We have seen the evolution of traditional snack bar into haute friture by Michelin star chefs. Ron Blaauw takes it to another level, from today on we have a new trend, described by us as the Haute ice cream parlour. Or bluntly said culinary ice cream for everyone! read more
Two weeks ago, a new unique concept opened in The Hague. Sweet Mirrie’s makes ice cream as we already have spotted a lot in the Far East. The teppanyaki ice cream is not brand new, we spotted it before and wrote about it before. But we haven’t spotted a concept like this before in the Netherlands. read more
A Gentleman’s Afternoon Tea at the Swan Shakespeare’s Globe in London, part of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream Afternoon Tea’. Instead of the regular choices of tea and a glass of champagne they serve the tea as well but also a tankard of Hobday Smoked Brown Ale and more savoury choices of small bites. Inspiration for all those restaurants serving afternoon teas! read more
Is your schedule still empty for tomorrow night? Call your friends and go watch a movie in a cinema! Not just a normal cinema, but at the IKEA open air rooftop cinema on the rooftop of IKEA Delft in The Netherlands. read more
During a meeting of MVO Nederland (organisation Corporate Social Responsibility in the Netherlands) and Wageningen Academy, meat company Bolscher introduced a new product category, between meat and vega. The meeting ‘from food waste to food business’ was organised to prevent waste and make use of residual flows. The residual flow of ‘mushroom stems’ is used in one of Meat Your Veggies’s products. read more
Nozem Oil & Nozem ijs
Kruidentuin met Grolsch beugels
Visitors of the Zwarte Cross festival in the Netherlands can make a pit stop at ‘t Noorden in Aalten. The festival will start this weekend and party centre and pancake house ‘t Noorden is located on the route towards the festival. To attract more visitors in the days before the festivals, they decided to put some extra items on their menu. One of them is Nozem Ice Cream, made in collaboration with a farm where ice cream is being made. The ice cream is based on a popular drink being sold at Zwarte Cross: Nozem Oil. read more
We already spotted them back in May, the limited edition Gin & Tonic popsicles that were sold at Aldi in England. The coming weekend (from the 7th till the 9th of July) they are also exclusively for sale at Aldi in the Netherlands: Gin & Tonic popsicles and Prosecco & Peach Bellini popsicles! read more
A part of the former and notorious prison ‘Bijlmerbajes’ becomes a pop-up hotel run by asylum seekers. At The Movement hotel, refugees will be trained to run a hotel and get back into the workforce, their chance to reintegrate. On the 4th of July, a crowd funding campaign is launched to enable this special project. The hotel is intended to open its prison doors early August and give their guests a once in a lifetime experience to explore and stay at the famous Bijlmerbajes before it gets demolished. read more
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines offers passengers who visit Amsterdam in September a handy gadget: the KLM Care Tag. The smart audio luggage tag automatically provides visitors with location based verbal tips on how to traverse the city. The specially designed location-aware audio luggage tag consists of an offline GPS module and a speaker. While you’re walking or cycling through the city, it offers the right tip at the right location at the right time. All over Amsterdam, KLM plotted the voice of their caring crew at spots where people can use some extra assistance. A visitor can simply attach the tag to her/his luggage or clothes. Interesting news for your hotel or AirBnB guests. read more
All men working in Rotterdam will have the possibility to celebrate the start of the summer holiday season and drink a draft for free. You only need to deliver your necktie Friday 7 July at Van Zanten café, ‘een tappie voor een dassie’ (Dutch slang meaning ‘a draft for a necktie’). For those who have to work before the summer holiday starts, come and exchange a tie for a glass of ice cold beer to celebrate the fact that we have fewer traffic jams the coming weeks!
To celebrate the opening of a new W Hotel in Bellevue, Washington, the hotel has made a game at which gamers and guests can win great prizes. ‘Belle the Bear’, as the game is called, lets players explore the city and promotes the new hotel at the same time. read more
Bavaria introduces Bavaria Radler Ice Lemon 2.0%. Bavaria Radler Lemon 2.0%, now for sale on a stick. The Dutch beer brewer is the first major brewer with an ice cream made of Radler. The refreshing ice cream has a light sweet Radler flavour, with tones of lemon and 2.0% alcohol and will be available from this summer at several festivals and events in The Netherlands. Festival Wish Outdoor in the Dutch village Beek en Donk was the first event to present the ice cream last weekend. read more
Staff - photo credit Farrah Skeiky Dim Sum Media
Dracarys Game of Thrones Bar - photo credit Farrah Skeiky Dim Sum Media
Hall of Faces - photo credit Farrah Skeiky Dim Sum Media
Drinks - photo credit Farrah Skeiky Dim Sum Media
Mareen Dragons - photo credit Farrah Skeiky Dim Sum Media
What Is Dead May Never Die - photo credit Farrah Skeiky Dim Sum Media
Red Keep - photo credit Farrah Skeiky Dim Sum Media
The Lannisters Send Their Regards - photo credit Farrah Skeiky Dim Sum Media
Weirwood Tree - photo credit Farrah Skeiky Dim Sum Media
Throne Room Game of Thrones Bar - photo credit Farrah Skeiky Dim Sum MediaAre you addicted to the Game Of Thrones series? Than you should book your ticket to the United States. Last week, a Game Of Thrones Bar opened in Washington D.C. Game of Thrones fans can raise their glass with other fans at the new 3,000-square-foot “Pop-Up Bar” (PUB), all inspired by the HBO series based on the novels of George R.R. Martin’s. read more
At Horecatrends we spot a lot of national and international trends on a daily basis. We pick the most interesting ones to write articles about, the smaller trends we use in our column ‘Trends we spotted this week’. This week amongst others an IKEA cooking book and a Twix spread got introduced in the Netherlands.
If you like to read the whole article, click the title. Enjoy reading! read more
nhow Berlin
Upper tower - Photo Credit Mattias Hamren
Studio - Photo Credit Mattias Hamren
Side view facade - Photo Credit Mattias Hamren
nhow Berlin
nhow Berlin
nhow Berlin
nhow Berlin
nhow Berlin
nhow BerlinTwo recording studios equipped with top-notch professional equipment located 36 metres above the River Spree epitomise the first-class service provided by nhow Berlin. The conference rooms and nhow suite are all networked to the studios, opening up a whole variety of opportunities from team-building events to recording vocals and interviews. For music fans, the hotel offers a comprehensive variety of services ranging from the guitar room service to live gigs. read more
We couldn’t find an immersive Christmas Light Maze in Europe yet, howevere correct us if we are wrong. But we love the idea, another fun read more
We have been sharing inspiration on our website since 2007, inspiration that we find in the hospitality industry or by online spotting of what our read more
We have been sharing inspiration on our website since 2007, inspiration that we find in the hospitality industry or by online spotting of what our read more
The movie CHEF tell the story about chef cook Carl Casper who resigns at a top restaurant in Los Angeles for a culinary road trip in Miami. To promote the film, that premiers in the Dutch cinemas on 4 September, a CHEF food truck travels through the Netherlands. This truck is co-developed by the creators of the book “Reizende Sterren” a cookbook with the signature dishes of different food trucks. The Cuban sandwiches that the truck serves are based on the sandwich recipe from the film.
#Cheftruck
The foodtruck serves its culinary specialties at the Car Art Festival in Delft (9-10 Aug), Haarlem Jazz & More in Haarlem (13-16 Aug), Magneet Festival in Amsterdam (22-24 Aug), Rrrollend Leiden (Aug 29-30 ), Smaak Karavaan in Tilburg (31 Aug), Vlietdagen Leidschendam-Voorburg (13-14 Sep), and can be tracked online via #ChefTruck #ReizendeSterren.
For those who still have their holiday ahead and are going to either Singapore, Bangkok, New York, Rome, Barcelona, Hong Kong, London, Mumbai or Istanbul TripAdvisor has produced a list with the ten most visited roof tops. I have visited 2 of the mentioned rooftops and can assure you that you will enjoy the view while swimming (Marina Bay Sands rooftop) or sipping a cocktail while enjoying the view of Bangkok (Lebua at the State Tower rooftop). It’s a unique experience! For those owning hotels, it might be interesting to be mentioned in these kind of lists, so check your special features and let the world know! Check the other locations at TripAdvisor. ^Marjolein
In April 2010, the Icelandic cook Fridgeir Eiriksson served dinner prepared over the foothills of the lava of the ‘famous’ volcano, Eyjafjallajökull. Perhaps you recall the eruption which caused a lot of trouble in air traffic. The chef complete the adventure by flying the guests to the ‘restaurant’ location in a helicopter. In June the creative duo Bompas & Parr, from London barbecued steaks on artificially manufactured lava in collaboration with Professor Robert Wysock (Syracuse University, NY). The movie takes some time but the effect of BBQ’ing above 2.100 degrees Fahrenheit is clearly visible. However, I think I would sign up for the adventure! ^Marjolein
This article describes the developments of the Asian restaurant sector in The Netherlands. Unfortionately this article is only available in Dutch. Please contact + 31 71 541 88 67 if you have any questions.
The pop-up waste restaurant Instock is open for a month now and gets positive reviews. The founders, who met at Albert Heijn, put food waste literally on the menu. The cooks in the pop-up restaurant prepare left-overs of the supermarket chain that would otherwise be thrown away. The ingredients depend on the daily harvest and is pciked up at the stores with an electric minibus. Instock is open every weekend for a three-course dinner on Friday and Saturday (17:00 to 23:00) and Sunday brunch (from 10:30 to 17:00).
(Un)avoidable food waste
All the food served is still meets the required quality standards. “You can differentiate between unavoidable and avoidable food waste. Wasting food that is actually no longer consumable is inevitable, but we avoid food waste while it is still suitable for consumption.”
The last 3 days Café George at the Plein in The Hague had an original pre-opening. Guests could go on a ‘blind date’ with George. Like in the other George bistro’s in Amsterdam and Laren, we tasted delicious French bistro dishes like Steak Tartare and Lobster Linguini as well as popular desserts like lemon pie, cheesecake and île flottante. We wish the team from George a lot of success at the Plein in The Hague.
This summer, while the outdoor festivals are sprouting everywere, the Bacchus Wine Festival is definately worth mentioning. At this festival there is room for 250 different types of wines! For this stunning variety of wines the organization works close together with ten well known wine importers from Amsterdam and its surroundings. The festival takes place at the ‘Amsterdamse Bos’ from 5 to 7 September.
The comfort standard at the festival is higher than most outdoor events. With real wine glasses, flushing toilets and several rolling kitchens it should be fine with the luxe experience.
Exclusively designed to give their guests unique and unprecedented access to historical, cultural and local lifestyle experiences, The Peninsula Tokyo Academy offers a collection of bespoke programmes for both adults and children. Kids staying at the hotel as from 1 October, will get the chance to live out an episode of Pokémon with characters like Pikachu, Lucario and friends in an interactive game designed exclusively for the hotel. Kids as from five years old are invited to hunt down Pokémon characters, armed with a Poké Ball. A game that is a bit like hide and seek. Great way to entertain the kids of your guests and an inspiration for hotels in Belgium to introduce a meeting with Tintin! Or for the hotels in The Netherlands with Miffy.
The last couple of weeks, I noticed that the car park where I always park wasn’t as packed as usual. In Arnhem, they have a nice solution for car parks during the summer. They created a ‘Roof Garden’. A public place or a all-in-one location, where you can hang-out, drink something, eat a ‘roof’-meal, enjoy the garden and follow a bee workshop. You can even play ping pong, practice ‘roof’yoga, see a ‘roof’-movie and exercise at the underground gym. Furthermore, it is a showroom for creatives and cultural initiatives, such as a silent disco. The design is sustainable, it uses solar energy and for example the furniture is created from wooden pallets by volunteers.
Update: 3 August was the final day, luckily we still got the pictures.
In September the first dump supermarket ‘Gekke Gerrit’ will open in Amsterdam. The supermarket sells remnants that brand supermarkets are not allowed to sell anymore and offers left over seasonal products outside the season, such as ice cream in the winter. The dump supermarket sells these products for the lowest prices. The store will be a pilot, but owner Gerrit Hoksberg hopes to open more dump supermarkets.
On Thursday 17 July Brooklyn lager officially introduced its beer in Amsterdam. The beer is brought to the Netherlands by Bier & Co and fits well in the growing demand for specialty beers. The ‘4 Pint Rule ‘, where the drinker wants to (and can) drink four pints will, be a welcome addition to the heavier and more extravagant specialty beers.
Brooklyn Lager’s brewmaster Garrett Oliver wrote several books including one about beer and food pairing. He was important for the introduction of the Slow Food Movement in his country. The brewery has a Slow Food NYC approval and runs on 100% wind energy.
The city Nijmegen has the cheapest prices on patios of the Netherlands. The average price for a round of drinks (2 coffee’s, 2 beers, 2 softdrinks, 2 glasses of Rosé wine) at a patio in Nijmegen is € 18,77. Van Spronsen & Partners horeca-advies conducts this survey annually. The article is only available in Dutch.
Last weekend I read a blog by Ciao Tutti about the Mercato Centrale in Florence. Within approximately 3000 square meters above the Mercato Centrale you will find a selection of small restaurants, winebars and tasting rooms that are in place to allow you to try the best Italian delicacies. This in addition to the market where you can buy local products. A type of “foodhallen” that have been popular in South European countries for years. The owners of Eataly were able to also make this concept of a combination of restaurants + retail popular outside of Italy. The growth of Eataly locations seems unstoppable, right now they have 27 locations of which 10 in Italy, 13 in Japan and the others in cities like New York, Chicago, Dubai and Istanbul. Rumors say they are working on a Dutch location.
While reading I started wondering why don’t we have a “foodhall” with Dutch products?
This autumn the first indoor food market, named the ‘Foodhallen’ will be opened in Amsterdam. The ‘Foodhallen’ will be located in the former tram depot ‘De Hallen’ and is based on foodcourts such as Mercado de San Miguel (Madrid) and Borough Market (London). ‘De Hallen’ is a building of 16.000 m² and beside the food market it will accommodate two restaurants, ‘Halte 3’ and ‘Meat West’, a movie theatre, a hotel, a library and several shops. Chong Chu, Tsibo Lin, Zing-Kyn Cheung and Rakish Gangapersad are the founders of the project and owners of the two restaurants.
This summer ‘Proeflokaal Bregje’ opens its doors at the Citymall Almere. This is the second establishment of the cozy grand-café chain ‘Proeflokaal Bregje’. The grand-café has a traditional atmosphere and a Dutch menu. Earlier this year we wrote about the opening of Hudson Bar & Kitchen in the Citymall as well. By opening ‘Proeflokaal Bregje’ the attractivity of this neighborhood in Almere will increase.
What do you get when you put ‘Gangs of New York’, ‘La Dolce Vita’ and ‘Ben-Hur’ together with roller coasters? Movie-park Cinecittà World, which is inspired on Cinecittà studios in Italy and the US, where over 3.000 movies and television shows are produced with which they won 38 Oscars. The park has 38 attractions including the World’s longest water coaster of 1,800 feet. Cinecittà World was build alongside of filmdom’s most legendary shooting lots just outside Rome and will be opened this Thursday, 24 July 2014.
The owners of the Faraday Café in Vancouver hope to restore non-digital, social interaction between people by creating a place without any digital connection. They went a step further than just not offering WiFi; social artist Julien Thomas and Hughes Condon Marler Architects (HCMA) have designed the first coffee shop that repels wireless signals. In the Faraday Café, you get disconnected the moment you step into the coffee bar. The café derives its name from the Faraday Cage, the material shield that has been used to block all signals. The Faraday Café offers artisanal coffees and will be the home of several events such as ‘drinks and discussions’ and meditation sessions.
The French government introduced a new law forcing ‘fait maison’ (home-made) where restaurants have to indicate whether they are only using home-made food. This means that they can use the mark of ‘fait maison’ when they are only using food which has not been processed or prepared before. The restaurants can be recognized by the logo of a frying pan with a little roof on top. The French government is using ‘fait maison’ to improve the state of their traditional restaurant scene.
Perfect service throughout the whole staff is the most hospitable gesture you can make to your guest. No grand gestures but simply a team like a well-oiled machine.
In this edition of “small hospitable gestures” we focus on gestures in hotels, where we separate gestures to the business guest and leisure guest. Download the full version here.
Event organization ID&T offers free tap water to visitors of several of its festivals. The goal is to provide all ID&T events with free water on a short term. The festival ‘Welcome to the future’, 26 July, already has special water bars were visitors can fill up their water bags and cups. The video shows that ID&T wants free water for everyone, especially on their festivals.
As an interior designer Matthijs Tukker worked for several hospitality entrepreneurs until November 2012. This was the point where he took the first steps to create a restaurant of his own. Through crowdfunding he was able to collect the necessary investment and ten months after the start, the restaurant opened. “Soup with balls” is the motto of the restaurant that is neatly called ‘Voldaan’ (translated: Satisfied). The products are mostly organic and vegetarian, special attention is paid to people with gluten and / or lactose intolerance and there are no refined sugars in the food.
The interior has a raw and warm look & feel. The open kitchen is the check-out counter at the same time and there are jars for sale with homemade dips, toppings, chutneys and compotes. The restaurant invites to stop over for a healthy bite and quickly and satisfied continue on the road again. See the location here.
We have spotted restaurants in old trainstations before, but in Denver a complete hotel opened in an 120-year-old station. The Crawford hotel has 112 uniquely decorated guest rooms that reflect the different eras of the building’s history. The Crawford hotel has amenities such as a spa, fitness area and room service. The Crawford experience starts at the Denver Union Great Hall. This area serves as the main entrance and lobby of the hotel, which features a 65-foot ceiling and houses 13 restaurants and retailers. Watch the pictures to get an impression of this beautiful hotel.
We have mentioned the food oasis before, for the first time, a public food forest was created at seven overgrown acres ground in Beacon Hill, in the neighborhood of Seattle. A food forest is a vegetation of edible plants, fruiting shrubs and vines, planted as a self-sufficient forest. We think it is a nice initiative to involve the neighborhood by growing such a special natural food forest in Beacon Hill.
A special collaboration between restaurant Basiliek and ‘Dutch Sea World’ Dolfinarium in Harderwijk. They created a package where people can visit the park and end with a three-course meal at Basiliek. The tickets of Dolfinarium can be picked up in the morning at the restaurant, and from 5:00 pm a table is reserved for dinner. We wonder whether the chef is inspired by the dolfins as well?
Hilton hotel Rotterdam produces its own honey. We have seen it before at the Waldorf Astoria in NYC and Fortnums & Masons in Londen, but Hilton Rotterdam is the first hotel in Rotterdam and is the first Hilton in the Netherlands that keeps beehives on their roof. The hotel cooperates with the city’s beekeeper Balten Schalkwijk. As expected, their own honey will be placed on the breakfast buffet as from August on and it can be purchased in jars as well. Maybe we can do a suggestion? They could also place a honeycomb on the buffet!
Bezoek horecatrends op
