Our/Amsterdam Vodka, made locally and sold locally
12-11-2015
Since early October Amsterdam has its own Our/Amsterdam Vodka. Our/Amsterdam is one of the nine small production facilities owned by France’s Pernod Ricard.
Our/Amsterdam Vodka
Our/Amsterdam has started producing their Vodka in the distillery at the Helikoperstraat 32, in Amsterdam. The distillery has a production facility and a tasting room which is ideal for small events and tours. The tasting room is very trendy, with industrial lamps combined with green plants and copper accents. The vodka in Amsterdam has a soft taste with a subtle aroma. Although the recipe for all the Our/Vodka’s has been developed by Vincent Hoarau of The Pernod Ricard Research Centre, most ingredients are sourced locally and every location has its own brew master. In addition they say that in every city the taste is infused with the personality and expression of the city.
Although part of a global parent company with locations all over the world, every Our/Vodka produces a local vodka, sold for local markets. Like Our Vodka Berlin, Stockholm, Detroit, Seattle and Our London will open this month and next year New York, Los Angeles and Miami will follow.
About the team behind Our/Amsterdam
Amsterdam entrepreneurs Marcel Wortel and Ivo Hulscher teamed up with Pernod Ricard to be the Our/Amsterdam partners of the Our/Vodka family. The team is completed with Joris Doesburg, sales manager, Martijn Schavemaker, distillery manager and Anton Bal, social media guy. Their message: Our/Amsterdam is smooth, fresh and composed to blend well with any mixer. But keep it simple, it’s vodka.
Traditional French table service at Restaurant Hemingway
11-11-2015
‘Back to the Classics’, restaurant Hemingway from Grand Hotel ‘De Draak’ (the Dragon) is going to implement traditional tableside food preparation for two days this month.
Restaurant Hemingway is part of the oldest hotel and company in the Netherlands, Grand Hotel De Draak in Bergen op Zoom. The team of the restaurant is going to implement traditional French tableside food preparations. Examples of this are flambéing, filleting etcetera at every course of their menu on Thursday the 26th and Friday, the 27th of November.
‘Back to the Classics’ with the traditional French table service style
A French serving style is not very common, but is seen at some exclusive upscale clubs and restaurants. The waiter typically has a fancy cart that carries different types of food for the guests to look over before they decide what they would like. Sometimes this is only done for appetizers or deserts, and sometimes it is done throughout the entire meal.
At restaurant Hemingway one can chose a four course meal with a classic dish at each course. During the evening they will cut smoked salmon, fillet sole at the table, serve chopped sirloin steak with flambéed lardons and they finish with ‘cerises flambées’. There’s a lot of craftsmanship to witness on these evenings in restaurant Hemingway.
The craftsmanship of preparing classic dishes at the table is disappearing
In recent years, more and more restaurants stopped preparing the classic dishes at the table. This is mainly due to the labour intensity but it also isn’t taught anymore at the institutions. The classic tableside preparations are no longer regularly practiced and they seem to disappear due to these causes. Fortunately they are still used with some regularity at high-end restaurants. Often in a fancy way, such as preparing ice cream at the table through nitrogen, or preparing a cocktail at the table or the bar this way.
One will find variations of the classic dishes such as Crêpe Suzette regularly in the top restaurants. Like at Maison Lameloise (***) of chef Éric Pras where they still prepare a delicious Crêpe Suzette at your table.
In the end the traditional French table serving styles guarantee a show and your guest will experience a night out instead of just having dinner! We love to experience it in restaurants and we do wish the guests of restaurant Hemingway lot of fun and the team the best of luck on 26 and 27 November!
Dim Sum Now
11-11-2015
On 4 November Dim Sum Now opened an eatery in Amsterdam, ‘De Pijp’, for eat–in and take-out. Dim sum is part of an international revival, will dim sum also become more popular again in The Netherlands?
Healthy and tasty
After selling dumplings and gyoza at various festivals became a success, the owners of Dim Sum Now felt it was time to take the next step. These entrepreneurs, Guido van der Meijen and Ting Yiu Cheung have found a natural flavour enhancer to use in their dishes. Because of the fact that the food is being steamed, no flavour and nutrients are lost. That’s what makes dim sum so healthy and delicious, and that’s also the reason why it has become increasingly popular. The founders Guido and Tin Yiu see the eatery as an opportunity to make dim sum accessible to everyone. Dim Sum Now is dim sum from now – it’s all in the name.
Dim Sum Now
The counter is filled with steaming steam baskets full of dumplings and gyoza. Each of them served in five different variations with pork-, chicken-, duck-, fish- or a vegetarian filling. Next to that there are specials such as the BBQ Bun, the Lotus Leaf Wrap and sides like edamame and seaweed salad. On the façade of the eatery is displayed in mint green neon letters that they are selling ‘baskets of steamy goodness’. The eatery can be found at the Ferdinand Bolstraat 36 in Amsterdam. In addition, it’s also possible to pick up the dim sum or have it delivered to your home.
Inspiration
Dim sum is currently very popular in cities like London and New York. Top chefs who are inspired by the Asian cuisine are also using the small steamed Chinese snacks in their kitchen regularly. For example, I recently ate delightful dim sum ‘Peking Duck’ at Tim Raue (**) in Berlin. And since you can make almost unlimited variants by using different ingredients and flavours, we expect that dim sum will also become more popular in The Netherlands. ^Marjolein
Nestlé’s CHEF On Tour
10-11-2015
Nestlé uses a food truck to let chefs get acquainted with their new CHEF sauces: Chef on Tour…
Nestlé makes use of the street food revolution that has led to an outburst of street food and food trucks. According to Nestlé, street food brings people together, the food truck vendor is often the producer and educates the consumer where the product (or dish) originates from, about the ingredients and how it is prepared.
With this in mind Nestlé shows their costumers how to make use of their new product with CHEF On Tour. Nestlé’s culinary advisor (chef Edwin Detering) exclusively promotes the ‘CHEF’ sauces in his own food truck. He explains the preparation of the sauces, the ingredients and its variations.
The sauces of ‘CHEF On Tour’
From 27 October until 12 November Nestlé visited a dozen of hospitality organisations. Nestlé Professional involved chefs of the Van der Valk hotel chain in the development of the ‘CHEF’ sauces. As part of that collaboration, Nestlé wanted the entire kitchen brigade at the Van der Valk hotels to become excited about the sauces that they developed with their colleagues.
The food truck was located at the (supplier)entrance of the kitchen of the hotels. Nestlé took the whole crew out to the food truck at an appropriate time (during the ‘mise en place’ before lunch or dinner). The demonstration only lasted 15 to 20 minutes, so the brigade could immediately get back to work. These are the sauces they got to know during their short break: CHEF Peppersauce, CHEF Red Winesauce, CHEF Stroganoff sauce and CHEF Grillsauce. At first the crew tasted just the sauce (heated), then combined with a piece of grilled sirloin steak and finally with a piece of baked chicken thigh.
Are we going to see ‘CHEF On Tour’ more often?
Nestlé’s vision on this subject: “If ‘CHEF On Tour’ is appreciated by the chefs and their teams, then we will definitely consider visiting other chains and/or individual hospitality organisations with this concept. We might even show up at some other hotel and/or restaurants events in 2016.”
Gastkok.nl: working at a professional kitchen for one day
5-11-2015
Through the Dutch initiative Gastkok.nl hobby cooks can work side by side with a star chef for a day at restaurant Amarone (* Michelin). The chef of restaurant Amarone, Gert Blom, is the ambassador for this initiative the coming year. ‘I genuinely like to allow amateur cooks to take a look at what we do and how much love and dedication we put into our work.’
A glimpse into the culinary world with Gastkok.nl
Gastkok.nl is an initiative of Hans Zwart. Many amateur cooks secretly do have the desire to work in a real restaurant and turn their love for cooking into a profession for one day. Gastkok.nl makes this wish come true. Through their website they offer the possibility to work at a professional kitchen in one of the fourteen affiliated restaurants, restaurant Amarone (in Rotterdam) being the only restaurant with a Michelin star. Under the guidance of a professional chef the hobby cooks (possibly in a duo) will work in a professional kitchen, where they can learn some tricks of the trade.
Restaurant Amarone
The award-winning restaurant Amarone is run by star chef Gert Blom. The cooking style of Gert Blom is deeply rooted in, a lighter version of, the French cuisine. From the moment Gert was asked by Gastkok.nl, he viewed it as a great opportunity to give people a glimpse into his culinary world. As amateur cook you will get the opportunity to learn some of his tricks and apply it to your own cooking.
Catch your own fish at restaurant chain Zauo
4-11-2015
The chain of Zauo restaurants in Japan serves fresh fish at the next level. Fresher is not possible, since guests can choose to catch their own fish.
Pricing policy at restaurant chain Zauo
It is even cheaper if the visitor catches his or her own fish. For example, the regular price for a red snapper is ¥ 3.360 (€ 25,=), but if the fish is caught by him- or herself, the guest only pays ¥ 2.499 (€ 19,=). The guest benefits in three ways: it is cheaper, it is fun and the fish is as fresh as possible. The fish can be prepared in various ways amongst others as sushi, tempura, pan fried and as soup. Restaurant Zauo has several locations in Japan and is very popular amongst residents and tourists.
The catching process at Zauo
The guest buys the bait at the restaurant at a price range between 100 and ¥ 200 (€ 0,75 and € 1,50) , and the fishing rods can be borrowed. Then you decide which fish you would like to catch and eat. You have to choose among others between sea bream, red snapper, flounder and lobsters. If the guest has problems catching the fish, employees are always willing to give advice. There is no such thing as a ‘catch and release’ here, once the fish is caught, he is bought. If the guest really doesn’t want the fish, the fish can be released for ¥ 200. If the fish is caught, the guest will hand it over to an employee so it can be prepared. Moreover, it can even be prepared in two different ways. If the fish doesn’t bite or if the guest fails in catching the fish, you can order from the menu. However this guest will not receive any discount! For guests who prefer anything but fish, there are alternatives, like fried chicken, chicken meatballs, fries and more.
Inspiration
Of course we are all familiar with the lobster aquariums which are sometimes even filled with fish. Or think about those fish ponds where you go to catch your own fish. They even sometimes have a restaurant located at these ponds where you can have your freshly caught fish prepared. Check out the video above to see the difference with the restaurant chain Zauo.
Around the fondue tree ….
29-10-2015
The Kapellerput brings a winter habit to the Netherlands. They went to France for inspiration and came back with an alternative ‘break’ during meetings, cheese fondue. You can do this around a fondue tree, a bar table with space for a bottle of wine, glasses and a fondue pot. The fondue tree can also be used at parties of course.
De l’arbre à fondue or the fondue tree
Maybe you already know the l’arbre à fondue, it originates from Switzerland and is used by restaurants and hotels located in winter sports regions, since a few years. The fondue tree is easy to move, enabling the service of a cosy cheese fondue at any place you like. Watch a promotional video from 2011 ….
About the Kapellerput
The Kapellerput is located in Heeze. The green estate is an inspiring place where a lot of meetings take place, particularly in their Kaban (tree house) and the home of (meeting in the relaxed atmosphere of a living room). They also have an innovative space, #Renewal, with all sorts of products that stimulate creativity. You can even create a pop-up meeting in the forest. Their new ‘break’-concept around the fondue tree combines incredibly well with the meeting concepts they offer. Let’s hope for cold but sunny weather during meetings at the Kapellerput this winter!
Which restaurant is going to experiment with Miracle Frooties?
26-10-2015
Why doesn’t the hospitality industry experiment with Miracle Frooties? The Frooties are made of Miracle Berries, which turns sour dishes into sweet! Also suitable for guests with diabetes.
Some time ago I have read about the Miracle Frooties. The Miracle Frooties are tablets with elements that will be temporarily attached to the tastebuds on the tongue, turning bitter and sour flavours into sweet. Several videos on the Internet show that after the complete dissolution of the tablet even one of the most acidic fruits, lemon, turns into a tasty sweet bite.
Miracle Berries
The Miracle Frooties are made of Miracle Berries. These berries have been used since hundreds of years by West African tribes. They consume the berries prior to their meal. The food will get a completely different taste. On the Miracle Frooties website you can find several products that can be combined with the tablet. Examples:
• Lemon and lime – surprisingly sweet;
• Oranges – full-bodied and sweet;
• Kiwi and Pineapple;
• Granny Smith apple;
• Rhubarb.
Curious about other examples, please check the website of Miracle Fruit World.
Use the Miracle Frooties in your restaurant
The Miracle Frooties have been on the market for several years but I haven’t seen them in restaurants yet or heard about restaurants experimenting with them. Not even at the high end restaurants who are always in for an experiment. I would love to take part of an experience where you first have a dessert without sugar and with a high amount of acids and then taste it again, after taking the pill. This might be a fun experiment for chef François Geurds, from restaurant FG in Rotterdam!
Or use the Miracle Frooties to ‘sweeten’ an acid dessert for diabetics! This way, they can also enjoy a delicious dessert without the intake of sugars. And for those guests who want to lose weight, the pill is a nice way to eat, a ‘sweet’ dessert!
If I have inspired you and you are planning to conduct this experiment, I would like to be your guinea pig! The pills can be purchased in the Netherlands on the website of V-Nix.nl. ^Bram Kosterink
Berlin’s first Salmon Kebab
21-10-2015
The so called ‘Lachdöner’ from Rauch Zeichen consists of juicy salmon, cucumber, tomato, crispy fresh onion, well-seasoned with homemade honey-mustard-dill sauce and conveniently packed in traditional flatbread.
Salmon Kebab
Berlin’s new specialty, the ‘Lachdöner’ is invented by the self-made entrepreneur and amateur fisherman Ronny Unger. Often there are long lines waiting in front of the ‘Rauch-Zeichen’- food truck, that drives from market to market around Berlin. Beside the Salmon Kebab they also serve a salmonwrap, fish fries, fish buns and smoked fish. Most fish is bought at the company ‘Fischerei Angermünde’ in Uckermark but the salmon comes from antibiotic-free fish farms in Norway. The smoked fish is smoked over beech wood. For his fish ideas Ronny Unger has been awarded the ‘Seafood Star 2015’ as best starter in fish in Germany. Check out the Facebook page of ‘Rauch Zeichen’ for more information.
Inspiration
Check out other kebab concepts;
Like the robotic arm that slices the meat at restaurant ‘Super Kebab’ in London. Or the first European location of Baba Rafi that recently opened in Alkmaar. In Asia, the chain has more than 1,300 locations and the location in Alkmaar serves a kebab adapted to the European market, Kebab 2.0. And in Paris ‘Grillé’ serves a kebab that even the biggest snob can’t wait to be in line for! A Fancy Kebab or as the French say; ‘kebabs quasi gastronomiques’.
Les Bols de Jean – the breadbowl is going French
13-10-2015
Leonie van Spronsen, lives and works in Paris and recently lunched at ‘Les Bols de Jean’ in Paris.
The bread bowl is centuries old and in the United States completely common as chili or clam chowder holder, but in Europe not so much. Well that’s all about to change if you ask internationally renowned baker Eric Kayser and ‘world-famous-in-France’ chef Jean Imbert!
Les Bols de Jean in Paris
Since 2 weeks Jean Imbert, former winner of Topchef France, has a new lunch place right in the city center of Paris where he serves only one type of meal and that is the ‘Bol de Jean’. A ‘Bol de Jean’ is an especially developed loaf of brioche (in collaboration with Eric Kayser) that’s hollowed and the top has been cut off as a type of lid. For in the loaf you choose the dish you would like to try that day, they usually have 5 choices and they change regularly.
A must-visit lunch spot in Paris
Guess what? Delicious! The brioche is amazingly balanced, has a great structure and doen’t taste to sweet. The dish is creatively thought out and seems to match perfectly with the bread each time. On top of that it looks beautiful and it’s a new lunch concept for all Parisians. ‘Les Bols de Jean’ – I say on it’s way to become a new classic!
From the Dutch editor: In the Netherlands the Bunny Chow foodtruck serves similar bread bowls based on recipes from South Africa. Check Jean Imbert’s Instagram account for more pictures.
