Eatsa affordable and healthy fast service restaurant
3-9-2015
Quick and affordable quinoa lunch in healthy fast service restaurant Eatsa in San Francisco.
Healthy fast service restaurant Eatsa
The fast service (lunch) restaurant Eatsa in San Francisco looks more like an electronics store than a restaurant. There is no staff to take orders and everything is fully automated. The founders of Eatsa promise faster, more nutritious, affordable and tastier meals. The prize will be attractive at $ 6.95 for all meals.
Quinoa
The meals are all based on quinoa (pronounced as Keen-wah). The founders have chosen for quinoa because it contains all the necessary proteins we need as human beings. The production of quinoa is a lot less damaging to the environment than animal proteins.
Order
The meals can be ordered on a touch screen, once your food is ready your name appears on one of the glass cabinets and you can grab it. This video of TechCrunch shows how it works. The restaurant is located at 121 Spear Street in San Francisco and is open weekdays from 11:00 to 17:00 hours.
Keenwawa and fast food experience engineering
Eatsa is the first project of Keenwawa, a Silicon Valley start-up that focuses on quinoa. By making use of nutritional science and extensive use of software they want to apply so-called ‘fast food experience engineering’ to raise awareness and accessibility of alternative food sources.
Restaurant Kaat Mossel celebrates its 25th anniversary with a unique mussel dish
2-9-2015
Unique mussel dish and numerous festivities at restaurant Kaat Mossel Rotterdam for their 25th anniversary.
Chef cook Ron Hirt and his spouse and hostess Marie-Claire, celebrate the 25th anniversary of their restaurant Kaat Mossel in September. A fact that is celebrated in a festive manner in this restaurant in Rotterdam, which is famous for its timeless atmosphere, fair food and the recognizable faces.
Restaurant Kaat Mossel is throwing a party in September
While Rotterdam is on international lists as an über trendy city, the nostalgia is cherished at mussel restaurant Kaat Mossel. That’s where the attractiveness lies of this ‘gezellige’ (sociable, cozy) restaurant. The unpolished interior with numerous portraits of the 18th century mistress of mussels: Kaatje Mossel. The restaurant breathes characteristic temperament for which guests keep coming back for decades now. Throughout the month of September, the 25th anniversary is celebrated exuberantly. During the National Mussel Week from 29 August until 6 September 2015, there is a special three-course mussel menu for the price of € 25,= (for the 25th anniversary). And from 1 September all mussel dishes from the menu will be served at the price of € 19,90. The price refers to the birthdate of restaurant Kaat Mossel in 1990. This autumn they will present ‘The Golden Mussel’ in a playful way to a famous person who has done something great for the city Rotterdam. And as a sensational extra blow a mussel dish was created.
Unique mussel dish: mussels à la Kaat Mossel
The chef has created a new unique mussel dish: Mussels with fennel and thyme by the name of ‘Mussels à la Kaat Mossel’. Two kilos of the highest quality mussels from Schmidt Zeevis with fennel, parsley, garlic, thyme, olive oil, butter and white wine, all prepared in the wok. Guests will also get the recipe to take home.
Inspiration
Great idea to create a special dish for an anniversary and to give your guests the recipe to take home. We wish Chef Ron and his spouse Marie-Claire lots of fun with their anniversary celebrations in September.
Van Dobben Corner in Amsterdam Arena
1-9-2015
At the first tier of the Amsterdam Arena, behind the F-side, opened the first ‘Van Dobben’ Corner. As from this footbal season, the beef croquettes, bitterballs (small round croquettes, famous in The Netherlands) and rolls with the Van Dobben veal frikandel or the Van Dobben luxury cheese soufflé are no longer only available at mobile snack carts. The Van Dobben Corner also serves: a ‘Van Dobben’ sausage roll and a special meatball roll with Hellmann’s Honey Mustard Sauce.
Van Dobben Corner
The first Van Dobben Corner just opened before the first home game of Ajax and was officially opened by former Ajax player Johnny Rep. There are already plans for several Van Dobben Corners in the Arena. Hans van der Linden, Catering Club and director Frank Visser, Commercial Director of Van Dobben are happy with their successful co-creation and have plans for more Van Dobben Corners in the Amsterdam Arena.
Bulletproof coffee and FATwater
1-9-2015
Bulletproof Coffee is a branded coffee drink consisting of “Upgraded” black coffee blended with grass-fed butter and “Brain Octane oil” (coconut oil). The drink is supposed to boost cognitive performance and has opened a stand-alone bulletproof café in Los Angeles last year. FATwater also contains coconut oil extracts and water, a new product from the same Bulletproof company.
Bulletproof coffee
We already spotted the drink while writing an article back in September 2014 about the pop-up coffeebar in the black box in Ghent (Belgium). The pop-up coffeebar was part of CrossFit Ghent. The original recipe of Dave Asprey is created in 2009 and is originally based on the Yak-butter tea from Tibet. The coffee consists of a special coffee, butter from grass fed cows and a special kind of coconut oil. Just blend these 3 elements and you’ll have your Bulletproof coffee.
Dave Asprey now sells his own ‘Upgraded’ black coffee and the ‘Brain Octane Oil’ (an 8-carbon fraction of medium-chain triglyceride oil). Dave Asprey even claims that the drink will have you lose weight. The drink is very popular amongst sportspeople and entrepreneurs. Although we have read a couple of reviews which say that there is no scientific base for the claims and some people have been drinking so many Bulletproof coffees that their cholesterol level increased! Last year the Bulletproof coffee got a lot attention on shows like Good Morning America and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, like the above video shows. Here a link to another video showing Dave Asprey making a Bulletproof coffee.
FATwater
At the website of PSFK we read that from the makers of Bulletproof coffee also comes FATwater. Another drink laced with coconut oil extracts and a punch of energy. The statement of Bulletproof Coffee about their new product: “Experience clean-burning fuel from fat instead of sugar. Using patented nano-fusion™ technology, FATwater concentrate is an emulsion of Bulletproof® XCT™ Oil and purified water, ready to be stirred into water or beverage of your choice.”
Inspiration
When and where can we drink Bulletproof Coffee and FATwater in Europe? Wouldn’t it be great to be the coffee company that introduces these drinks in Europe? Would you try one?
The Green Toaster, an asset for your café or restaurant?
31-8-2015
The Green Toaster is a smartphone cleaning device. One of the places the Green Toaster would be a benefit would be in cafes or restaurants. You could offer your guests a sanitization of their phone while they have a drink.
Smart phones do have a big effect on how to accommodate your guests
We’re already getting accustomed to delivering ‘free Wi-Fi’, some restaurants, grand-cafés are even able to give their guest the opportunity to charge their mobile phone. Through either charging tables or pillars like ‘Charge to go’ and ‘Implug’ for smaller businesses. And now we’re faced with a new ticker to boost our sales and another investment… Ad agency Innored and UK-bases design school Kinneir Dufort created a sanitizing device for Korean e-commerce giant Gmarket. The Green Toaster.
The Green Toaster
The Green Toaster cleans every smartphone. Did you know that there are up to 7000 types of bacteria living on every smartphone? How often do you clean your smartphone? Wouldn’t you like to have the opportunity to clean it somewhere?
The Green Toaster does deep clean any smartphone using UV light! Wouldn’t it be great to have as excuse to go to a bar; “Honey, I’m going to have my smartphone cleaned.”
More about the Green Toaster on Springwise.
Mix and match your favorite chips with a sandwich at Mr. Crisp
28-8-2015
Mr. Crisp is England’s first crisp sandwich shop supplying over 35 varieties of crisps to enjoy. It’s a shop in West Yorkshire, entirely devoted to the art of potato chip sandwiches.
At this moment in time the most new concepts we spot are preparing healthy foods or intent do it. But with every survey we take, people often admit not to have too much eye for the healthy cuisine when dining out. Potato chips in sandwiches is new to me! I did notice small bags of crisps served with sandwiches in the United Stated, but I always thought it was meant to eat them on the side. It seems that people put the potato chips on top of the sandwiches to add a crunchy bite to the sandwich.
Mr. Crisp
Marc Pearson, owner of Mr. Crisp, was inspired by a similar shop in Belfast and he offers 35 different varieties of chips and an extensive sandwich menu, tea and baguettes according The Daily Mail. Mix and match your own favorite flavour combinations in your ultimate crispy sandwich.
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.
Buiten Adem: A sports festival for adults that leaves you breathless
7-8-2015
The Buiten Adem festival (translated Breathless Festival) is a sports festival for adults in Park Transwijk Utrecht on 29 August.
Breathless at a sports festival
There are many festivals this summer, at outdoor locations the weather plays a significant role and one weekend excluded, this is a perfect festival summer so far. All the festivals do their very best to be distinctive, but a handful are another league. Sometimes they literally jump across boundaries, with Jumping Fitness on the line-up for example!
New sports
The festival offers challenging new sports and workouts like XCORE and BRN, CrossXVest, Slackline, Jumping Fitness, High Intensity Impact Training (HIIT), but also good old favorites like yoga, boot camp, kickboxing, power lifting and hula hoop are part of the program as well. The day is filled with music from the emerging DJ’s La Fuente, Tim Hoeben and The Bear is Square.
Healthy eating and drinking (and a beer after the exercises)
Buiten Adem festival is a kind of sports day for adults, where alcohol is only allowed from 17.00 o’clock. The rest of the day there are plenty healthy snacks and juices from Grizzl, Sla-Gerei and the Aloha juice truck.
Earlier, we wrote about the sold out inflatables festival taking place in Amsterdam at the same weekend, that will be a sporty weekend!
Kornuit puts modern craftsmanship in the spotlight
6-8-2015
The brewers (and marketing department) of Kornuit work with the new generation of craftsmen and puts the spotlight on modern craftsmanship.
Modern craftsmanship
Kornuit works together with sausage maker Erik Waagmeester and blacksmith Joram Barbier and has made beautiful videos about them. Under the heading of ‘modern craftsmanship’ Kornuit will give them and other craftsmen the attention they deserve.
Sausage and upcycled beer opener
Waagmeester developed a sausage based on Cascade hop specially for Kornuit. The sausage is available at selected bars. Barbers has designed a bottle opener from an old beer barrel. The opener which is available at a number of supermarkets in the Netherlands.
Happyhappyjoyjoy – An impression with photos
5-8-2015
Julius Jaspers has brought the colourful streets of Asia to Amsterdam with Happyhappyjoyjoy. Aren’t you able to visit this restaurant? We’ve got a wonderful impression by photographer Wouter van der Sar via architecture and design company ‘concrete Amsterdam’.
Happyhappyjoyjoy – inspiration
Julius Jaspers leads people from Amsterdam directly to the bustling streets of Bangkok, Saigon and Hong Kong with the opening of Happyhappyjoyjoy in July. During his travels through Asia, the chef was inspired by the colourful culture and cuisine. His inspiration is now translated to the new Asian street food restaurant at the Bilderdijkstraat 158 in Amsterdam. Happyhappyjoyjoy brings together the contradictory tangle of influences from the Far East, where sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami are completely balanced on the menu.
The feel-good menu
Traditional starters and main courses on the menu are replaced with small feel good small plates like typical Asian steamed dumpling, buns with Peking duck or pork belly, hot & spicy shrimps’, clamps in XO sauce and Pad Thai. For the dessert menu Julius created dishes like Banana Fritters and Rice Pudding.
Asian drinks
The spicy dishes can be chilled down with roasted coconut juice or one of the other Eastern sodas. The extensive beer list is packed with Asian brands like Saigon Lager and the Chinese Tsingtao. Cocktails get a thrill with spices like ginger, pepper and Thai basil and Happyhappyjoyjoy serves Yumchatea tea from the Dutch computer science geeks Koh Ngai and Kenneth Touw.
A good-humored chaos
Happyhappyjoyjoy provides an upbeat, eclectic chaos. The vibrant décor is Asian with a wink and fully provided by concrete – which was the Gold Key Designer 2014. The combination of neon lights and authentic materials, patterns and colours leads you to one of the many night markets that line the streets of Asia. With a jumble of Oriental posters and ceiling of Chinese umbrellas you find yourself just in a true Asian setting.
Unrecognizable 1RDJ plays one track and flies away
4-8-2015
It sounds bizarre. A DJ who will fly on stage with a jet- pack, plays one track and then runs off again. Then you probably haven’t heard of 1RDJ yet.
1RDJ
By spinning a few tracks from other producers you won’t make it as a DJ anymore. Basically all DJ’s produce tracks and scream for attention with crazy gimmicks like throwing cakes (Steve Aoki), wearing a large mouse mask (deadmau5) or robot masks (DaftPunk). Now a new phenomenon can be added to that list. A DJ / producer who is unrecognizable flies on stage at a festival with a jet pack, plays one track and then disappears. On the Facebook page of 1RDJ and on his clothes there is a clearly recognizable reference to the beer brand Bavaria. This might be a winning ‘summer 2015’ formula for the brand and the artist.
Spinnin’ records
The first track by 1RDJ is called ‘First’ and is quite catchy. The single is released by Spinnin’ records from Hilversum, one of the major dance labels in the world.
