THE SLOW-LIFE GURUS: KEIRIN BUCK & JOSEE YEOMANS
When asked if natural wines could be grouped under the slow food/wellness movement, Yeomans – head sommelier at twomonth-old natural wine bar Le Bon Funk – says she’d be “happy to utter it in the same sentence, because both are about letting the earth do the talking”. It might sound hippy, but she has a point. Natural wines, that is, wines that have the “lowest possible intervention” (read: less synthetic chemicals and processing) have become increasingly popular, mirroring similar trends towards the au naturale in beauty, fashion and lifestyle. Paired with the rustic yet polished dishes of the restaurant’s chef-owner Buck (cedar jelly foie gras, handmade charcuterie) and the result is a thoroughly unpretentious yet inviting meal. According to Buck, Le Bon Funk – his first solo venture, with an intimate 1,500 sq ft space designed by Foreign Policy – is meant to be “a casual neighbourhood wine bar that you can feel comfortable coming back to repeatedly”. Add the fact that
it’s part of the trendsetting The Lo & Behold Group, and people certainly will.