Opening Crane hotel in Amsterdam

4-4-2014

Today opens the Faralda NDSM Crane Hotel in Amsterdam and is it possible to stay a night in one of the three hotel suites located in a historic ship’s crane (known as Crane 13). The suites are located at 35 to 50 meters high in the ship’s crane and offer a stunning view over the city and the IJ. A Jacuzzi is located on the roof in the open air. On 13 meters height Faralda Broadcasting Studio & Faralda Production Company is located. This studio will be used for productions of external parties, like TV programs and corporate events. In the past year the Frisian Franeker has restored and transformed the crane into the luxurious hotel with three high-end design suites.

Biggest macaroon Easter egg in the world

4-4-2014

It’s almost Easter! Marco Kuit of ‘De Patissier’ (The Patissier) in Oegstgeest, the Netherlands, and his team patissiers made the largest egg of macaroons and chocolates in the world. The Easter egg is 1 meter wide and 2.35 meter high, made of 3.000 macaroons and 880 pounds of chocolate. Five patissiers worked 14 days to stuck the chocolate and fill the macaroon shells. This macaroon egg has established a new world record. Earlier we published an article with inspiration for Easter.

Take-away star cuisine

4-4-2014

The Chabran Drive of chef Michel Chabran* is a take-away concept of his star cuisine. Customers can order by phone or internet and can pick up the dish within an hour at the counter. Customers can choose between entrees, main courses and desserts, like the croque monsieur, scallops and tarte sablée. Michel Chabran is not the only French star chef who makes his food more accessible to customers, earlier we spotted chef Michel Bras*** with his deli ‘Capucin Signé Bras‘.

Industrial interior of Generator London

3-4-2014

Generator London is one of the eight hostel accommodations of the Generator in Europe. Generator London opened in 1995 and now features 212 rooms. Designer Anwar Mekhayech (DesignAgency) worked in partnership with ORBIT Architects and converted the building into the hotspot of London. The impressive interior shows the industrial past of London and includes the eclectic culture, architecture and history of the city. Besides the modern industrial look there is a replica of a Routemaster London Bus inside. Generator London has an internet café, a lounge with game tables, a bar and a café where guests can have an artisan sandwich and drinks.

Local Goods Weekend Market Amsterdam

3-4-2014

‘De Hallen Amsterdam’ (the Halls Amsterdam) are entirely devoted to the modern and progressive Amsterdam brands on 19 and 20 April. Pakhuis de Zwijger, platform Made in Amsterdam and Indie Brands organize the first edition of the ‘Local Goods Weekend Market’ during this weekend. Various Amsterdam food products such as home made sausages, chocolate and ice cream will be sold next to non-food products like bicycles, clothes, furniture and bags. The Local Goods Weekend Market will include products of Kadolab, Ace & Tate, Proeftuin Amsterdam, the Upcycle and Professor Grunschnabel.

Give Back Getaways

3-4-2014

#Throwback Thursday. We started in August 2007 with horecatrends.com / hospitalitytrends.eu, in May 2008 we posted an item about the Give Back Getaways from the Ritz-Carlton hotel chain. With this program they invite their guests to join their employees in half-day volunteer tourism experiences that contribute something meaningful to the communities surrounding the hotels. Each Give Back Getaways project is unique to the destination. At the website of the chain you can see the whole list of possibilities. As example the video from the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, we can’t image that you don’t want to help!

Caffeine Attendant in public toilet

2-4-2014

After a two years of planning and renovation, the former Victorian men’s room in the heart of Fitzrovia (London) was converted into coffee shop ‘Cafeine Attendant’ with quirky features. The original porcelain urinals from 1890 have been cleaned and now serve as a seat and the old payment counter is transferred into a small kitchens. The coffee is made with hand roasted beans from the Caravan Roastery.

Nutritional value on menu

2-4-2014

Recently, the chefs of Restaurant Hemingway created a special nutritional menu of their dishes. The restaurant is part of Hotel de Draak (Hotel the Dragon) in Bergen op Zoom, the Netherlands. With this new menu, the chefs want to facilitate their guests interested in the nutritional value of their dishes. They have determined the nutritional value of each dish and listed the amount of calories, fats, carbohydrates and proteins of all dishes. At the standard menu (without the nutritional value) a reference to this menu is explicitly stated and the menu with the nutritional value is actively communicated by the hosts in the restaurant.

The re-introduction of Reverse Delivery

2-4-2014

Boston Pizza introduces ‘reverse delivery’ for the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs 16 April. The promotion has a funny wink in it and appears to be merely for free-publicity purposes, watch the video here.

Bread cone filled with local produce

1-4-2014

In September, chef Michel Bras*** opened the deli ‘Capucin Signé Bras’ at the parking lot at the Millau Viaduct. The deli serves a variety of ‘Capucins’, that cost around € 7,=. A ‘Capucin’ is a crepe-like cone made of buckwheat and wheat, filled with local produce such as truffles, black pudding, foie gras, Roquefort etc.. A special variant of a simple sandwich. Michel Bras opened a second location along with his two sons and a local hotelier in Toulouse last January.

Spacified: the marketplace for pop-up stores

1-4-2014

Online platform Spacified.com makes a match between temporary vacant spaces and designers, retailers and startups in Belgium and the Netherlands. The vacancy rate in retail spaces and offices increase and this brought founder Patrice Fleurquin the idea to develop a matchmaking service to bring both parties in contact. Spacified.com doesn’t only support starters, but also stimulates the creativity to set up an office, retail or event location. Recently Spacified.com and Voka ‘Chamber of Commerce Antwerp- Waasland, launched the POP-UP Guide. This guide gives visitors an overview of the newest, hottest pop-up stores in Belgium and the Netherlands. Currently, the guide only focuses on consumers, but can also provide cities and local authorities with information about the pop-up stores on longer-term. Spacified.com started a crowd funding project to extend the POP-UP Guide for five cities outside Belgium and the Netherlands.

Plans for 2015 from Rene Redzepi and Heston Blumenthal

1-4-2014

Last Sunday I read a tweet from René Redzepi of Noma in which he indicated to close for two months early 2015. During that period, the entire team from Noma goes to Japan where they will cook in the restaurant of the Japanese chef Murata (restaurant Kikunoi). The philosophy of the cuisine of René Redzepi will be applied to the Japanese products. Great news for the Japanese foodies!

And yesterday the announcement of Heston Blumenthal in which he told that he will close his restaurant The Fat Duck as from December 2014, to reopen February 2015 for six months in The Crown Melbourne Resort. And Heston Blumenthal is also going to Australia with his entire team. After 6 months, the team is going back but a ‘Dinner by Heston Blumenthal’ remains at The Crown Melbourne Resort. Meanwhile, The Fat Duck will be rebuilt. A special way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his restaurant.^Marjolein

Edible water

31-3-2014

Three design students from London came up with the ‘Ooho’: an easy, biodegradable and edible water bubble. Inspired by the techniques of molecular cooking, they developed ‘edible’ water. The water tank of the ‘Ooho’ is made of algae and can be eaten. Perhaps the solution for all the waste that remains of plastic water bottles. The students won the Lexus Design Award 2014.

Floating hotels

31-3-2014

Thrillist.com gives an overview of seven floating hotels around the world. Like the Salt & Sill, a floating hotel in Sweden with a modern Swedish interior or the Yellow Submarine that is inspired by the movie ‘The hunt for red October’ with Sean Connery. The video above is from the River Kwai Jungle Rafts Resort in Thailand. This unique floating hotel is located in the jungle of Kanchanaburi and only accessible by boat. The hotel is built of wood and bamboo, the rooms are simple and have a veranda with hammocks. Take a look at the complete list here.

The rooster back on the plate

28-3-2014

Last weekend, I have been reading a Dutch Magazine ‘Bouillon‘ (spring 2014). Each time a delight to read all the independent and surprising stories with the food culture as theme. Since I recently read somewhere about fried rooster combs I found it very interesting to read (I’m sorry but in Dutch) the story about roosters. Late January Nel Schellekens of Dutch restaurant ‘De Gulle Waard‘ in Winterswijk has prepared a dinner in cooperation with barbecue champion Ralph de Kok, made with all kinds of goodies such as hay rooster, smoked rooster, butterflyd rooster, pâté  etc.  In this article is stated that about 40 million roosters be gassed annually on their first day of life, in the Netherlands only. On the website, the comeback of the rooster (Sorry Dutch only), you’ll find recipes and more background information. They started the website in the hope that less roosters will be killed. I guess I will put a rooster on the menu with Easter. Good to see that there are more and more initiatives to bring ‘forgotten animals’ on the plate. Last week we posted an article about the meat of young goats and the goose isn’t forgotten either. ^ Marjolein