Dos Palillos: the new generation ‘open kitchen’
21-10-2014
Niek Timmermans, consultant at Van Spronsen & Partners horeca-consultancy, visited restaurant Dos Palillos in Berlin. There, he saw his signature menu being prepared in the kitchen while seated in the restaurant. An ‘open kitchen’ 2.0, where the whole restaurant takes a seat at the chef’s table.
During my city trip to Berlin I’ve eaten at Dos Palillos (two chopsticks), a restaurant concept by Albert Raurich. Raurich started in 1997 as an intern of Ferran Adria at the famous El Bulli restaurant. Within five year he started working as a chef and stayed at that post from 2001 until 2007. Out of the many inspiration trips he made with Ferran the idea for Dos Palillos was born. In 2008 he opened his first location in Barcelona, followed by a second location in Berlin in 2010. And there I did experience his signature menu, which consists out of a total of 17 courses.
Opening ‘The Butcher’ in de ‘Foodhallen’ in Amsterdam
21-10-2014
The successful burger concept ‘The Butcher’ opens its second location today, 21 October 2014, in the Foodhallen in Amsterdam. ‘The Butcher’ is a stylish bar serving only top-quality burgers. The burgers are prepared on the spot and made with fresh ingredients. For example, the chefs choose to work only with the best quality meat, fresh vegetables, homemade buns and their signature sauces.
Two years ago, ‘The Butcher’ opened its doors on the Albert Cuyp market in Amsterdam. After the great success of this branch, now a second location opened in Amsterdam West.
More and more great initiatives open in de the Foodhallen in Amsterdam. Earlier, we wrote about the opening of Brasserie Halte 3 in the Foodhallen.
Share the taste of Vadouvan of Jonnie Boer
20-10-2014
From 6 to 12 October home cooks could win a special prize by sharing the taste of Vadouvan by Jonnie Boer with their neighbors. The 20 home cooks who shared the most meals with Vadouvan, won a cooking workshop at the Librije(***) worth of € 95, -. The workshop will take place at the end of this year and gives the winners the opportunity to cook in a professional kitchen. During the workshop, the 20 winners will prepare three dishes featuring the Vadouvan spices of the ‘Original Spices’ line by Jonnie Boer. The master chef himself will provide the winners with tips and preparation techniques.
Connect with other hotel guests by HelloTel
20-10-2014
The new app HelloTel is developed for people who are traveling alone and are looking for companionship. By using HelloTel you can see who is staying in your hotel as well and is looking for contact. The app is ideal to avoid uncomfortable situations where you approach someone who isn’t interested in a chat.
The HelloTel app
HelloTel is easy to use: check yourself in at the hotel via the app, and specify the reason you’re there (business or leisure). Then you will receive an overview of people who stay in the hotel as well and you are free to contact them. You can select the guests by the reason they’re there, for business or leisure, in this way you can select the companionship you are looking for: you can network with other business guests or meet up for a drink with people who are at the hotel for their holiday. The app also provides an overview of activities to do in the neighborhood.
Kids & fine dining; do they pair?
17-10-2014
Sit down, relax and enjoy watching this 7 minutes video from a group of second graders from P.S. 295 in Brooklyn enjoying and reacting to a seven-course tasting menu in the French restaurant Daniel from Chef Daniel Boulud. Great start of the weekend, it makes you smile.
13 December 2014, D-Day for the new Allergen Law
16-10-2014
13 December 2014 is the day, every food provider in Europe is obliged to tell their customers or guest which products are incorporated into their product or dish. At least if one of those products has one of the 14 Allergen groups in it. Does your company already have a menu with Allergen Labels indicated per dish?
Restaurant Hemingway
Hemingway Restaurant, from ‘Grand Hotel De Draak’ (Dragon Hotel) in Bergen op Zoom has already a menu indicating if one of the 14 Allergen Groups are processed in a dish . They have chosen the above solution; a chart. Other restaurants and bars choose to work with symbols. Recently a restaurant owner asked whether it’s mandatory to have this stated in all of his menu’s? You don’t need to publish it on every menu but the information needs to be available within the restaurant, so you are able to inform your guest suffering from an allergic reaction to one of the 14 Allergen product groups.
So if you have a restaurant or a bar serving food, you have to be ready for this Allergen Law within 2 months!
Hufterproof concept: the BurgerBar
16-10-2014
In 2013 a burger bar was developed near the ‘PaintballStrand’ (Paintball Beach) in Ermelo. The bar is located near the water and has the relaxing atmosphere of a beach club. The wooden furniture provides the BurgerBar its rough edge which fits well with a concept like paintball. The BurgerBar serves a large 100% beef burger of 180 gram on a sesame bun with melted cheddar cheese, crisp lettuce, fresh tomatoes and onions as specialty. The burgers are served with thick fries in wooden crates. Besides the burgers other food & drinks are served in the crates as well. A special feature of the concept is that a discount is given for large orders: a crate for multiple people is less expensive then when ordered individually.
The concept of the burger bar was developed in 2013 by the Van Spronsen & Partners Group and has been implemented in a monumental farm in Ewijk as well.
The first CUP espressobar opened with help of crowdfunding
16-10-2014
After a successful crowdfunding campaign the first CUP (Coffee Unites People) espresso bar opened in Voorburg on 18 October. The espresso bar is an addition to mobile capuccinobar, MobiCcino, which has been active since 2004. Guido Dam, owner of the MobiCcino and Mario van Andel, passionate barista and manager of the first CUP, noticed that there is an increased demand for quality tea and coffee and a set location to get it. The CUP espresso bar is a place in the neigborhood where you meet with neighbors, friends and business associates, or where you treat yourself with a delicious coffee. You can also buy fresh ground coffee beans.
Why crowdfunding?
The gentlemen have chosen crowdfunding as a way to obtain money because this caused a direct involvement of investors in the neighborhood. For example: the local barber and real estate agent have to opportunity to invest in the neighborhood straight away. In total, an amount of € 50,000,- was collected.
We already wrote about the CoffeeQube of MobiCcino before.
Opening NH flagship hotel at Madrid: NH Collection Eurobuilding
16-10-2014
After three months of renovation and investments the Spanish flagship hotel of the NH Hotel Group, NH Collection Eurobuilding, opened in Madrid on 9 Oktober. This four starred hotel has 431 rooms, all equipped with the Brilliant Basics of the NH Hotel Group such as showers with rain effect, special mattresses and flat screens. The hotel is leading in haute cuisine: it has four restaurants including the only three-star Michelin restaurant in Madrid, ‘DiverXO’. The hotel also has a pioneering position in the field of engineering. The NH Collection Euro Building has the only ‘Living Lab’ in the world. This is a place where innovations for the hotel industry are tested in a real life environment. NH Collection Euro Building also offers a spectacular health and wellness center, Metropolitan, with a gym, tennis facilities and 500m2 spa.
Restaurant W36: Mixing flavors like music
15-10-2014
With the opening of restaurant W36, Amsterdam gained a unique culinary experience. By the motto ‘Mixing flavors like music’ W36 is a place where different flavors and styles mix. This is reflected in the menu, what a mixture is of different cuisines, and in the interior, where the contemporary design is combined with raw materials such as steel, wood, leather and glass.
