It’s very late on Friday evening, almost midnight, and I’m sitting in the Al Mourjan Business Lounge at Doha’s Hamad International Airport and reflecting on what has been a whirlwind week of flights, meetings, moderating, reunions and after-hours merriment. If you caught yesterday’s edition of Andrew’s column, you’ll know that we’re all on a bit of a Jakarta high off the back of our Chiefs conference – delegates, speakers and staffers alike. Andrew covered the thrill of being a first-timer in the city but this was perhaps my fifth trip and I’m now looking back on the 48 hours spent there and thinking about the high points, what had changed and why it had been nine years since I had last taken a spin around Jakarta’s leafy neighbourhoods, government ministries and modernist cafés.

A standout moment was reconnecting with Indonesian friends who I’d bumped into on occasion in Tokyo or London but hadn’t seen properly on their home turf. The businesses that they’d launched in the early 2000s had since flourished, grown to multiple locations, launched spin-offs and generally changed the face of hospitality and retail in many corners of Indonesia.

Another moment was when I was onstage with the journalist and broadcaster Najwa Shihab. Perhaps one of the most recognisable faces in the country’s media, she is part Christiane Amanpour, part Oprah, part Barbara Walters. After 25 minutes of discussion and a few questions from the audience, I was about to wrap up our session when Shihab stopped me and said that she wanted to ask me a question. “Sure,” I said, the tables suddenly turning.

“How do you do it?” she said, with a warm, slightly mischievous grin. “How do you do what you do – find stories, see where things are heading? Tell me.” It was the most simple, direct question and, in a flash, I was caught completely off-guard. Being asked a question onstage is rather different to chatting to a journalist in a hotel lobby lined with potted palms, a pianist tinkering away in the background. In front of an audience, you need to quickly respond or, at least, make sure that you don’t leave too much dead air. Trying to get to the core of her question, I started with a disclaimer about certainly not getting it right all of the time but then, in my scramble, the answer came to me. “We get out in the world,” I said. “We look up. I remind my colleagues that every time they pull into a train station or drive away from an airport they should look up. They ask questions about things that look surprising, different or out of place.” 

Shihab nodded and there was a flash of approval in her eyes. I expanded on the idea a little more, conscious that we were running over time. With a disarming smile, she said, “I like that.” I thanked her again and we walked off the stage together, at which point she was immediately mobbed by fans who wanted photos and delegates who had never heard of her before but now wanted to ask more questions and compliment her on her talk.

This week has been a reminder of the importance of being out there, going the distance and making the effort to deal with the time zones, the lack of food, the bulging inbox of correspondence and the tempting comfort of a big corner suite and crisp linen. There is much that can be done on-screen from a research perspective but you need to smell the clove-scented tobacco, ask what happens in the gaudily lit nightclub called Helen’s that you just zipped past (“naughty things”, I was told), listen to stories about Surabaya and Bandung that make you keen to visit and just run with it. If you’re wondering what to do this Sunday, look up from your screen and absorb, appreciate and question all that you see.

London’s Marylebone isn’t short of high-quality restaurants – and Nina is no exception (writes Maria Papakleanthous). The underground Italian restaurant is the latest addition to the Pachamama Group, which also owns Zephyr and Bottarga.

Nina’s chipped concrete walls are offset by candlelit tables dressed in white linen and intricate silverware, offering its visitors an industrial charm. At the mirrored bar, guests sip on Marlboro spritzes, a red aperitivo made using prosecco and cherry.

The menu serves Italian fare, including soft focaccia served with velvety parmesan butter, truffle arancini and cantaloupe melon topped with raw bluefin tuna. Try the spaghetti with Nina’s signature tomato sauce or the crispy chicken milanese with a frothy butter sauce. Finish with the stracciatella burnt cheesecake, a final indulgence that proves that there’s always room for dessert.
nina.london

Marguita Kracht is a seventh-generation hotelier who runs Zürich’s iconic Baur au Lac hotel (writes Ivan Carvalho). Last year she oversaw the conversion of the property’s Michelin restaurant into the new, easy-going Mediterranean restaurant, Marguita. Here, she tells us about her favourite Swiss loaf for Sunday brunch and discovering new wines at the family’s bottle shop, Baur au Lac Vins.

Where will we find you this weekend?
Somewhere between suitcase Tetris and toddler diplomacy. I will be packing for a holiday and hopping on a 12-hour flight to Thailand with my husband and my two-and-a-half-year-old.
 
What’s for breakfast?
A flat white for me, a ginger mint tea for my husband and a babyccino for our little one.
 
Walk the dog or downward dog?
A lakeside stroll with my poodle is my Sunday workout of choice. Fresh air and a wagging tail provide just the right amount of exertion.
 
A Sunday soundtrack?
The Sunday Morning Chill Jazz Mix playlist on Spotify. 
 
Sunday culture must?
Sunday brunches wouldn’t be complete without my husband’s homemade zopf bread. It’s a tradition from his childhood and its rich, buttery scent brings back memories. We have it with eggs and smoked salmon.

News or no news?
Unplugged. No doomscrolling headlines and more of being in and appreciating the present moment. 
 
What’s on the menu?
Spaghetti Sundays are a family tradition. We treat ourselves to a reservation at Marguita for its legendary spaghetti alla chittara because, sometimes, indulgence means letting someone else perfect the pasta. We complement it with sparkling wines from our shop, Baur au Lac Vins. 
 
Will you lay out an outfit for Monday?
Never. I let my morning mood do the styling. Each outfit reflects how I feel when I wake up and is not something I planned the night before.

Monocle chef Ralph Schelling has created his own version of this traditional German dumpling salad, which he enjoys in Vienna and Bavaria. Serve as a main course with gherkins or as a side dish to accompany a hearty main meal.

Serves 4
 
Ingredients

For the salad
6 stale bread rolls
¼ litre milk
1 onion
1 tbsp butter
½ bunch flat-leaf parsley
3 eggs

For the dressing
100ml white wine vinegar
120ml rapeseed oil
1 tbsp grainy mustard
1 red onion
Salt and pepper, to taste

Method
 
1 
Cut the stale bread rolls into cubes. Heat the milk and pour over the rolls. Leave to soak for 30 minutes.

2
Finely dice the onion and sauté in the butter. Finely chop the parsley. Add the onion, chopped parsley and the 3 eggs to the softened bread cubes and knead everything well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Leave to stand for another 30 minutes.

3
Form 12 dumplings with moistened hands. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add plenty of salt. Place the dumplings in the boiling water and reduce the heat so that the water is just simmering. Leave for 15-20 minutes.

4
Remove the cooked dumplings from the water with a slotted spoon and drain. Allow the dumplings to cool before serving with the salad.

5
For the dressing, mix the vinegar, oil and mustard thoroughly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Peel the red onion and cut into fine rings.

6
Cut the cooled dumplings into slices and place in portions on a plate. Pour over the dressing and garnish with the red onions.
ralphschelling.com

Built in the 1870s in memory of King Oscar I, this historic building at Björngårdsgatan 23 has reopened as Stockholm Stadshotell, a beautifully restored 32-key property with a lounge, sauna and a cold plunge (writes Sonia Zhuravlyova). “The intricate woodwork, old beams and sections of aged brickwork were preserved,” says founding partner Johan Agrell.

There’s also a charming courtyard restaurant, Matsalen, in the former chapel. Chef Olle T Cellton dishes up contemporary Nordic fare, such as wood-grilled fish, lobster taglioni and peak-season vegetables. “Matsalen is about cooking with intention but without ego,” says Agrell.

Upstairs, the cream-coloured rooms and suites are rendered in soothing, muted tones, with inbuilt furniture by Swedish company Tre Sekel, bespoke Italian linens courtesy of design studio Liv Casas and luxury bathroom fixtures by Lefroy Brooks, creating a pocket of quiet luxury. The result is a tasteful renaissance that’s fit for a king.
stockholmstadshotell.com

You can discover more of Monocle’s favourite hospitality spaces in our annual travel special, ‘The Escapist’ which is on newsstands now.