Inspiration from NYFW 2014
11-2-2014
We all know that Fashion Weeks are concentrated around fashion shows and after party’s but this year Marc Jacobs took the opportunity to do another type of stunt!
After all the talk of alternative payment methods like Bitcoin recently, he decided to open a pop-up tweetshop, a store where you pay with social media posts, a brilliant idea to promote his fragrance Daisy. In essence this store was more about the experience than the shopping, being located in beautiful bright loft in Soho, the brand organized a set of activities. One was a photo-booth style field of daisies, where you could take daisy #selfies. When uploaded with #MJDaisyChain to Instagram or Twitter you could win great prizes with the messages, such as bags, full bottles of daisy, sunglasses and other gadgets. Other than the daisy-field booth there was also a cart with a coffeemachine and baristas making fresh coffee, ladies who were giving free manicures with Marc Jacobs nail polishes and lot’s of daisy art and daisies. A dj made the atmosphere even a bit more exciting and the “fabulous” NYFW visitors were having a ball. One simple tweet with the hashtag #MJDaisyChain earned you a small daisy roller and for the larger prizes your post had to be chosen. All together, a rather briljant concept and you bet that the # was trending during the opening days! ^Leonie van Spronsen
1001 Nights meets New York
11-2-2014
The QBara restaurant in the Fort WAFI Leisure Complex (Dubai) opened late 2013. The restaurant serves dishes inspired by the flavors of the region with a modern twist. Guests choose multiple dishes from the menu, which are served ‘family style’. For example we ate a few small dishes like ‘scallops, sumac and sweet & sour shallots’ and ‘tomatoes, watermelon and homemade Shanklish & mint’. The dishes we tasted were delicious with mysterious ingredients (for us) like za’atar butter and grilled vegetables ‘mechouia’. The desserts were also delicious; we loved the tempura Medjoul dates. As the alcohol consumption is less in this region, many restaurants have an extensive mocktail menu with great combinations of ingredients. All of this combined with the unique environment, with elements as the ‘magic wall’ (see a YouTube video of the wall here) and the house-Arabian music, makes for an amazing experience. The restaurant has a modern design that is enriched with oriental style. ^Marjolein
Valentine’s Day is all about attention
11-2-2014
No red roses, bonbons or discount but attention! That’s what Droste’s attends its guests on with a nice little envelope for your telephone during the Valentine’s dinner.
Pop-up bowling alley in nightclub Trouw
10-2-2014
Since last weekend, you can go bowling in nightclub Trouw in Amsterdam. There are three professional bowling lanes in the basement of Trouw where you can play from February 7 to March 2. Club Lebowski places pop-up bowling alleys at various locations and it took three days to place the bowling alleys at Trouw. During restaurant and club hours guests can throw strikes, spares and gutter balls along with up to six friends. The bowling alleys are open from Tuesday to Saturday for €10,= per hour.
BarBacon New York
10-2-2014
A real bacon lover? Visit the bacon restaurant ‘BarBacon’ in New York City. The restaurant opened last month and is completely in the theme of artisan bacon. The menu includes a variety of bacon sandwiches, salads, bacon chocolate chip cookies and even a bacon whiskey variant. When serving ‘The Tasting’ the guest will receive a selection of four types of bacon and there is a bacon of turkey or vegetarian bacon. ‘BarBacon’ serves local craft beers and whiskeys in combination with various types of bacons. Maybe they can serve a shot bacon liqueur?
Pinterest for the hospitality industry
7-2-2014
‘Pin’ and ‘Interest’, also known as Pinterest. The social online bulletin board where users can share their images has become a lot more popular in the Netherlands the past year. Currently 1.1 million Dutch use Pinterest, compared with 530,000 users a year ago. Pinterest has extended the functions, so there are more opportunities for the users.
The first Dutch hot tub cinema in Amsterdam
7-2-2014
The first Dutch hot tub cinema is located in Amsterdam from 6 to 9 March. In the ‘Machinegebouw’ at the Westergasterrein are 21 hot tubs and two cinema screens. You could book a hot tub with five friends and you will get a waiter service, bottle of cava and a private bath robe but it is already sold out. After the movie there is a bathrobe after party with a DJ. The concept is inspired by the Hot Tub cinema in London.
Hospitality Crowd Funding Netherlands
7-2-2014
The first crowd funding platform especially for the Dutch hospitality industry is developed: Hospitality Crowd funding Netherlands. The platform helps hospitality businesses to raise capital. Hospitality Crowd funding Netherlands brings investors and hospitality business in touch with each other, so that the Dutch hospitality industry can continue to innovate.
Give me that bloody ice cream!
6-2-2014
Article by Julia Soldic.
This year the Copenhagen-based Nordic Food Lab revealed another shocking new ingredient that had awakened the lab’s curiosity. The team had examined the re-integration of animal blood into our food chain.
The Nordic Food Lab was founded in 2008 by the brain and hands behind restaurant Noma, Rene Redzepi. The lab has, ever since, shown the world that the uneatable can be eatable if only your stomach can take it.
The Burger Shed
6-2-2014
The famous Australian chef Justin North opened ‘The Burger Shed’ last year. He is the first of many chefs to develop a gourmet burger food concept. Because of the financial crisis in Australia, many customers choose for the opportunity of dining out inexpensively. ‘The Burger Shed’ is designed by Mima Design based on the concept; an inviting restaurant that expresses quality and affordability. The burger restaurant has brick walls, a concrete floor with elements of wooden pallets, raw materials and industrial lighting. Back-to-basics. The menu of ‘The Burger Shed’ focuses on the use of local and high-quality products. The menu offers four types of burgers (beef, lamb, chicken and Portobello), fish tacos and chicken tortillas.
