Cry like a real wolf for Eristoff
4-11-2013
Cry like a real wolf and win tickets for the ‘I love Techno’ party in Gent, Belgium. Eristoff, ‘vodka from the land of the wolf’ started a partnership with ‘I Love Techno’ this year. The brand has taken the slogan ‘vodka from the land of the wolf’ very literally this time and launched a Facebook campaign. Till 6 November, everybody can send a video of their howling to the Facebook page of Eristoff and collect as many likes. On November 6, at 1 am, the 50 participants with the most likes will be selected. They can sit behind their computer and howl live with wolves in the UK Wolf Conservation Trust. When the wolf cries back within 1 minute, the participant will win 4 tickets for ‘I love Techno’.
Relaxation in a bathtub
4-11-2013
In a park in Paris, the French design studio ‘Bruit du frigo’ has created a resting place for visitors. A wooden installation with bathtubs is placed around a fountain. Visitors can relax and enjoy the art installations. A number of bathtubs are filled with water and some with pillows. The wooden sculpture shows that the park is open for everyone, friends and family to spend some time together. A place for relaxation, wellness and hospitality.
Chobani Story about real Greek yogurt
1-11-2013
Chobani, a Mediterranean Yogurt Bar in NYC, has a great slogan; ‘There are two people we’re 100% committed to. Mother Nature and You’. Chobani has been serving the highest quality and authentic strained Greek yogurt since 2005. They combine the yoghurt with only natural ingredients and fresh fruit. Some combinations; Blueberry + Power (blueberries, chia seeds, light agave nectar and walnuts), Cucumber + Olive Oil (cucumber, extra virgin olive oil, Coarse salt and fresh mint) and Peanut Butter + Jelly (peanut butter, concord grape jelly, red grapes and peanuts). Delicious yogurt and great combinations although we as Europeans didn’t dare to try the Peanut Butter + Jelly yogurt. The interior fits great within the philosophy. ^Marjolein
These plates make your food food bigger
1-11-2013
These plates are fun to use in restaurants that serve small dishes such as sushi, pastries or amuses. There is a print made on the plate with the outlines of a plate, knife and fork. It creates an optical illusion that makes the dish looks larger than it actually is.
Silence dinner
1-11-2013
Having a dinner without saying anything.. People who has no need of rowdy guests can have a dinner in silence at restaurant Eat in New York. The restaurant serves a four course diner with organic and local produce. Owner Nicholas Nauman was inspired by a silence breakfast during his time with Buddhist monks in India. By dining in silence, guests are not distracted and they can enjoy their dish with all their senses.
Miracle fish instead of fortune cookies
31-10-2013
Last week we ate at the seafood restaurant, The Mermaid Inn at the Upper West Side in NYC. They have two more restaurants in town and serve delicious seafood, lobster and oysters. They have no desserts on the menu, all guests receive a chocolate mousse served with, instead of a fortune cookie, a miracle fish who tells the future. Just like the fortune cookies in Chinese restaurants remain very popular, these fish are also very nice. And can be used in other seafood restaurants as well! ^Marjolein
Information about pensions at the PensioenCafe
31-10-2013
The Dutch pension fund Hospitality & Catering has noticed that the obligatory pension information sent to the customers is barely read. That’s why they have developed an accessible way to communicate pension information to the customers. The dynamic PensionCafé website contains information and videos to inform employees in the hotel and catering sector about their pension. Relevant information about, for example the influence of divorce and death on the future of their pension is easily accessible at the site.
Starbucks tweet a coffee
31-10-2013
Do you know someone who deserves a Starbucks coffee? Starbucks has launched the ‘Tweet-A-Coffee’ project in collaboration Twitter. People can send a Starbucks gift card a $ 5 to a friend, family or a stranger. Users only need to link their Starbucks account with a Twitter account and send a tweet with the mention @tweetacoffee to the person in question. The person will receive a link with the voucher for a Starbucks coffee. ‘Tweet-A-Coffee’ is only available in America.
STIMULI during Dutch Design Week
30-10-2013
As infants, we begin to experience new tastes by exploring our tactical senses. It is, in a sense, our original obsession. As adults, we still have an appetite to trigger those latent senses with fresh and unexpected delights. This desire is the motivation for the STIMULI — a sensory dining experience presented during Dutch Design Week.
STIMULI was brought forth through a cooperation between design studio Jinhyun Jeon, renowned Michelin star restaurant Treeswijkhoeve, and Ravanello Food & Concepts. Connected by their mutual passion for stimulating taste, they created an enhanced dining event: a five-course haute cuisine sensory menu served with tactile tableware — such as silicone ‘nipple’ cups, glazed ball spoons, and spiked tasting palettes — that excite the tongue, trigger taste buds, and alter the perception of salty, acidic, sweet, and bitter tastes for a new experience.
The project focuses on the subject of joint perception — sensorial disturbance inspired by phenomenon of synesthesia. The main objective of the food design experience was to understand how the human brain intuitively responds to different stimuli during eating, and as such contributes to a different way of producing consumer energy. This will provide insights outside of the existing food culture in which societal, technological, and environmental influences play an important role.
Read the full article by Hortense Koster
Naughty Stout dinner beer
30-10-2013
Beer sommelier Fiona de Lange has created a dinner beer together with De Leckere brewery from ‘De Meern’. Stout beer and Barley wine are combined for this special brew. Due to the composition the beer is expected to match great with red meat, game and stewed meat. Earlier this year the beer sommelier developed Royal Beer, especially made for the King.
NH Hoteles StartupBus Europe
30-10-2013
NH Hoteles is sponsor of the StartupBus Europe. The hotel chain finds its core values ‘talent management, motivation and teamwork’ well presented in this competition. During the tour several buses from Barcelona, Berlin, Rome, London, Paris and Amsterdam aim for the Pioneers festival in Vienna. During the road trip the participants create and launch a startup. In total there are 150 challengers divided over six buses. During the road trip to Vienna, the Dutch StartupBus stops in Antwerp, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Berlin, Prague and München.
The participants challenge each other for a spot on the entrepreneurial Pioneers Festival. The finalist wins a weekend break by NH Hoteles in one of its 400 hotels in 27 countries as well. NH Hoteles gets inspiration from innovation and is constantly on the lookout for new opportunities to develop services and talents. The collaboration with StartupBus is a way to meet with young creatives and future entrepreneurs.
Great Christmas ornaments for an Italian restaurant
29-10-2013
What could we write about this picture? Isn’t it great to have a Christmas tree full of glitter pizza boxes and pizza slices? Especially in a pizzeria….
Europe is just next door
29-10-2013
A year after the ‘Take a look at Brussels‘ campaign, SNCF launches the ‘Europe is just next door’-campaign. Bystanders could virtually step into another city through a digital door. From Milan they were entertained by a mime artist, in Brussels a drawer made a portrait, in Barcelona a hip-hop crew was present to dance with, from Geneva you were joined by a couple in a boat and in Stuttgart you virtually rode a bike with a few locals. Watch the video.
Pop-up cheese store Castello
28-10-2013
Cheese brand Castello opened a pop-up store in New Babylon, The Hague. The pop-up store will be open for three months a culinary cheese experience. Consumers can taste forty kinds of cheese with matching wines. The goal is to surprise consumers and to come in contact with the consumers to get their opinion. Chef cook Joop Braakhekke opened the pop-up store and demonstrated the culinary possibilities with Castello. Soon the Castello pop-up store will open in cities like London, Berlin and New York.
Take a nap at pop-up hotel
28-10-2013
A power nap can help to reduce stress and increase productivity. At the Royal Bank Plaza in Toronto Breathe Right, make of nasal strips to breathe better, set up a pop-up pod hotel. Working people were invited to take a free nap for 20 minutes and were asked to test the nasal strips. People could reserve a ‘room’ via an app on the Facebook page and there were a few beds available for passersby.
Follow your pizza from dough ball to door
28-10-2013
Have you ordered a pizza and do you want to know the time of delivery exactly? Domino’s Pizza in the Netherlands has introduced a new online ordering system with a tracking system. You can follow the pizza from dough ball to door. Previously, when you ordered a pizza it could only be delivered, but now it is also possible to take away the pizza when ordering online.
Dishes with unusual ingredients
25-10-2013
Members of the New York’s Explorers Club get together once a year at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel for a special dinner. During this dinner, the most unusual dishes are served, from tarantulas and mealworms to cows eyes. The chefs of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel transform the most unusual ingredients in culinary art, like a mealworm that suddenly looks a lot tastier. A good example of how insects and other unusual ingredients can be used in the hospitality industry.
Starbucks tea bar Teavana
25-10-2013
Starbucks has opened its first tea bar named Teavana in Manhattan New York. The tea bar has a simple design with a ‘zen’ atmosphere. A totally different concept than we are used to from Starbucks. The assortment consists of series of artisanal teas and the famous Starbucks sweets, sandwiches and salads. There is a ‘wall of tea’ where you can buy loose tea for home consumption and there is a wide range of tea sets. Starbucks bought the Teavana brand last year to expand to the global tea market. The chain is planning to open more tea bars in the coming years.
Panoramic movie experience
24-10-2013
South Korea has launched a new technique to show a movie in the cinema. The cinema chain CJ CGV uses a special projection technique called ScreenX. ScreenX not only projects the movie in the center of the wall but also from the left and right side of the room. By using this technique, a panoramic viewing experience is created. The only disadvantage is that the movie must be recorded with three cameras, which is tricky because there is chance that they pop up in each others view.
Cooking with matching music
24-10-2013
Get in the mood during cooking? The new Spotify-app Supper combines recipes with music. The app provides the difficulty level per dish and it shows for how many people the recipe is. There are two playlists per recipe: one for when you cook and one for when you eat. If you for instance bake a pizza, you will get more in the mood with the matching Italian music. The app is available in Spotify’s desktop program, but the number of recipes is still limited.
Biodegradable champagne packaging
24-10-2013
The French designer Cédric Ragot has designed an innovative packaging for Veuve Clicquot champagne. The packaging is completely biodegradable and made of potatoes and recycled paper. The packaging is elegant and can be carried by the integrated handle. It will keep the bottle of champagne chilled for two hours after it has been in the fridge.
Dyslexic coffee mugs
23-10-2013
Designer Henry Franks has translated his dyslexion into a coffee mug. By designing the ‘Muglexia’ mug literally upside down he has given it an extra dimension.
Trust: Pay as you feel
23-10-2013
A new restaurant concept that focuses on community trust opened in the Albert Cuypstraat in Amsterdam. The ‘Trust’ restaurant brings food, art and pleasure together in an ‘Come as you are, Pay as you feel’ form. The menu is made by Hilary’s Table, the design by Cath Laporte and Alice Spadaro. The concept is inspired by Hugo Leemhuis, Ingrid Helsloot, Joyce Olivier, Maarten Zwemmer, Mariella van Mackelenbergh and Noor Lawant, the restaurant is ‘open unless closed’.
Check-splitter by Google
22-10-2013
A group of Google employees have applied for a patent that describes a process for splitting bill. This application might indicate the development of an app where (restaurant) bills can be divided easily and mobile payments are tracked automatically.
Is this the solution for ‘Going Dutch’ in restaurants, or just an unnecessary gadget?
Hans is hungry
22-10-2013
The vertical pop-up restaurant ‘Hans heeft Honger’ (translated as Hans is hungry) took place in the ‘Hans Struijk’ bicycle warehouse on 11 and 12 October. Organizer Milou Turpijn (Ourground) convinced Bastiaan Hagenouw (Owner ‘Hans Struijk bicycles) to open up the warehouse for this event and upcoming chef Edwin Sander created the dishes in a temporary kitchen on location and the guests were brought to their tables by fork-lift truck. A fully 5 course dinner was cooked with extraordinary tastes like ‘escabeche’ from lime leaf, Gillardeau oyster and red onion compote with vanilla. The grand dessert was served directly on the tables that were coated with a special canvas for this occasion.