The Burger Club – Brings burgers to life through thoughtful ingredients.

17-2-2015

At the Burger Club at the Nieuwe Binnenweg in Rotterdam you can choose between three types of meat for all the burger they serve; MRIJ (Dutch) beef, USA Wagyu beef and Iberico pork. Difficult to choose.

Burger brought to life through thoughtful ingredients

Burgers like a Classic, BBQ, Greek, De Luxe or a juicy burger (the latter with gorgonzola in the meat) can be served with all the above types of meat. The MRIJ (Dutch) beef comes from butcher Piet van den Berg and is made from cattle grazing on the banks of the Meuse, Rhine and Ijssel rivers. For those who can’t choose, you can taste all three varieties if you order the sliders.

Owner Luis originates from Spain and you can trace back some Spanish influences in the menu. He serves a burger with chorizo and jalapeno peppers or one with Iberico ham and aioli. The fries are fried in olive oil, which clearly reflects on the taste. But they also serve a ‘Dutch Weed’-Burger, a vegetarian burger with seaweed as main ingredient. And a burger from grilled farm chicken combined with mango chutney.

Gin + Tonic at the Burger Club

Besides wine and beer the Burger Club also serves gin & tonics. Guests can choose from four types of tonics and eight varieties of gin, including Bobby’s, Hendricks and the German gin, Monkey 47.

Burger bars/restaurants are popular in the Netherlands

Hamburgers from fine quality beef remain trendy. The last couple of years we saw a rise in the number of burger bars or restaurants. If you as a restaurant owner would like to offer your guests more choice in the type of meat, check out the choice from The Frozen Butcher .

Matcha latte – a healthy Japanese coffee alternative

16-2-2015

Leonie van Spronsen had a Matcha latte in Paris at Maison Kitsuné and writes about it. Matcha is known to be full of antioxidants, fiber & chlorophyll. When you drink it as a Matcha latte, the combination with the milk gives a sweet like flavor without any sugar.

A few years ago ordering a cup of coffee was simple, there was the American, the espresso and the cappuccino or if you were feeling crazy a latte would be the beverage of choice. Boy, things have changed in that department.

Nowadays everybody has their own special preference, white chocolate mocha with non-fat milk, a ristretto or an almond milk caramel macchiato, the options are infinite. But to say this made the coffee game healthier? Certainly not.

Matcha – a tradition in Japan

Meanwhile the Japanese were steadily persisting in their traditional practice of drinking Matcha everything. Matcha is a tea plant only grown in Japan, near the Yahagi River, and is a tea type used so often in Japan that sources say only 1% is used for export.
The health benefits are comparable to other green teas but with a much larger impact because the tea (and all other hot beverages made with it) is made from a powder that contains the entire leaf. This means you are ingesting the full scale of nutrients the leaf has to offer in comparison too just the brewed water you usually get with green tea.

Matcha latte

Matcha is known to be full of antioxidants, fiber & chlorophyll, next to this when you drink it as a Matcha latte, the combination with the milk gives a sweet like flavor without any sugar. In these times of increasing obesity, diabetics and highly processed foods – this might be the new flagship of the pro-health movement.

Matcha latte popular in NYC – is Europe to follow?

After already taking NYC by storm, the concept is now also slowly but steadily making its way to Europe. And why not? If you are into milky coffee drinks and have cravings for Starbucks drinks on a daily basis, you might as well switch to Matcha latte. It certainly contains less fats & sugars, it actually has additional health benefits and (not unimportant) it looks really cool. The question is.. how long before we consider a Matcha latte to be as normal as a cappuccino?

Virgin Rumors

13-2-2015

Back in August, the yet-to-open Virgin Hotel in Chicago started the #VirginRumors social media campaign. The hotel began encouraging people to spread rumors about the hotel on social media, Virgin Rumors. The person who had the best #VirginRumor would then win a two-night stay at the hotel during the opening party along with airfare and transportation.

Virgin Rumors

The owner of the hotel, Sir Richard Branson, had actually act out one of the Virgin rumors. Richard Branson was tucking the big winner and her fiancée in and was reading them a bed time story.

Lucy

If Richard Branson isn’t able to provide personal advice or read you a story, Lucy is a great stand-in. Lucy is an app that is your personal assistant during your stay. Lucy gives you advice to find the best local restaurants and gives access to the Virgin Hotels chatroom where you can get recommendations from other guests, meet up, or make new contacts. Besides that Lucy is the remote control you need to watch TV or order movies on demand. You can browse the menu and order with a few ticks. Order while you’re out and come back to find a meal waiting for you.

The Bustronome experience: delicious views of Paris

12-2-2015

Discover Paris on a gourmet escapade during lunch or dinner in a bus, the Bustronome experience. Just like the elegant dinners on the Parisian sightseeing boats, the Bustronome invites everybody to discover Paris aboard a double-decker bus converted into a fancy restaurant.

The Bustronome experience

The Bustronome, is a high-end double decker bus which is offering striking views across the French capital thanks to its panoramic glass roof. At the panoramic upper deck, passengers can enjoy a great lunch or dinner while enjoying Paris. A guided tour in a chic, cosy atmosphere.

Delicious meals while enjoying the view

Two of the menus they serve are ‘all inclusive’ with a selection of wine served by the glass to accompany each dish: champagne (dinner only) / white wine / red wine / mineral or sparkling water / tea or coffee. The tour takes 2h15 for lunch and 2h30 for dinner. At the moment we are writing this article, you can enjoy a Valentine’s day menu up to 14 February. Prices range from 65/85€ (for lunch) and 95/125€ (for dinner).

Bustronome offers an inventive cuisine. Specially invited grand chefs regularly offer new culinary experiences. Some examples of what they serve: Chestnuts’ “bonbonnière” / Poultry stuffed with ‘foie gras’ and season vegetables with hazelnuts sauce / Pineapple mille-feuilles / Scallops carpaccio with pistachio and grapefruit / Shoulder of lamb ‘Grand Veneur’ / Brie de Meaux cheese and caramelized apples.

Inspiration

Why don’t we do the same in Amsterdam? Only instead of preparing the food, we could also stop at a couple of those great restaurants we have in Amsterdam and pick up a dish! Imagine, starters, main courses or desserts from Librije’s Zusje (**); Ciel Bleu (**); &Samhoud Places (**), Bord d’Eau (**) Ron Gastrobar (*) and Rijks restaurant. Wouldn’t that be great? #stealmyidea ^Marjolein

Foodtruck special | Heet Brood

11-2-2015

The Summer of 2014 was one of thriving food festivals. With several events focused on mobile kitchens and a lot of food trucks on smaller festivals throughout the country, the open air food offer grew tremendously. This was partly due to the efforts of The Food Line-Up, ‘Vleesch Noch Visch’ and ‘Rollende Keukens’.

Dutch food truck in Amsterdam

Recently an article on Dutch news website Nu.nl announced that the municipality of Amsterdam starts with giving out permits for food trucks on the streets of the Dutch capital. A great trigger to start a food truck special at Horecatrends.com and highlight some of the food trucks mentioned in the (Dutch) book ‘Reizende Sterren’ (Travelling Stars).

Heet Brood

The pictures on this page belong to ‘Heet Brood’, a food truck owned by Josine Beugels. It’s more than a food truck, it’s better described as theater-art-caravan where you can find some cheesy cooking skills with bread.

‘Reizende Sterren’

The book ‘Reizende Sterren’ is only available in Dutch. If you want to show your (favorite) food truck at the website please write to tip@spronsen.com. If you’re interested in the Dutch food truck scene we can definitely recommend the annual ‘Rollende Keukens’ event in Amsterdam in May with over a hundred trucks on one location.

Foodtruck special | Crêpes-mobiel

11-2-2015

The Summer of 2014 was one of thriving food festivals. With several events focused on mobile kitchens and a lot of food trucks on smaller festivals throughout the country, the open air food offer grew tremendously. This was partly due to the efforts of The Food Line-Up, ‘Vleesch Noch Visch’ and ‘Rollende Keukens’.

Dutch food truck in Amsterdam

Recently an article on Dutch news website Nu.nl announced that the municipality of Amsterdam starts with giving out permits for food trucks on the streets of the Dutch capital. A great trigger to start a food truck special at Horecatrends.com and highlight some of the food trucks mentioned in the (Dutch) book ‘Reizende Sterren’ (Travelling Stars).

Crêpes Mobiel

The pictures on this page belong to the Crêpes Mobiel. A typical French foodtruck where you can make your order in the language of love. The truck is owned by French chef Frédéric Holaind and nowadays his whole family is involved in the foodtruck. His son Wojtek built the website, his daughter Nina bakes the small pancakes almost as perfect as her father does and his wife Marjan quit her job to help managing the truck. With a new paint-job and check-up the truck and its crew is totally ready for the new season.

‘Reizende Sterren’

The book ‘Reizende Sterren’ is only available in Dutch. If you want to show your (favorite) food truck at the website please write to tip@spronsen.com. If you’re interested in the Dutch food truck scene we can definitely recommend the annual ‘Rollende Keukens’ event in Amsterdam in May with over a hundred trucks on one location.

2-course dinner within 60 minutes!

11-2-2015

During the TEFAF (13-22 March in the MECC venues in Maastricht, the Netherlands) the visitors can eat a 2-course dinner within 60 minutes at a selection of restaurants, they will even receive the bill within this time.

TEFAF

The TEFAF in Maastricht is universally regarded as the world’s leading art fair. During the fair, 275 works of art from the worlds 20 leading galleries will be presented. The TEFAF is offering a wide variety of classical modern and temporary art, photographs, jewellery etc. that you can see or buy.

A 2-course dinner within 60 minutes

The initiative for the ‘60 minutes dinner’ is created for the visitors of the TEFAF Maastricht. This way they can also enjoy the city itself. The restaurants who participate are identified by the ‘60 minutes dinner’-logo. Reservations are required under the name of ’60 minutes dinner.’

Fancy kebab – fancy fastfood taken to a whole new level!

10-2-2015

We have seen it all in the fancy fastfood trend; gourmet burgers, luxury pizzas, crepes galore and the biscuits and chicken wings that you can get in all shapes & sizes in the States these days. However in Paris they have taken it to another level; fancy kebab!

Fancy Kebab or ‘un kebab quasi gastronomique’

Whilst in line you can see the pita’s being freshly baked in the corner, after which it will be filled with fresh meats from Desnoyer, one of the most well-known quality butchers in Paris, fresh herbs galore and two types of freshly made sauces!
The unleavened pita is kneaded and baked in front of the customers from wheat flour and organic spelled wheat. The recipe is developed by Jean-Luc Poujauran, an artisanal baker.
Because the pita is probably not enough they also sell freshly cut & spiced French fries from bio-potatoes that complement the luxury fast food experience. To top it off they sell a selection of exquisite juices, like pêche de vigne Lyonnaise, pamplemousse rose d’Israël or Cassis noir de Bourgogne, different waters, beers & sodas.

Even the biggest snob can’t wait to be in line for this doner kebab! And like the French say; At Grillé they innovated and introduced; ‘kebabs quasi gastronomiques’ ^Leonie van Spronsen

Marriott enables guests to share their experiences

10-2-2015

Guests staying at selected Marriot Hotels will be able to use a complimentary GoPro camera during their stay. To share their experiences with family and friends at home.

An old trick to get your guest to share their experiences at your spot.

Somewhere in 2009 we wrote an inspiring article about the Omni hotels who gave their guests a camcorder for the weekend. At the same time these guests were asked to upload their greatest video and with this video they could win another free stay for the weekend in one of the Omni hotels.

And don’t forget the inspiring article about enabling your guests to make the best #selfies in Paris. The luxury Mandarin Oriental hotel launched a ‘Selfie in Paris’ campaign in August 2014. They offer their guests a tour of Paris’ best selfie spots with a private car and driver.

Enable your guests to share their experiences

The selected Marriott hotels do have perfect spots to use the GoPro. It must be great to share experiences like scuba diving in the Caribbean, summiting Machu Picchu, or jungle trekking. The program has been launched in 17 properties across the Caribbean and Latin America, destinations for the outdoor adventurer and with a lot of scenic activities. Guests can test GoPro’s latest Hero4 camera.

Inspiration

Check out your surroundings and enable your guests to make the best pictures possible! Selfies or video’s during a special tour or lent them a new camera to play with….. And if they share it on their social media platforms, we hope that their family and friends want to visit your hotel as well. Check out the video’s on Marriott’s website Travel Brilliantly, you will certainly find a spot you would love to visit!

In Japan the Hen-na hotel will be staffed entirely by robots

9-2-2015

The Hen-na hotel, will be staffed with robot receptionists, porters, cleaners and waitresses. So if you’re interested in robotic service, you will have to wait till this summer to be able to sleep in this hotel.

The Hen-na hotel has a Dutch touch

The Hen-na hotel (which means ‘strange’ in Japanese) is located at the ‘Huis Ten Bosch’ theme park in Sasebo, Nagasaki. Check out the above placed video, showing you our Dutch buildings, canals, streets and the replica of the royal palace in The Hague, in Japan!

Staffed entirely by robots

This is how it works – on your arrival, you will be greeted exclusively by a robot, you will hand over your luggage to robotic porters and check in at a front desk, staffed with blinking robots, reported The Japan Times.

The main objective of this technology is to reduce labor costs. Of course the hotel will use the latest in facial recognition technology and allow guests to open their door by simply presenting themselves in front of their room, without a key. The president Hideo Sawada promised the ‘most efficient hotel in the world’ when announcing the new hotel in a news conference. The accommodation at the hotel will cost approximately $60 per night.

We couldn’t find interesting pictures or video’s about the Hen-na hotel yet, except for this one. That’s why we choose to place a video about the ‘Huis Ten Bosch’ theme park in Japan.

Italian restaurant ‘modern style’ in Leiden

9-2-2015

From the walls The Godfather and Berlusconi (in graffiti form) look down on the tables with bright red chairs. Zucca is an Italian restaurant in Leiden (The Netherlands) but slightly different than a more traditional Italian restaurant. But they serve artisanal pizzas and dishes created with real Italian ingredients and love for their origin.

Graffiti as art

The staff wears shirts with ‘I’m Italian, what’s your super power?’ And a classic work of art as the Mona Lisa now wears an eye patch and the Venus by Botticelli wears sunglasses. In short, no classic design for this Italian restaurant but graffiti and a contemporary decor. An artists collective created the artwork on the walls that can best be described as a mix of classic and now, with a big wink. The Madonna by Rafael carries a baby in soccer outfit and Botticelli’s Venus is surrounded by graffiti figures and angels on a Vespa scooter.

Italian restaurant ‘modern style’

The interior may be anything but traditional Italian, their dishes taste like they are served in a trattoria in Italy. The pizza crusts (thin!) are made in a glowing stone oven and their pasta’s, anti pasti and secondi are made from fresh ingredients.

New offshoot

Zucca is part of Witteman Hospitality Management, led by Ruud and son Singha Witteman. They now have six restaurants, five of which are located in Leiden. They are known for their accessible hospitality concepts, aimed at a large audience.

Spin to win

These entrepreneurs continue to innovate. Often by thinking and acting ‘out of the box’. Like everyone who will be eating on a Tuesday or Wednesday at Zucca’s; can give a twist to the ‘O Fortuna Rad’ after checking out. There can earn prizes for their return visit, like a complimentary bottle of wine or even up to 50% off on the next dinner.

Wheelys, a full service café on wheels

5-2-2015

Wheelys is a full service café on wheels. The bike serves coffee, tea, cold drinks, juices, pastries, fruits, salads and sandwiches. Everyone can buy the bike and ride through the city, the only thing that you have to do is to pay a small monthly fee. We wonder how how it is regulated in these countries with the licenses.

Wheelys

There are several advantages of the café on wheels. You will have minimal startup costs, minimal running costs, it is ECO-friendly, healthy and very profitable. With one single Wheelys you can earn up to $700,= in one day. In the first four months that Wheelys has been around they sold more than 30 cafés to more than 10 countries.

The café was founded by Thomas Mazetti, former head of a successful advertising agency. He brought other thought leaders from Scandinavian superbrands like IKEA and H&M in to his team. Together they created Wheelys.

Secret Brunch launches in Paris – fun concept but might need some work!

5-2-2015

This Saturday marked the launch of Secret Brunch in Paris, a concept coming from London for their first international event.

The concept is very simple, you sign up, buy a ticket and on the day of the event you get an email with the ‘secret’ location you are expected two hours later for a brunch party from 12.00 to 18.00 o’clock.

Whilst already being a mainstay for a few years in the London scene this was their very first appearance in Paris. They got a great start by being sold out more than a month in advance and the beau monde Parisian seemed ready for it!

Unfortunately it did not quite live up to the hype just yet, quite a few Parisians were rather disappointed by the location, Matignon, it being just in a well-known restaurant/nightclub near the Champs-Elysees. People were expecting something more grand and unexpected.

Organization wise there were also still some hinges, for example you could only reserve a table for groups from 6 pax on which meant that everyone who just bought a ticket had no place to eat! Managing expectations in what to expect from the ticket might also be something to consider for next time.

The party was quite alive and hopping but there is still a lot of room for improvement!^Leonie van Spronsen

A social dining app: Chattable

4-2-2015

Chattable is a social dining app which brings people together in a whole new way.

Social dining app

With the Chattable-app on your phone you can see which restaurants are affiliated with Chattable anywhere in the world. You can see the affiliated restaurants in the overview screen with the opening hours, type of kitchen and the distance from your current location. You can also see if someone already made a reservation or if there are people waiting in the restaurant. Your table guests will not know your name, your gender and your appearance until they sit down with you at the table.

Chattable restaurants have a special ‘Chat-Table’ reserved for people who are coming alone, and like to eat with company. According to Martin Opdam, cofounder of the app, a lot of the people who eat alone grab their phone, tablet or eat in their hotel room. Millions of people all over the world are eating alone. The app is developed to bring these people together.

Increasing sales for hospitality businesses

The amount of business stays and single person households increases, this makes that more and more people are having dinner alone. Next to this there is an increasing need or face-to-face contact instead of digital contact. Research of The University of Hotel Management Maastricht, commissioned by KHN (Royal Dutch Hospitality Association), shows that the expenditures are higher when people eat together. The restaurant owner has more tables for other guests if he brings the people who are eating alone together, which creates a win-win situation.

The restaurant owner pays a low pay-per-use rate for everyone who sits down and checked in through the app. The margin of the owner remains guaranteed.

The app went live on 12 January 2015.

The Apothic Crush letter generator: you’re my crush for Valentine!

4-2-2015

Writing somebody a love letter for Valentine is difficult! But what if a pro did it for you, would you dare send it to your crush? As owner of a restaurant or hotel you could use the tactic this winery did! They made a limited-edition red wine called Apothic Crush and help with writing a love letter.

The Apothic Crush letter generator

The Apothic Crush Letter Generator is now online. So think about somebody you want to write a love letter and go to the Apothic Crush letter generator and answer a few simple questions. A computer operated by a handful of poets will take your longings, your emotions and deepest desires and translate them into an electronically delivered, handwritten letter you can give with a bottle of Apothic.

About the limited edition wine Apothic Crush

The people behind this initiative make wine. Red wine, more specifically, smooth-drinking limited-edition red wine called ‘Apothic Crush’. Tasting notes include: chocolate, caramel, luscious red fruit and endless possibilities to combine with food.

Inspiration

Why not create a possibility to have poets writing poems or love letters to go with an original invitation for a Valentine’s dinner at your restaurant or a night out in your hotel? Ask a couple of insights and create one of the greatest gifts you can give to your loved one, a poem or love letter.