Canned food in the hospitality industry
15-4-2015
Since the start of company Bommels Conserven they are convinced that canned food is tasty and trendy. That’s why they’ve launched the concept ‘Een nieuwe blik op de tafel’. (Freely translated as ‘You can clearly see the table’).
The concept is meant for the hospitality entrepreneurs who want to keep their guests entertained with products which are easy and simple to present at different times of the day.
Canned food
The canned fish will be served at the table. It’s a complete concept with a wooden cutting board that is the connecting tool to present the products which are: canned fish, bread and garnitures matching the recipes of the fish. This cutting board is specially designed to fit the canned fish exactly, the bread is presented and there’s space for bowls with different garnitures.
How does it work?
The guests can choose the cans from the menu. These will be served by the waiters and presented on the cutting board with the matching garnitures. Serve with homemade bread for more flavour.
For the launch of this concept, Bommels Conserven is still looking for entrepreneurs who would like to introduce it. Contact Dineke van Bommel for further information.
Ciel Bleu IPA made by Brouwerij ‘t IJ
13-4-2015
Three years ago, two-star restaurant Ciel Bleu launched its first IPA (India Pale Ale) in collaboration with the renowned Amsterdam brewery ‘Brouwerij ‘t IJ’. While the intention was a single collaboration, guests kept asking for a new beer.
The chefs Onno Kokmeijer and Arjan Speelman thus faced the challenge to brew a new gastronomical beer that would taste even better than the first IPA. After many sessions and trying all kinds of ingredients, they chose kaffir lime as the main element of the Ciel Bleu IPA 2.0 beer. This citrus fruit is also known as Djeroek Poeroet and is widely used in the Asian cuisine. The dry-hop with Waimea and Citra hops gives the beer a flowery, freshly bitter character.
Brouwerij ‘t IJ
The brewery of Brouwerij ‘t IJ has two locations, one in East Amsterdam, next to the Gooyer windmill. This is also where the brewery began and where the pub is located. The second brewery is located on the Zeeburgerpad. The pub is opened every day from 2 pm to 8 pm. All the beers are brewed in the traditional manner, without filtering or pasteurization.
Ideal food pairing and serving
In restaurant Ciel Bleu the beer is served in a wine glass at a temperature of 10 to 12 degrees Celcuis. Dishes with mostly fresh elements best match the Ciel Bleu IPA, such as citrus combined with sweet elements. Like any IPA beer, it tastes best within a couple of months after production. The beer is available at the Ciel Bleu restaurant and several specialty beer shops. Of course the beer is also available at ‘Brouwerij ‘t IJ’ itself, which is worth a visit as well!
Order your drinks through OpenTabs
10-4-2015
Guests of food court The World don’t have to wait to order their drinks anymore. They can order through their phones whenever they want to. The company eMove.me made this possible together with its German partner OpenTabs. They created the OpenTabs app and launched it in the Netherlands.
The World
On Wednesday 8 April The World officially opened its doors in Rotterdam. Guests can go there for the new dining concept by Wesley Ladage, son of the famous french-fries baker Bram Ladage. For this concept he works together with restaurants Asian Glories and O’Pazzo.
OpenTabs
You can order drinks from the espresso bar and wine bar of The World with your mobile phone. Each table in this section of The Word has a QR-code. This code can be scanned with the OpenTabs app and the menu appears on the screen. Make a choice and place your order. If you’ve paid, the restaurants promises to deliver the order within the five minutes.
Grab & Go
From half past seven in the morning, you can choose the ‘Grab & Go’ option. You can order for example a coffee and a sandwich and can pick it up when you want, without having to wait in a queue.
According to the CEO of eMove.me, Martijn Lukaart, this will be the future for the hospitality branch/industry and retail: ‘’The technology is becoming more sophisticated which, means we have the possibility to respond to your customer’s needs in a better way. This is not only convenient for the customer, who doesn’t have to wait any longer, but also for the entrepreneur.’’
The Roast Bar and Rotisserie
9-4-2015
The Roast Room is the new restaurant of Michael and Saskia Deenik and opened officially on 8 April. The Roast Room is a butcher shop, roast bar and rotisserie in one, located in the RAI Amtrium at the Europaplein in Amsterdam.
The butchers cut the meat that’s used in the restaurant themselves and they make fresh sausages and burgers as well. The vegetables and herbs for the restaurant come from a five floors City Farming space on the south side of the Amtrium.
The Roast Bar and Rotisserie
The Roast Bar on the ground floor is a brasserie which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If the weather allows, it’s possible to eat outside at the terrace. The bar is decorated with large copper beer tanks filled with Warsteiner lager and the special beers.
The Rotisserie, a fine dining restaurant which is open for lunch and dinner, is located on the first floor. It includes a roof terrace for sunny days. The open kitchen has a Rotissoire, a charcoal grill, Australian Beech-wood furnaces for gas burners and a California South Bend-broiler that can heat up to 1,400 degrees Celsius.
Interior
The interior is the work of Studio Modijefsky and Studio Molen, who were responsible for the interior of Visaandeschelde as well. Restaurant Visaandeschelde is from the same owners. A bronze ‘Tower of Babel’ with shiny sausages welcomes guests at the entrance, an iconic butcher’s leg dangles in front of the butchery and a giant bronze ‘Ginger’ chandelier is one of the other unique cool features of the restaurant.
Beam: The smart projector that fits in any light socket
7-4-2015
Beam can turn any flat surface into a big screen. It is a powerful projector equipped with a smart computer, all inside a beautifully designed casing.
Beam is already funded on Kickstarter
You can play games, watch movies or share content from your smartphone or tablet. You can also watch TV on your bedroom ceiling or project recipes on your kitchen wall. Next to that, Beam can assist you in your daily activities, like waking up in the morning with the latest news and your agenda or showing you your social updates when you come home. Beam is easy to set up and control with the Apple or Android app. You can screw it into any light socket or use the included power cable to place it on any flat surface.
With Beam the makers have created an easy to use ‘internet of things’-device that can entertain and assist you throughout the day. The patent for the technology inside Beam is pending. The fundraising went amazing, they raised more money than expected.
Inspiration
If you watch the video above you can easily imagine the use of the Beam in restaurants or hotels. Imagine your specialties of the day projected on the walls or a wall of pictures in your hotel lobby, presenting your menu, pictures of your wellness center or digital paintings. Or what do you think about presenting the kitchen crew while working on the plates of your guests? In a bar Beam could be used to project games on the tables.
Septem beer
3-4-2015
Septem beer is a Greek beer. In Latin Septem means ‘seven’. The meaning inspired the creators of the beer to create various beers and name them after the days of the week. During Terra Madre in Turin Armand tasted all the different types. This included the Tuesday and Wednesday variant, however these are not available anymore.
The beer variants are: Monday’s Pilsner, Thursday’s Red Ale, Friday’s Pale Ale , Saturday’s Porter, Sunday’s Honey Golden Ale en Septem 8η Μέρα (Septem’s eighth day).
Microbrewery
The microbrewery of Septem is located in Orologio (Greece). The microbrewery was founded by the Greek oenologist (wine expert) Sofoklis Panagiotou and the economist Georgios Panagiotou. They began with their first distribution of the bottles of beer in June 2009.
Masterclass in brewing beer
Sofoklis Panagiotou gives a masterclass in brewing beer in Amsterdam, on Monday 13 April 2015. He will explain how he creates his award-winning beer. It’s also possible to taste the beer afterwards!
You can reserve here to participate the masterclass.
Mini Pancakes
31-3-2015
Mini Pancakes has been chosen as pancake supplier by the Dutch pavilion at the World Expo 2015. During this edition of the world international exhibition in Milan, food plays central role. That’s why the traditional Dutch dish, the mini pancake, can’t be left out. In countries where this company from Bunschoten (NL) is active, including the Gulf States, the mini pancakes turn out to be very popular. So popular that Mini Pancakes recently opened a store in Dubai.
Dubai
Through the activities that took place in the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Kuwait and the United Arabic Emirates, Mini Pancakes became the market leader in selling freshly baked mini pancakes. Mini Pancakes is a part of Global Village, the annual international festival in Dubai where over the 5 million visitors pay a visit to. Mini Pancakes received the Best Retail Award last year from Global Village. The youngest son of the sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum handed out this award. With the opening of the permanent Mini Pancakes establishment, the mini pancakes are available in Dubai throughout the year.
Modern form
Mini Pancakes aren’t only served with a simple knob of butter and some sugar. This is just one of the many choices. Other options are white chocolate, Nutella, a variation of syrups, lime and even spreadable cheese as topping. According to Tomek Aalders, director of Mini Pancakes, the mini pancakes aren’t old fashioned but tasty and nice.
World Expo 2015 is from 1 May until 31 October in Milan.
The Duchess
27-3-2015
Restaurant ‘The Duchess’ in the former KAS Bank and the new W Amsterdam opens this summer. It’s just a short distance away from the Royal Palace at the Dam square. Founder Yossi Eliyahoo of ‘The Duchess’ calls the restaurant a luxurious retreat in the crowded heart of Amsterdam.
The Kitchen
All the tastes are prepared in a handmade Molteni kitchen. This kitchen has been designed specially for the restaurant. An exclusive table is located in middle of the kitchen, The Duchess Table. The menu is inspired by the tastes that are characteristic for countries such as France and Italy. The restaurant uses products like artichoke, zucchini, lemons, olives, tomatoes, truffles, a variety of seafood, meat and fresh pastas. These are all local products from France and Italy.
The ‘Afternoon Tea’ is an important part of ‘The Duchess’. During this light meal there will be a variety of small pastries and scones served with signature marmalades. Besides that, the restaurant also serves one of its many tea blends and champagnes. Adjusted to the ‘dining experience’, the drink menu consists of different drinks, cocktails and punch.
Interior
Yossi Eliyahoo is inspired by the history of the former bank and combined this with the character of ‘The Duchess’. The interior has been brought into balance with the elegance and refinement of a royal past and with the comfort and intrigues from this time. The hall is decorated with a ceiling that is made of glass surrounded by marble details and handmade floor tiles.
Feed your appetite with food search suggestions
25-3-2015
Suggesto.be is based on a simple principle. On this website you have an online overview that makes the menus, dishes, breakfasts and brunches of the affiliated restaurants accessible. Those who fancy a particular dish, can get food search suggestions from the website and find restaurants that match their appetite.
Food search suggestions based on your appetite
Tim Prys, initiator of suggesto.be: “It is more than just an online menu. The suggestions of restaurants you don’t always find online. Those menus become very accessible on my website. Today it is a must to inform people about what you have to offer, without having to consult dozens of individual websites. Currently a large number of restaurants and brasseries in Hasselt are part of my project. However, the intention is to expand to (Belgian) Limburg and Flanders on the short term. The period in which we achieve these objectives depends, of course, on the growth of users.”
Prys is convinced that Suggesto.be has the potential to become an indispensable tool. “The feedback from both the restaurants and the users is very positive.”
Inspiration: we have often indicated the importance of the accessibility of your menu. It seems strange that these are often hidden in PDF format on most restaurant websites. This young Belgian startup puts these data in the spotlight. You can contact Tim Prys through tim.prys@suggesto.be
Signature cocktails or mocktails, with a spoonful of jam
24-3-2015
Are you already busy determining your terrace menu? Will you serve the popular cocktails and their non-alcoholic alternative, the mocktail? It might just be the 2015 hit, bartenders on the terrace shaking signature cocktails and mocktails. Latest trend in cocktails: serve a spoonful of preserves with your cocktail.
Cocktails and mocktails are hot
This past year we especially noticed a rise in the cocktails with beer in America. But mocktails are on the rise in popularity as wel. Women like to quietly sip on a cocktail and for girls who aren’t allowed any alcohol yet, a mocktail is a delicious and trendy alternative.
Various liquor brands invest in bringing cocktails to the crowd, last year we spotted the cocktail truck from Grey Goose Vodka for example. This is the most intimate cocktail bar in the world on four wheels (a Citroen H van) and part of an advertising campaign.
A cocktail with a spoonful of jam
The jam cocktails are being served in Madame Geneva, one of the most popular cocktail bars of New York City. It’s located in the back of restaurant Saxon + Parole of chef Brad Farmerie. According to the guys behind Tasting Table, the cocktails with jam aren’t even on the menu but they are so popular that the bartenders often make them on request. They are simple to make, vodka, sugar syrup and lime juice with a spoonful of jam to top of it. The jam taste is up to you, ‘choose your own sweetness adventure’. Because of the thicker consistency of the preserves, you’re able to decide whether you want to sip your cocktail quite sweet (keep stirring) or just only dip the jam, making the taste of the vodka more important. Take a look for a recipe by bartender Brett Hughes (working at Madam Geneva) at the website of Tasting Table.
