Bakery serves breakfast at hotel Eindhoven

27-8-2015

The Van der Valk hotel in Eindhoven has partnered with Bakery Schellens. Together they realized a traditional bakery in the breakfast room of the hotel. Guests can witness the baker preparing the bread and pastry products freshly. It’s a store-in-store bakery which serves ‘instantly fresh’ bread.

Worldwide, there are more and more large international hotel concerns that sign up for a cooperation with formulas that establish small pickup point in the lobby. Like for example small Starbucks outlets in various hotel lobbies, but also local bakers in others. A great example is the AMCE hotel in Chicago with the Weston Town Bakery in the lobby. A great addition is their, almost old-fashioned, Knock ‘N Drop service for breakfast.

Bakery serves breakfast at the Van der Valk Hotel Eindhoven

The store-in-store ‘Bakkerij’ is the answer of Bakery Schellens and the Van der Valk Hotel Eindhoven to the growing need for ‘instantly fresh’ and artisanal bread. Additionally they will expect to interact more with their guests and offer them better quality and freedom of choice. Just grapping a quick breakfast to go, or enjoying the breakfast and slowly waking up in the breakfast room. Breakfast as part of the food-as-experience trend.

Guests can take a look behind the scenes and will have a choice of Frisian rye bread, croissants, several wheat buns, spelt- and sourdough bread, and the famous ‘worstenbroodjes’ (kind of sausage sandwiches, you should try one if you’re ever in the South of The Netherlands) and Danish pastry.

According to Rick Polman, director Van der Valk Eindhoven, is the Bakery Schellens a unique addition to the hotel and its presence increases the fresh experience for his guests. The Bakery is their response to the changing needs, trends and developments in the market. In addition, the Bakery works with themes and seasonal themes. Both the hotel and the Bakery focus on their own core business.

A very Harrods Christmas at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park

26-8-2015

Although it’s still Summer, we’ve spotted the first hotel with a great new luxury package for Christmas. The Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in London launched its Christmas Season 2015 with Harrods.

Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in the windows of Harrods

The Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in London is partnering with world famous department store Harrods to celebrate Christmas 2015. The hotel will be showcased in two of the Harrods festive window displays. The windows will be unveiled on 1 November 2015.

Teddy Bear Tea

In honor of ‘Benedict’, Harrods 2015 Christmas Teddy, the head pastry chef Heather Kaniuk will make petit gâteaux, macaroons and handmade chocolates for a Teddy Bear Tea. The tea will be served at The Rosebery from 23 November 2015 through to 10 January 2016.

A very Harrods Christmas in the lobby

Harrods will transform the public spaces at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, including the marble Lobby and The Rosebery, with a red and gold colour theme. They will create a huge Christmas Tree in the lobby which will be unveiled on 27 November 2015. (with a ‘tree lighting party’?)

Guests will be able to book a ‘Very Harrods Christmas accommodation package’, based on two rooms for two adults and two children. The package includes: one night accommodation, full English breakfast in the dining room overlooking Hyde Park, a Christmas Welcome gift on arrival and presents in the guestroom including the Harrods 2015 Teddy Bear and a VIP appointment with Harrods Gift Bureau to find the perfect gift for your loved ones. A Very Harrods Christmas accommodation package is valid between 23 November 2015 and 30 December2015, and is subject to availability.

Inspiration for our Dutch department store the ‘Bijenkorf’ and the luxury hotels in their vicinity? And what will your hotel offer for Christmas? Today the 26th of August, it’s only 120 days till Christmas!

Cotton candy cocktails

25-8-2015

Cotton candy cocktails are hip and specific on Pinterest and similar websites you will find many varieties!

Recipes for cotton candy cocktails

We haven’t figured out what to think about it, but the effect is great and recipes can be found all over the internet …. The cotton candy cocktail in a lot of variations. The idea is that you serve a glass filled with cotton candy and pour over the liquid. The cotton candy melts before your eyes, and give the cocktail an extra sweet and surprising element. We have seen simple recipes with cotton candy in which you pour over bubbles but also the recipe on Tablespoon where the candy is covered with Marshmallow Vodka and Perrier water. We even saw ‘cotton candy coffee’ pictures on Pinterest but we decided that it makes our coffee too sweet….

Also nice alcohol-free

Also very nice to serve as a non-alcoholic cocktail. It’s also a real treat at children’s parties! Most recipes for alcohol-free cocktails are made with 7-up but sparkling water is another possibility.

We have pinned some photos on our board Food & Beverage on Pinterest. From cute to professional.

Pantone Café: color on the menu

24-8-2015

Inspired by the Pantone colors the Monaco Restaurant Group opened the Pantone Café in Monaco near the Grimaldi Forum, on the 14th of July. The exterior, interior, trays, chairs, napkins, tables and the food, everything has a color code matching the Pantone colors. Color is on the menu here!

Pantone

The Pantone café is inspired by the Pantone color matching system. Lawrence Herbert started in 1963 with the Pantone color systems company and in the meantime the system has become a cult. In 2010 we wrote about the Pantone Hotel in Brussels. And now the Monaco Restaurant Group (they’re the group behind Song Qi, the Beefbar and Le Bouchon in Monaco) realized the Pantone Café.

About the Pantone Café

The café serves sandwiches, salads, ice cream, drinks etc. and every food item is matched with a Pantone color. You can order a chocolate éclair (Decante Chocolate 19-1625) or a prosciutto sandwich (Parma Brown 18-1531), the packaging is tailored to these colors. You can order an Aperol Orange which is served with the colors 17-1464. The Pantone Café is open until 9 September, so if you go to Monaco ……

Great pictures at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pantone-Cafe/1668295040069683

Moringa will be introduced in the USA with the help of a celebrity chef

21-8-2015

A new leafy, nutritious plant called ‘Moringa’ has been introduced in the USA. And now, celebrity chef José Andrés, will start helping to introduce the Moringa with his non-profit, World Central Kitchen. This in cooperation with the first American moringa company, Kuli Kuli.

Moringa

While kale is still very popular as superfood in the USA, José Andrés will try to seduce the Americans to start using the Moringa leaves. The Moringa oleifera tree, also known as the Miracletree is a nutrient-dense plant with nine essential amino acids, 27 vitamins and 46 antioxidants. Almost all parts of this tropical tree can be eaten or do have medicinal values. The Kuli Kuli company  makes a pure Moringa vegetable powder. And this is the product they are trying to make more popular in the USA. Moringa is also available in the Netherlands.

#MoringaInspired

Together with the Kuli Kuli Company and the Haitian nonprofit Smallholder Farmer’s Alliance, the World Central Kitchen launched a nationwide moringa recipe competition on Instagram, using the hashtag #MoringaInspired to raise awareness and support moringa farming communities in Haiti. The #MoringaInspired recipe competition seeks to draw creative and inspiring food and beverage creations from consumers using Kuli Kuli Pure Moringa Vegetable Powder. According to thefoodpeople, one winner will be selected to win a trip to Washington DC, including dinner at Jose Andres’ new restaurant – China Chilcano.

Culinary inspiration from Barcelona and New York around the Nikkei kitchen.

20-8-2015

Pakta restaurant in Barcelona combines Japanese and Peruvian cuisine, called Nikkei. Peru is the cradle of this popular and inspiring cuisine. In New York, a pop-up Peru Show was organized which included this Nikkei kitchen.

Over 25 years ago, I had the pleasure to visit Peru (especially the capital Lima) several times. Even then, I frequently experienced the influence of the many Japanese people who live there. You could have sushi and other Japanese food specialties for example. Over time, the mix between these two kitchens, Nikkei, became very popular. One of the first great chefs who made Nikkei very popular was Nobu Matsuhisa. Nikkei is already a source of inspiration for chefs for several years.

Pakta restaurant in Barcelona

For Ferran Adrià, former chef of El Bulli and his brother Albert Adrià, the Nikkei kitchen is also inspiring. In their restaurant Pakta in Barcelona they are experimenting with unlimited Nikkei since 2013. In Peruvian ‘Pakta’ means ‘union’, so in this case two cultures with their respective kitchens that melt together. Pakta is the first Peruvian-Japanese restaurant in Barcelona. They serve two menus, we enjoyed the surprising and delightful dishes of the Fujiyama menu, the cocktails and their hospitality. The video shows you what to expect when having dinner at Pakta.

Meanwhile in New York

‘The Peruvian Business Council’ organized the Peru Show in collaboration with the Consulate of Peru in New York, in the Chelsea Market from 27 July to 2 August. This pop-up show was made possible with the help of some Peruvian chefs and artists. They showed Peruvian products, cocktails, gourmet cuisine and fashion. This pop-up show was a preview for a permanent showroom about Peru which is planned for 2017 at the expansion of the Chelsea Market. Read more about the Peru Show on thefoodpeople.

Nikkei, inspiration for a small festival in the Netherlands?

Since a large number of chefs in the Netherlands are inspired by the Nikkei cuisine as well and there certainly are a lot of fans, wouldn’t a small festival or a themed room in one of our new food halls in Amsterdam or Rotterdam be a good idea? And if we could get an international inspirer to the Netherlands such as one of the chefs of Nobu or Pakta, it would be a must visit for all foodies in the Netherlands! ^ Marjolein

SAIL Amsterdam has interactive long range beacons

19-8-2015

Unique interactions between tall ships and smartphones via long range beacons at SAIL Amsterdam

Every five years, SAIL Amsterdam is the epitome of historic tall ships. Next to the historical ships, SAIL has a world first in the field of mobile innovation this week as well. Using long-range beacons and the inBeacon software platform which was developed in the Netherlands, spectators get automatically information about some 10 special ships via the SAIL app once they are in the neighbourhood.

A unique experience during the SAIL-in-Parade

During the SAIL-in parade specially developed long-range beacons offer information about the ships to a range of 300 – 350 meters. Beacons are placed on either side of the tall ships to cover the span of the Noordzeekanaal which is 400 meters in total at some points. The information about the ships will automatically be provided when the ship is nearby and the viewer has installed the free SAIL app and a Bluetooth connection. High in the mast of the bark ‘Europa’ a webcam is installed that broadcasts unique live view images. The viewer gets a link to the images via the SAIL app as soon as the ‘Europa’ sails along.

Range up to 300 meters

Until recently beacons a maximum range of 50 meters. The long-range beacons that are used during SAIL contain specially developed chips that allow an effective range of up to 300 meters.

Innovative technology with a Dutch character

The Dutch inBeacon is a cloud software platform that interacts with the owner of the smartphone as relevant as possible. The smartphone interacts with the environment, or the environment reacts to the smartphone.

SAIL app

All beacon interactions take place via the SAIL app that is available for free at the Apple iTunes store and Android Play store . The app works on all new iPhone version 4s and virtually all newer Android devices from version 4.3.

Robot Mario, the new employee and mascot of the Marriott Hotel Ghent

18-8-2015

The Marriott Hotel Ghent has a new employee since late June. The humanoid robot Mario. Now almost two months later, Mario is a local celebrity and he has his own ‘Mario Monday’. On these days he examines issues surrounding the hotel, he is trying out rooms and visited the football club Gent which is sponsored by the Marriott Ghent.

The success of Robot Mario

We read all the press coverage late June and planned an article in a later stage about the effect of the humanoid robot for the hotel. According to Annabelle Stevens (Marketing Marriott Ghent) Mario has stolen many hearts. School classes have come to meet Mario and his dedicated ‘dad Thomas’ can’t watch Mario’s performances alone any longer. Nowadays a number of front office staff accompany Mario occasionally in the things he says and does.

Mario is deployed in the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Exhibitions) market for a welcome or farewell speech, he gives classic PowerPoint presentations or talks about the menu during diner. Another big advantage, Mario speaks a couple of different languages! He is regularly present at the front office, which is especially great for children.

Mario Monday

Mario does not replace staff, it is an extra level of experience. Mario even performs a mascot role every Monday through Facebook under the name ‘Mario Monday’. He investigates all issues surrounding the hotel. He already tested a room and checked whether the area around the hotel was well cleared after the Ghent Festivities for example. Thus, the mascot is part of the storytelling by the Marriott Ghent.

QBMT; the company that has designed Mario

Humanoid robots are already used for a while in the healthcare sector. In the hotel sector, this is one of the first times we hear about deploying a robot. The robot is a product of the Belgian company QBMT from Ostend, which has produced more than 100 Zora humanoid robots for the healthcare sector in Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Switzerland.

#teainspired: the Dilmah Real High Tea Global Challenge

17-8-2015

The Sri Lankan tea brand Dilmah organizes the Real High Tea Challenge since 2007. This challenge is a contemporary approach of – and a quest for – the ultimate high tea.

#teainspired By Dilmah

The tea brand Dilmah, whose name is composed of the names of the two sons (Dilhan and Malik) of the owner Merrill J. Fernando, is known in almost 100 countries around the world for its quality. The tea industry has been revived by companies like Dilmah, through innovation, quality and freshness. Earlier we wrote about initiatives of this progressive tea brand which always seems to strike the right tone and push the right buttons to reach their targeted audience. Late 2014 they organized the first School of Tea in the Netherlands for example.

The Global Real High Tea Challenge in Sri Lanka

In recent years the Dilmah Real High Tea Challenge was organized in fourteen different countries. The culinary top of those countries were challenged to explore, understand and apply the product tea and its gastronomic options. They were challenged to use the ingredient tea (Tea Inspired Cuisine) and match it with food (Tea Pairing). The composed dishes were combined with pure tea, cocktails and tea mocktails (Tea Mixology). The winners of the local Real High Tea Challenge have qualified for the final, that took place last month in Sri Lanka.

The global High Tea Challenge is won by…

The team from the Museum Art Hotel of New Zealand won this culinary challenge with the innovative high tea theme: ‘The Meeting of the Senses.’ A high tea with integrated taste, smell, touch and sound. The Dutch Restaurant Vermeer also managed to do well, they won a gold medal and received an award for the most ‘tea inspired dish’.

The Dutch Challenge

In 2013 Dilmah Netherlands organized the first edition. This was won by the team of the InterContinental Amstel Hotel Amsterdam. The second Dutch edition in 2014 of the Real High Tea Challenge was won by Restaurant Vermeer in Amsterdam. Both teams represented the Netherlands at the international competition.

Mini Fashion Bar by Pimkie

14-8-2015

The Banks Hotel in Antwerp has the first Mini Fashion Bar from fashion brand Pimkie. Pimkie has adopted the mini-bar concept to bring its latest collection of clothing and accessories to the woman.

Mini Fashion Bar in Hotel Banks

The fashion brand aims at fashionistas who forgot to bring some garments. In their little ‘Mini Fashion Bar’ several items from the Pimkie collection are available, for example a raincoat, comfortable shoes and sunglasses. The collection is depending on the location, the weather and events. The Mini Fashion Bar is integrated in the closet of the hotel room, guests can fit and ask for other sizes via the dedicated fashion concierge. You can pay when checking out. There are plans for Mini Fashion Bars in hotels in Milan, Barcelona, Berlin and Paris.

We have already seen great initiatives of stores or brands teaming up with hotels, like for example Room Shopping at the Dylon hotel. Room Shopping is a co-creation by the hotel and www.9straatjesonline.com. Where guests have the opportunity to browse online through the range of 40 boutiques in the streets. We’re curious whether guests will appreciate and use this extra service of Pimkie and the hotels.

Great examples of small hospitable gestures at Cal Blay Vinticinc

14-8-2015

Cal Blay Vinticinc is located in a modernist winery from 1905 in the cava city Sant Sadurní d’Anoia and is showing us some great small hospitable gestures.

One of those days

At the end of our 2 weeks holiday in Barcelona, we brought one of our guests to the airport and decided to go to nearby Sant Sadurni d’Anoia to buy some cava to take home. And we had to lunch of course but didn’t check for an address… We ended up at the Cal Blay Vinticinc. It was one of those days you just stop at the right address…..

Entering the restaurant to check whether they had a table available they handed us a glass of cava before they went to find out. Wise, because we walked around in their shop while sipping cava…

Small hospitable gesture 1: pica-pica menu and tins

How often do you have problems choosing from the menu? With the Spanish tapas it’s already much easier to choose but Cal Blay offers a pica-pica menu; a couple of starters (snacks) to share with the table. Serving the tartare dishes in small tins. You can choose your own main course and dessert.

Small hospitable gesture 2: the game of the aromas of cava

Cal Blay presents a wide range of wines and cavas from Sant Sadurní d’Anoia to taste (120). The restaurant is all about the culture of wine and cava. Cal Blay tries to involve you in its pursuit of pleasure, combining the knowledge of traditional and new culinary trends. They invite you to play the game of the aromas of cava. At the table you will find 4 senses and instructions how to play the game.

Small hospitable gesture 3: wash your hands in cava

At the end of your dinner you will receive a bowl of hot water scented with cava and towel tablets.

Small hospitable gesture 4: invite your guests to share pictures on social media

Already in the wine store they invite you to use the ‘Photocall del cava’ to take photos in front of a cava wall while holding cava cushions. Which was used frequently by the young visitors of the restaurant.

Why don’t we have a Cheese Bar in the Netherlands?

13-8-2015

Why don’t we have a cheese bar in the Netherlands? The Poncelet Cheese Bar, with locations in Madrid and Barcelona, is a great example. The restaurant serves great dishes with all kind of cheeses.

The interior of Poncelet Cheese Bar in Barcelona

Located in the Hotel Meliá Sarriá, the Cheese Bar has a total of 400 square meters on the ground floor of the hotel. And like in Madrid it is a great meeting point for cheese lovers to enjoy a high gastronomic level. In the library you can scroll through some great books about cheese. Design atelier Estudi{H}ac created a unique interior using a lot of wood, marble, copper, green elements like a fabulous vertical garden and colorful wooden sticks at the ceiling. The 400 square meter is filled with a cocktail bar, the main cheese bar, a library, a community table and a big cheese pantry, filled with great cheeses. Check the website of the Design Atelier for great pictures of the interior.

On the menu of Poncelet

We’ve visited the Cheese Bar with a company of six, giving us the possibility to try a couple of starters, like the croquettes made with cow cheese Valtellina, matured goat cheese or sheep cheese blue cheese Arribes. The coca Q & Q (Quatro Quesos), the manchego bonbons and the coolant potato and mimolette cheese tasted delicious as well. The wild mushroom risotto with Sbrinz cheese and the false gnocchi’s with Zamorano cheese and the Prey Iberian meatloaf where our favorites amongst the main dishes. The Cheese Bar also serves fondues and raclettes. You can even have dinner at the Cheese Bar with people who don’t fancy cheese, a couple of dishes have the – no cheese for me – sign. The prices range from 13 to 23 euro per dish.

Why don’t we have a Dutch Cheese Bar?

We think that a cheese bar could be a popular spot in touristic areas in the Netherlands as well. Amongst others you could serve cheese ‘kroketten’ (croquettes), our tosti’s (melted cheese sandwich) and Dutch cheese on our healthy ‘boterham’ (bread) during lunch time. We’re sure that a great chef will be able to create dishes at the same gastronomic level while using our Dutch Cheeses.

Tip when you visit Barcelona: Poncelet Cheese Bar, Avinguda de Sarria 50, Barcelona

Inspiration from the Xiringuito Escribà: an ‘Airbag’ with Iberian ham

12-8-2015

At the xiringuito (beach restaurant) Escribà in Barcelona they serve an ‘Airbag’ with Iberian Ham, a great alternative way to serve one of the most delicious hams of the world. Because of the fact that the ‘Airbag’ is served hot the ham will melt a bit, creating a delicious combination.

Xiringuito Escribà

If we do visit a town we always check the Michelin guide and the internet for great places to eat. Recently we bought a great book (also available as app): Where Chefs Eat, a guide to chefs’ favorite restaurants, in which this beach restaurant is recommended by Albert Raurich, Ferran Adria’s right-hand man at el Bulli for seven years who left in 2007 to open the Asian tapas bar Dos Palillos. At this xiringuito you will have dinner or lunch in a relaxed atmosphere with simple but great dishes. If you want to have lunch at weekend days, you really need to make a reservation. Besides their ‘Airbag’ we loved their Escribà special paella or fidueà (Catalan noodles) and their choice of desserts.

A small hospitable gesture from the Xiringuito

The staff brings the bill in a hat with a small surprise. Old-fashioned but we saw a lot of adults play with it, a great place to enjoy a summer lunch or dinner if you’re visiting Barcelona! ^Marjolein van Spronsen

Coravin – drinking wine without opening the bottle

11-8-2015

10-8-2015 – Last Saturday our colleague Bram Kosterink attended a demonstration of the Coravin. Coravin is an innovation of Greg Lambrecht: “My dream was to magically pour wine from bottles without ever pulling the cork. The remaining wine could then go back in my cellar, so that I could enjoy it again, whenever I desired.”

Drinking wine without opening the bottle

Coravin is a way of opening a bottle of wine without having to remove the cork. Never before it was possible to pour a glass of wine without opening the bottle. Coravin makes this possible. Even the capsule doesn’t have to be removed. The wine glass via a stainless steel needle with a teflon coating, the remaining wine is pressured with the noble argon gas to prevent oxidation. The natural evolution of the wine in the unopened bottle will not be affected because the cork closes after the needle has been removed.

Natural cork

Coravin can only be used on bottles with natural cork. “Right now our focus is on targeting and market this system in Europe. After that we will start thinking about expanding our product portfolio, including to be able to use a similar system on wine bottles with a screw cap.” said Robert van Dijk (Marketing Communication Director at Coravin Europe BV). Coravin has different needles which makes it possible to positively influence the speed of the pouring, they even developed a ‘faster pour needle’ especially for the hospitality industry.

The best wines by the glass

The system is already for sale in many parts of the world. In Europe, the system is widely used in places like London and Paris. Some restaurants even have a separate section called ‘Coravin wines by the glass’ on their wine list. The Coravin section offers the best bottles of wine which are available by the glass. One of the best examples we encountered is the wine list at The Ritz in London. Here you can drink a glass of Burgundy, Le Montrachet from 2009 for ‘only’ £ 130, =. For a tasting glass of one of the most expensive wines in the world you can go to the wine bar Ô Chateau in Paris, they even pour the Chateau Pétrus per glass.

The financial impact

The Coravin will cost you € 299, =. For this amount you will receive a Coravin, two capsules filled with the argon gas, a display for the Coravin and a cover for a wine bottle (suitable for a blind wine tasting). The argon gas capsules are sold separately for € 19,95 per two pieces. They also sell a variety of needles besides the standard needle, like a the ‘vintage needle’ for wines with old corks and the ‘faster poor needle’ capable of rapidly pouring the wine, one needle is sold for € 29,95.

Ripples coffee printer

10-8-2015

With Ripples coffee printer, you can print images and text on cappuccinos or lattes.

Ripples coffee printer makes latte art

The Ripples coffee printer can personalize a cup of coffee. The printer can print messages on the coffee like for example birthday congratulations or your name.

Within 10 seconds

The machine costs about € 915, – and combines 3D printing with an ink-jet system. The ink is made of natural coffee extract and is available in so-called ‘Ripple Pods’. The images can be chosen from the online Ripple library or uploaded via the Ripple app. One print takes about 10 seconds.

Wifi

The Ripples coffee printer has a WiFi connectivity and automatically prints on coffee cups up to 17 cm high and 11 cm in diameter. Printing Latte Art was seen earlier in Taiwan, at the Lets Caffe. However, that system was based on printing with cocoa and was not available to third parties. Additionally Ripples focuses its marketing much more on printing catchy messages rather than portraits alone.