Harry’s Culture Radar: April ‘23
A monthly briefing on the very best in art, food, travel, and design.
By: Jeremy FreedDate: 2023-03-30
Staying on top of the world’s important cultural happenings takes serious time and energy, and even the most devoted cool collector is bound to miss a thing or two. That’s why we created Harry’s Culture Radar, our new monthly feature that curates the most interesting, most relevant, and most stylish bits of cultural intel from around the world and across the web. From the best new restaurants and the hippest hotels to the latest trends in architecture and design, our monthly briefing is made to bring you up to speed on under-the-radar happenings you might have missed in the newsfeed. This month: a tropical island escape, a stranger-than-fiction tale of corporate intrigue, and a new way to get more Momofuku noodles in your life.
**Paradise Found**
April can go either way, weather-wise, but the smart money is on getting out of Canada for a week or two if you can – preferably somewhere with sun, sand, and bathtub-warm blue ocean. Kudadoo, a resort in the Maldives that seems lifted directly out of a particularly luxurious desert island fantasy, is exactly that kind of place. Perched on a sand bar in the Indian Ocean and operating under the motto of “Anything, anytime, anywhere,” the resort’s 3,000 square-foot private villas come equipped with infinity pools, panoramic ocean views, and butlers dedicated to fulfilling your every whim.
When Eugene Levy visited on an episode of AppleTV+’s The Reluctant Traveler, he perused the resort’s expansive cheese cellar, meditated in an underwater aquarium anchored to the sea floor, and whacked biodegradable golf balls into the ocean at sunset – all of which sound much better than slogging through another rainy commute.
**Structural Integrity**
Sir David Chipperfield was recently awarded the 2023 Pritzker Prize, the highest honour in architecture, cementing his status as one of the most respected designers on the planet. Best known for landmark institutions like Mexico City’s Jumex Museum, the Turner Contemporary in the UK, and Berlin’s Neue Nationalgalerie, Chipperfield’s diverse slate of current projects includes a new Olympic stadium in Milan, the Nobel Centre in Stockholm, and Rolex’s shiny new NYC headquarters.
Closer to home, Chipperfield’s office is currently working with Toronto-based Zeidler Architects on the much-anticipated revamp of “Block 2,” a group of eleven buildings opposite Parliament Hill in Ottawa. In typical Chipperfield style, the project will blend existing heritage buildings with new elements, including a reclaimed copper facade and a large, timber-framed garden atrium. Construction is expected to begin next year.
**Momofuku on Demand**
David Chang’s culinary empire spans noodle bars, fine dining restaurants, TV shows, and a chain of fried chicken sandwich shops, but he seems to be nowhere near running out of ideas. Chang’s latest play, Momofuku Goods, is designed to bring his vibrant palette of pan-Asian flavours right to your door, starting with a line of instant noodles in flavours like Soy & Scallion and Tingly Chili. They’re available exclusively online, and can even be delivered via a bi-monthly subscription service. With Momofuku’s Toronto noodle bar now closed, it’s the perfect cure for the weeknight dinner doldrums.
**Boardroom Battle**
The final season of HBO’s hit corporate drama Succession premiered in March, plunging us once again into the battle for control of the fictional WayStar Royco media empire. Fans and critics have praised the show for its razor-sharp dialogue as much as its carefully considered wardrobe and theme music, all of which help to create an immersive setting for this modern saga of wealth and power. The machinations of the Roy family, however, have nothing on the real-life story of Sumner Redstone, the former owner of Viacom and CBS, whose stranger-than-fiction exploits are the topic of UNSCRIPTED:The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy.
Exhaustively researched by New York Times reporters James B. Stewart and Rachel Abrams, this tale of the media titan’s final years and the knives-out fight for control of his empire serves as a cautionary tale about the dark side of wealth and power.