Ecocapsule: the hiker’s cabin of the future?

29-5-2015

Ecocapsule: a micro-shelter that operates off-grid and promises impressive sustainable technology including solar power, rainwater collection and filtration, and wind power.
Bratislava’s Nice Architects has unveiled a prototype of the Ecocapsule at the Pioneers festival in Vienna on 28 May. The ecocapsule comprises a total usable floorspace of 8 sq m (86 sq ft), and includes a kitchenette, toilet, shower, work and dining area, folding bed and internal and externally-accessed storage. Access to the home is gained through one door and it has two windows. The micro-home can be easily transported by trailer and the architects indicate that it can serve as a tiny house, additional bedroom or even office. And we think it would serve great as hiker’s cabin!

The sustainable hiker’s cabin

A lot of sustainable technology is built in this ecocapsule, like a 2.6 sq m (28 sq ft) solar array on the roof and integrated battery system. Ecocapsule also has a silent 750 W wind turbine that’s set on a retractable pole. The bathroom includes a composting toilet and a shower, and a rainwater collection and filtration system offers clean drinking water.
Nice Architects hopes to be ready for sale by the end of 2015 and promises a competitive price.

Digital illuminated billboard addressing women

29-5-2015

The beer brand Astra’s digital billboard is able to target its messages only to women, using gender-detection software.
Agency Philipp und Keuntje created the first digital illuminated billboard advertisement for the German beer brand Astra (from Hamburg). The billboard was installed outside the ‘Zum Silbersack’ pub in Hamburg. Philipp und Keuntje shot around seventy short videos with the comedian and journalist Uke Bosse in the leading role, all with the aim of inspiring more females to try the beer.

The digital illuminated billboard in action

At the billboard, the comedian addresses passersby and specifically women with the aim to encourage them to sample an Astra beer. The billboard has been equipped with a camera and the latest gender-detection software, allowing to detect the gender and the age of the individual. Check the video for great examples of the video messages the billboard uses to ‘sell’ Astra to the passing women.

Restaurant Wynwood will soon open in Eindhoven

28-5-2015

Star Chef Wouter van Laarhoven (former chef of restaurant De Molen*) and Eveline Wu will open restaurant Wynwood in Eindhoven in the beginning of July. The restaurant has an international profile with food and drinks at top level and at attractive prices.

The restaurant, named after the art and fashion district Wynwood in Miami, is located in the district Strijp-S, the creative, cultural and technological center of Eindhoven. The restaurant is 650 sqm with over 100 seats.

Wouter van Laarhoven about his Wynwood

Wouter van Laarhoven starts Wynwood with business partner Eveline Wu, who owns several catering companies. Van Laarhoven: “Wynwood is a sexy restaurant with an international flair and a global appeal. This is reflected in delicious high quality food at a very attractive price, perfect service, contemporary décor and a stylish international atmosphere. We serve a four-course meal for around thirty euro made with top-quality ingredients, being presented at luxury tableware and with linen napkins. Guests will experience luxury in all facets but without the associated financial consequences. Guests can visit for a (business) appointment, a good cup of coffee with freshly made pastries, lunch, dinner and at the bar for a cocktail or glass of wine with barbites. In short Wynwood will be buzzing all day. At Wynwood you can eat fantastic food and great drinks for the same price as in a coffee shop or brasserie. Despite the high level I have no ambition to earn a Michelin star with Wynwood.”

Bar and Terrace at Wynwood

The restaurant features a bar area where bartenders serve special cocktails and wines together with barbites. The bar is also open for just a drink in the evenings. Outside is a large terrace and adjacent Wynwood, a fully separated takeaway will be realized where fish and chips is sold in a fancy manner.

We follow the developments of restaurant Wynwood through Facebook where they are keeping their audience informed about all the developments. The exact opening date will be notified here as well. If past results are a guarantee for the future, even if he isn’t pursuing a Michelin rating, then Eindhoven has a new gourmet restaurant in town! And maybe Wouter will be serving his nut bread to accompany a cheese platter!

Siseng, the Asian Food Bar

27-5-2015

Siseng, the Asian Food Bar at the Quai de Jemmapes in Paris opened in December 2014. The food bar adds the Bao Burger to the thriving food scene of the Canal St.-Martin.

Siseng, worth the visit and the wait

The Asian Food Bar rapidly became popular amongst the Parisians! Last weekend there was a long line outside the small, packed but trendy and casual chic bar. Once inside you share a table with others in a tastefully decorated small bar with light bulbs, bare brick walls, dark table tops and bar stools. Very nice but busy servants who are having trouble delivering the food to the guests! And they make delicious cocktails with Asian ingredients like wasabi, ginger and sake. Combine a cocktail, glass of sake, or an Asahi beer with their great spring rolls or croquettes all served with an Asian sauce.

Tip to eat in Paris when you stroll down the canal Saint Martin

You don’t have to stroll down the canal, you can also have a relaxing afternoon with friends there like a lot of Parisians do, but anyway the signature burgers at Siseng are a great tip! The burgers are served in a bao, a steamed Chinese bun made out of rice flour. The bao burger 5 spices contains a beef patty (grilled medium rare, the French way), marinated in the 5 spices and comes with onion tempura, onion confit, rocket leaf and a caramelized tamarind sauce. But you can also choose the chicken burger Kaï with a piece of chicken, breaded in a Japanese style with coleslaw ‘maison’, fresh basil, confit de red peppers and a basil sauce with coconut milk. We also loved the tempura of vegetables and the sweet potato fries, which are really rare in Paris. The menu has been illustrated by Soba Paris.

Inspiration for those seeking for a new restaurant, we think that a small Asian Food Bar like Siseng would do great in Amsterdam or any place in the Netherlands as well!

The Dangers of Selfie Sticks – by Pizza Hut

26-5-2015

Pizza Hut has published a humorous and sarcastic video on 20 May about the use of the selfie and the selfie stick hype. Pizza Hut combines the actuality and humor in this great video, with the effect that now 7 days later, nearly 2.5 million people saw the video and probably smiled about it.

Using selfies and selfie stick in your marketing

We wrote about using the ‘selfie’ in your marketing earlier and we see more and more great examples. Like the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Paris, which offers a ‘selfie in Paris’ tour. A select number of Marriot Hotels offers their guests the possibility to test a free GoPro camera during their stay. With the camera guests can share their vacation experiences with family and friends.

Selfie sticks aren’t unlimited popular

The hype of the ‘selfie’ stick has exploded to major proportions in the USA. We have heard that at several events the selfie stick is even prohibited. Recently friends of us experienced this at a baseball match of the Yankees.

Pizza Hut increases the ‘danger’ of the stick in this video and offers potential guests a smile. The only question is whether the relatively small connection with the Pizza Hut brand in the video works out and if the video will generate more guests for their restaurants.

Fresh fish at the Boterlap ‘Fish Market’

26-5-2015

Bar, Brasserie and Terrace De Boterlap in Harderwijk daily serves fresh fish. To promote it, they recorded a short film about their fishing adventures in the style of “Deadliest Catch”. It is a nice and humorous way to bring their daily ‘Fish Market’ to the attention and another great example of storytelling.

The Boterlap was awarded for having the best terrace of The Netherlands in 2013, according to the Terrace Top 100 by Misset Horeca.

Give your guests the choice of the cordial syrups by Agroposta

22-5-2015

Great to serve this summer, a lemonade box with the sachets of Agroposta, like a tea box. 1 sachet + 200 ml of ice water = 1 glass of refreshing lemonade, add some mint leaves … and done!

The cordial syrups

Agroposta cordials are offered in small secure sachets and filled with 32 ml of concentrated syrup with the following flavors:

Refreshing Lemon – created from the lemons grown and handpicked in the Croatian Islands of the Mediterranean.

Sage – a mild, subtle and distinct flavour. It’s made from handpicked sage flowers from the Adriatic coast.

Elderflower – The elderflower lemonade tastes just sweet enough. The aromatic elderberry blossoms is also picked by hand.

Raspberry – this lemonade tastes sweet with a subtle sour undertone. The raspberries are also handpicked in the many forests and mountains in the Balkan region.

Lavender (natural tranquilizer) – The lavender syrup is not too sweet and slightly different. The syrup is made from the ecologically cultivated Lavandula angustifolia plant that is also handpicked.

About Agroposta

Agroposta is a Croatian company founded in 2004 and with a lot of experience in organic farming. The company started in 2011 with the production of the cordials. Agroposta has its own factory in Zagreb, completely designed according to EU standards in terms of food and provisions. The requirements of HACCP are also strictly maintained. Agroposta stands for sustainability, love for the environment and fair trade in all processes and in all products.

Rembrandt ‘The Naked Truth’ during five-course dinner

21-5-2015

The Rembrandt Tower Boardroom and the Rembrandt House Museum are joining forces for a pop-up restaurant. For two weeks, guests can eat between artworks about nude studies by Rembrandt and his colleagues during a five-course dinner at top notch level with breath-taking views of the Dutch capital.

The exhibited etchings are an exclusive preview of the exhibition ‘The Naked Truth’ held in the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam from 12 February until May 14, 2016. Last July we wrote about the first edition, which turned out to be a great success. This second edition from 21 September to Rembrandt’s death anniversary on October 4 will be on the top floor of the famous Amsterdam Rembrandt Tower as well. It’s one of the rare moments when the boardroom opens its doors to the public.

With its special location and excellent service, the Boardroom normally is a popular venue for private business meetings of Top 500 enterprises from the Netherlands and abroad. The 360 degree view from the tallest building in Amsterdam is impressive: on clear days even Utrecht, The Hague and Rotterdam can be seen.

Repeated due to the large success

What began in 2014 as a one-off initiative is repeated due to the large success. Alexandra Hutter, founder and director of the Rembrandt Tower Boardroom: “The response we received last year during ‘Hemels Rembrandt’ (translated as ‘Heavenly Rembrandt’) were overwhelming. Dutch personalities like Gerdi Verbeet, Eva Jinek and Cornald Maas enjoyed this unique synergy of art and gastronomy, like many others. Due to popular demand and to our great joy we organize a new edition this year. ”

Rembrandt Tower Boardroom supports the Rembrandt House Museum in the purchase of an important work by one of Rembrandt’s pupils, made in the workshop of the museum. This original work is also shown at ‘Hemels Rembrandt’. Rembrandt’s nudes were controversial, because he wanted to create a realistic picture: sagging breasts, folding pockmarked bellies and thighs, he did not hesitate to portray such “flaws.” This horrified fellow artists who prefer to draw graceful, classically proportioned models.

Reservation

Enjoy art and gastronomy in Amsterdam at high level during the Hemels Rembrandt weeks and book from 2 June onwards. Keep in mind that the prices are as exclusive as the event.

Dutch town of Sneek is iBeacon capital

20-5-2015

During the eightieth edition of the Sneekweek (August 1st till 6th) in Sneek, there is an innovative iBeacon app connected to the program. The app shows you where you are, what’s going on, where your friends are and what square or café is most popular at that time. By connecting with Facebook you can give friends access to your specific location. This way you make sure that only they can see where you are.

What are iBeacons?

iBeacons are small transmitters that can send targeted information to mobile phones when you’re in the area. When users wish to use the iBeacons that are scattered throughout Sneek during the Sneekweek, they must also have the Lightcurb app on their phone. The app runs on iOS (Apple) and Android.

Interactive map

On the interactive map this app provides, you can see your current position, those of friends and various party locations. It’s easy to only show relevant information by clever filtering options. A bluetooth connection allows the app to connect to hundreds of beacons throughout the city.

Push notification of the program

Visitors can prepare themselves to the Sneekweek by putting together a personalized program. The app will automatically send notifications when the user is not on the right square if a selected part of the program starts.

Developers

The app was developed by Near Able Labs of Leander Sikma in collaboration with StOm Design and will be available as free download in the App Store and Google Play Store from July onwards. Light Curb provides the iBeacons that app gets its data from. More information about the app can be found at beleefdesneekweek.nl.

Environmental friendly food carts – lessons from the food truck scene in NYC

20-5-2015

The green MRV100 food cart from the company Move Systems, is coming to the streets of New York City this summer. The new food cart is cleaner, more quiet and the unit runs on compressed natural gas with a solar panel providing supplementary power. The food cart has the ability to charge from the electrical grid. It’s equipped with a point of sales system including the ability to pay by credit card and has electronic inventory control. The cart is equipped with a restaurant-quality kitchen with better refrigeration facilities than typical at most food trucks.

If you have ever been to New York City in the past, you will remember the great ‘dirty water’ hotdog carts with the pretzels and in more recent years the famous food trucks. There are as many as 8.000 mobile food vendors, serving all kinds of street foods. Most of these food trucks are relatively old-school. The vendors are cooking with propane gas and their trucks are diesel-powered dirty and noisy verhicles.

Lessons from the food truck scene in NYC

Amsterdam is just allowing the first food trucks in the city and food truck festivals like TREK are getting more and more popular. This might be the best time to start working with new, sustainable, food trucks. We recently spotted another new generation food truck by Peugeot, which will be present at the French Pavilion during the World Expo Milano 2015. Before we spoil Amsterdam with the charming but polluting food trucks, let’s look at more sustainable alternatives.
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Boco – the next step in fine dining for the masses

19-5-2015

Leonie van Spronsen, lives and works in Paris and recently had lunch at boco bistrot where you get food made from recipes by top chefs.

It is an ongoing process, chefs decline Michelin stars, close down their Michelin starred restaurants to start a gastropub like Ron Blaauw, Michelin starred restaurants start selling take-away chicken and what self respecting chef doesn’t have a bistrot or tapas bar next to his restaurant? The fine dining world is becoming more and more accessible for the world to taste.

The French brothers Vincent and Simon Ferniot want to take this to the next level. Boco, a French F&B concept started in Paris, bringing together 8 different chefs that are renowned and celebrated in the culinary world for a fast casual, take away concepts. Every day they sell the favourite dishes of those 8 chefs made after their recipe in beautifully recyclable glass packages. On the display you can see who created the dish next to a full description of the biological ingredients.

Boco creates a culinary experience for everyone, a chance for anyone in the area to improve their daily life with a small look into the kitchen of an awarded chef. And if they want to – they can try a different chef every day of the week.

More information about boco:

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Zoku: hotel – office – living

19-5-2015

Zoku will be facilitating global living and working, it’s a home-office hybrid with the services of a hotel and the social buzz of a thriving neighbourhood. The first Zoku will open this fall in Amsterdam.

Zoku is announced as the end of the traditional hotel room. This new hotel concept is a hotel, office and residential space in one. This way they will meet the needs of global nomads, for who working internationally is an essential part of their lives. The Zoku Loft will offer them an efficient workspace that also provides a comfortable and cozy feeling of home at inspiring places.

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Pimento: ginger, chili, lime, tonic, no alcohol and refreshing!

18-5-2015

Pimento – they say you have to take a sip and experience the surprise of ginger and the shock of chili. Pimento is a unique and innovative beverage made in France.
It has a strong taste like an alcoholic drink, yet it contains no alcohol. It is low in sugar, very spicy and full of taste. The chilli peppers come from Jamaica and the ginger from China and Ivory Coast (Africa).

Mixing with Pimento

Plenty of bartenders have created cocktails with Pimento. The recipes are described here.
The main uses are as follows: Neat (on the rocks with lime) / Mixed with fruit juices / Spice Beer (Pimento + beer) / (Virgin) Spicy Mojito (Pimento to replace the sparkling water) / Hot Mule (Pimento + Vodka + lime) / Spicy ‘n’ Stormy (Pimento + dark/spiced rum + lime + Angostura) / Hot Bomb (Jägermeister + Pimento).
The drink seems to be especially delicious mixed with a dark rum and lime. Rums such as Captain Morgan, Sailor Jerry, Gosling, Brugal or Kraken are currently very on-trend throughout the world and their flavours are really enhanced when mixed with a good ginger beer. But it’s also a great mixer with Jägermeister, vodka or gin. Pimento is bottled in Saverne (near Strasbourg in eastern France) by La Licorne (Karsbrau – Karlsberg Group), one of the biggest French breweries. Their head office is located in Paris. In the Netherlands the beverage is sold through La Source.

Bonaire’s beer is here: Bonaire Blond!

18-5-2015

Bonaire Blond is island inspired and brewed with ingredients of Bonaire. The pale beer has a fresh hint of lime and an aromatic spiciness from Aloë Vera flowers that grow at the local Onima Aloë Vera Plantation.

Bonaire Blond

Bonaire Blond is an artisanal brewed pale beer with a double fermentation in the brewing process and a third fermentation on the bottle. The pale beer is made from Barley malt only and has a light yellow-gold colour. Bonaire Blond is fresh, tasteful and the only Bonairian pale beer with character. This beer has aged at least four weeks longer than normal, which enhances the flavour in every aspect.

Another great initiative from the owners of Restaurant At Sea

Bonaire Blond is an initiative from the owners of Restaurant At Sea (watch their story here), who thought it was a deficiency that the island did not have its own beer. Consumers responded very positive and therefore, they have decided to sell it at other places as well. The beer is now exclusively available at Jibe City Hang Out Beachbar, Little Havana, La Cantina and Restaurant At Sea.

In 2014 the owners of Restaurant At Sea launched a commercial for their own At Sea Cornetto.

New disposable packaging for wine: the Flex Keg

15-5-2015

The new disposable packaging Flex Keg for wine casks is a durable solution for any caterer. The Zeddams Wijnhuis in the Netherlands has developed a disposable container that is fully recyclable and lightweight.

The market for wine on tap is growing fast in the Netherlands. Until today the draft wines were always delivered in steel casks. According to Eddie Kempers, creator of the new packaging, it is about time for a disposable container that is completely recyclable and lightweight. “Compared to the new Flex Keg, steel casks have the disadvantages of weight, returning for deposit, risk of theft and high CO2 emissions in transport”, he says. “The new Flex Keg was born after two years of intensive research.”

The Flex Keg

The Keg Flex consists of a sturdy cardboard box that contains a plastic vacuum bag of 20 liters. The packaging is entirely made of recycled materials. The Flex Keg weighs only 800 grams and can be folded completely flat after use. The PET upper and lower lid and the plastic bag are recyclable plastic waste and the cardboard is recyclable paper waste. Sales Director Erik Zwart sees tremendous opportunities for the hospitality industry; “The savings on waste is huge, 27 bottles of wine aren’t used instead of the Flex Keg. This has an equivalent of 8 to 10 kilograms of glass waste!”

The wine from the Flex Keg

Zeddams Wijnhuis offers the Flex Keg with a choice of 6 accessible, recognizable wines which they import from Italy and Spain themselves. “In these countries the transport costs are low, which you can see back in the price per liter. The reseller will notice this directly.”, Erik Zwart says. The wine will have the same constant quality in the Flex Keg, there is no chance of oxidation because of the special packaging. The wine will stay perfect for 12 weeks after opening. With the method used you will never taste cork or find other impurities in the wine. In most cases is it possible to connect the Flex Keg to existing beer and wine tap installations, and no CO2 or nitrogen is needed! Zeddams Wijnhuis also supplies dispensing systems that can be tested for a trial period of two weeks.