeritus in the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University. His books include The Maya, Reading the Maya Glyphs and Mexico and The True History of Chocolate, all published by Thames & Hudson.


Format: Paperback
Edition Type: Third edition
Size: 19.8 x 12.9 cm
Extent: 280 pp
Illustrations: 99
Publication date: 7 February 2019
ISBN: 9780500294741

A visual and sumptuous ode to Hong Kong that reimagines 88 classic and iconic dishes as colorful and beautiful plant-based meals.

A common Chinese greeting is 食咗飯未呀? “Have you eaten (rice) yet?” which is how Christine Wong’s paternal grandmother would welcome her home during her childhood in Hong Kong. Food was the language of love, with birthdays and special events always celebrated with family meals, from nine-course banquet-style restaurant feasts to simple home-cooked dinners. After leaving Hong Kong and adopting a vegan lifestyle for health and sustainability reasons, Christine yearned to recreate the flavors and textures of her family’s food at home without animal by-products.

The Vibrant Hong Kong Table celebrates many of Hong Kong’s most iconic dishes with a vegan twist. Organized by a day of eating through the city and paying homage to its culinary heritage, these fresh, bright, vegetable-based recipes include:
Breakfast and Dim Sum 點心: Sampan Congee, Lotus Leaf Rice, “Egg” Tarts
Cha Chaan Teng 茶餐廳 and Lunchbox Favorites: Baked Tempeh Chop Rice, Black-Pink Pepper Cabbage Steak, Jackfruit Brisket Noodles
Family-Style Dinners, from Festival Foods to Dai Pai Dongs 大牌檔: “Fish Fragrant” Eggplant, Sweet & Sour Cauliflower, Snow Skin Mooncakes
Siu Yeh 宵夜 (Late-Night Snacks) and Sweets: Curry “Fishballs,” Three Treasures, Hong Kong Sweet Buns

"Hong Kong Highlights," included throughout, showcase cultural customs such as balancing yin and yang and sharing food family-style. And Mama Wong’s tips for using ingredients like lotus root, taro, and salted oranges, offer an immersive experience of Hong Kong’s culinary and societal traditions. With beautiful imagery, intimate storytelling, and easy-to-follow instructions, The Vibrant Hong Kong Table is a treasury of fresh and inspiring vegan meals straight from the heart of this magnificent city to your home.

UNIQUE VEGAN COOKBOOK: Born out of hardship, hard work, and diverse cultural influences, Hong Kong’s food culture is an integral part of its history. Author Christine Wong taps into her culinary heritage to offer a window into this incredible city through vibrant memories and colorful, flavorful, plant-based spins on classic dishes like Crystal Dumplings, Salt & Pepper "Squid," Laughing Sesame Cookies, and of course, Hong Kong Milk Tea.

GOOD FOR THE PLANET AND YOU: These easy vegan recipes offer a way to move toward a sustainable plant-based diet without sacrificing flavor. Based on time-tested Hong Kong cooking techniques and flavors, these recipes are designed to be easy to follow and sharable, offering nourishing meals for weeknight dinners and work-from-home lunches.

A TOUR OF HONG KONG: Filled with beautiful and evocative photography, The Vibrant Hong Kong Table captures all the intoxicating sights, sounds, and smells that Hong Kong is famous for.

Perfect for:
Chinese cookbook fans looking for East Asian or Hong Kong–specific recipes
Home cooks seeking delicious plant-based and vegan recipes
People interested in ways to eat more sustainably
Travel-inspired gift for birthday, anniversary, holiday, housewarming, and more

DIY fever + quality meat mania = old-school butchery revival! Artisan cooks who are familiar with their farmers market are now buying small farm raised meat in butcher-sized portions. Dubbed a rock star butcher by the New York Times, San Francisco chef and self-taught meat expert Ryan Farr demystifies the butchery process with 500 step-by-step photographs, master recipes for key cuts, and a primer on tools, techniques, and meat handling. This visual manual is the first to teach by showing exactly what butchers know, whether cooks want to learn how to turn a primal into familiar and special cuts or to simply identify everything in the case at the market.

240 pages

by Chastity Cooper

Mix and Match Witty Phrases to Sound like a Sommelier

An aspiring oenophile's dream, Wine Convo Generator provides over 150,000 possible phrases to sound like an instant wine expert.

Whether you're looking to expand your wine vocabulary or just want to sound like you know what you're talking about, this handy generator is here to help. Each of the 162 flip cards offers an insightful quip that you can say on the fly or mix and match for a longer observation dripping with sommelier-level wine knowledge.

Perfect for taking the fake-it-til-you-make-it approach to becoming an actual connoisseur or happily staying a boxed-wine lover, this clever guide is ready for sampling with more than 150,000 new and creative things to say about the elixir of life.

FUN AND INTERACTIVE WINE BOOK: Flip around to find a phrase that feels relevant to you and the wine you're tasting, then build from there. Or randomize the pages and enjoy the amusing (and maybe even rather strange) creation that results. Pro tip: this activity gets even more fun with each glass of wine you have (all in moderation, of course).

WINE LOVERS GIFT IDEAS: Affordable and easy to use, this little generator of wine-themed quips is the perfect pairing with a bottle of wine, a selection of cheese and crackers, or a wine opener.

VINO EXPERTISE IN A PLAYFUL PACKAGE: Author Chasity Cooper brings the fun and the knowledge to this one-of-a-kind wine gift. A wine culture expert, Cooper's goal is to make wine accessible and relatable to every palate.

Perfect for:- Wine lovers, new and old - Pairing with wine accessories as a birthday, holiday, or housewarming gift - Stocking stuffers for wine enthusiasts - Funny wine snob gifts