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.
Internet coverage in rural Sri Lanka using Google Project Loon
3-8-2015
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, Mangala Samaraweera, announced on 28 July 2015 that the country will provide full internet coverage in collaboration with Google. It will be the first country in the world with affordable, universal access to the internet.
Project Loon
The Project Loon balloons drift in the stratosphere, twice as high as airplanes and above the highest clouds. Loon balloons are able to go where they are needed by increasing or decreasing their altitude and move to the layer in the atmosphere with the desired wind direction. Each balloon has a 4G wireless communication transmitter and a reach of about 40 km in diameter.
Facebook Aquila
Facebook is also working on the internet accessibility in rural areas under the name of ‘Aquila‘. The engineers of this company develop a solar-powered plane that can communicate with the ground via laser technology. Global Internet coverage for everyone is nearby now because these two Internet giants are working on it.
With these developments, communication during disasters and in remote areas will be cheaper and faster in the future, one of the motives of Google.
Swipe your favourite dishes with Tender recipe finder
31-7-2015
With the Tender app you can swipe through tasty recipes.
Tender – Food and Recipes
Inspired by the dating app Tinder, Tender replaced the pictures of potential boy- and girlfriends with food. Three alumni of the College of Charleston have figured out that it is also a pleasurable experience to swipe through recipes and they have developed the app Tender where you can do this.
Swipe
By swiping to the left, a dish is thrown into the trashcan. Swipe to the right and the recipe is stored in your own cookbook. This makes the search through food pictures very easy. The app is aimed at the youth of 18-30 years old who want to cook at home more often but look for easy and attractive recipes. By a number of filtering options they can filter for categories like vegan, drinks, desserts etcetera. The start-up is looking to improve filters in different cuisines, prices and other options.
Development
The functionalities are somewhat limited and the app can be more intuitive, but this app shows how consumers will determine whether something (or someone) is visually appealing for them within a tenth of a second. Do you already have attractive pictures of your catering business online, considering this visual future? Find the app in the iTunes store or the Google Play Store.
Workshop Gertjan Kiers at Julius bar & grill
30-7-2015
Julius bar & grill in Amsterdam opens its doors on Sunday afternoon 6 September for a workshop with the famous butcher Gertjan Kiers of butchery ‘Fontijn Vlees en Vleeswaren BV’. This edition Gertjan Kiers debones a pork and teaches how to get the best out of it. The learnings can be tasted right back during a four-course lunch.
Pork deboned by Gertjan Kiers at Julius bar & grill
The previous workshops on beef and lamb were sold out, this edition Gertjan Kiers will elaborate about pork. In the afternoon of 6 September, Kiers debones a complete pig and provides chapter and verse. He shows how quality meat is cut, shares how a butcher knife is handled and teaches how all parts of the pig are best cooked on the barbecue.
4-course lunch
With a four-course lunch at Julius bar & grill the guests can taste back the lessons about the pork directly. There is a special wine pairing menu for the grilled meat dishes available.
About Gertjan Kiers
Gertjan Kiers is a born butcher with a clear opinion about meat and the meat industry; “Many consumers prefer convenience over taste and some butchers and chefs attach more importance to marketing rather than the product. By broadening the general knowledge about meat, the consumer gets a better piece of meat on the plate and the butcher profession gains the respect that it deserves. ”
This unique workshop will be in Dutch and can be reserved online via www.juliusbargrill.nl/reserveren stating ‘workshop Gertjan Kiers’.
When: 6 September, 2015
Time: 13:00 to 16:00 pm
Restaurant Waag opened in Leiden
29-7-2015
This month ‘Waag’ opened in Leiden. The Waag was once the bustling center of Leiden but was barely used until recently. This summer, the monument is the vibrant heart of the city again.
The Waag as backdrop for traditional events
Guests can enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner at the Waag under the magnificent vaults of the monumental Boterhal or in the new glass construction. The Waag remains the backdrop for the traditional presentation of herring and white bread on 3 October and the Waag will be renamed the House of Saint Nicholas in late November.
Interior
Great Persian rugs and a special lighting plan transform the stately monument in a place where it’s pleasant to stay. A wall full of old scales refers to the past, when ‘The Waag’ was the commercial centre of the city and traders had their goods weighted.
Glass construction
To relieve the monumental Waag and Boterhal an additional glass construction was built behind the high, vaulted room of the Boterhal. Here is a large open kitchen located in the glass construction with a private entrance to the Mandemakers Alley.
Chicken in the lead
Freshly grilled chicken plays a major role at the Waag. On a Josper charcoal oven chickens are freshly grilled in French or Portuguese style. In addition there are salads, pastas and culinary classics like a sirloin steak, prawns, satay and a burger on the menu.
Terrace in 2016
The monumental ‘Waaghoofd’ will be the location of the new ‘Waag’ terrace in the spring of 2016, and has room for 150 guests. To achieve this the main bridge of the Waag is moved to Catharina Alley in late 2015.
Debut BV – Hospitality Management and Development
The Waag is part of Debut BV, which is responsible for several successful restaurant concepts as Mad Mick’s Breakaway Café Rotterdam, STAN & CO, Belgian Beer Café Olivier in Utrecht and Leiden, the Mexican restaurants of Popocatepetl, Hometown Coffee & More in The Hague and Stadscafé Progress in Eindhoven.
Your Take On #centerparcslol
28-7-2015
#centerparcslol
Center Parcs organized a contest under the title “Your Take On” where teens can film themselves in all kinds of activities both inside and outside of Center Parcs. The company works together with well-known vloggers (video bloggers) like the ‘Knol brothers’ that promote the contest. Contestants can upload their videos to Instagram with the hashtag #centerparcslol.
Performance by rapper Dio
The maker of the best video will win a day of activities and an exclusive concert by rapper Dio at Center Parcs De Eemhof. Dio is a Dutch rapper who is known from the songs ‘Dom, Lomp en Famous’ in collaboration with the Opposites and Willie Wartaal and ‘Tijdmachine‘ with Sef.
Enzo and Milan Knol
Among other vloggers Enzo and Milan Knol collaborate with Center Parcs for the campaign. Both are social media stars that focus on Dutch teenagers. Enzo Knol is a YouTube hero with nearly 800.000 followers and often new videos by him are viewed more than 200.000 times within a single day. Milan owns Youtube channel DagelijksHaaDee (550.000+ followers) and his other channel DitIsMilan is good for 320.000+ followers.
For more information: www.yourtakeon.nl
Solving the sunbed race during peak season with the ‘sunbreaker’
24-7-2015
One of the biggest irritations in the summer: claiming sunbeds! Other guests have already claimed all the sunbeds by placing their towel on it. This ‘Sunbed Race’ starts very early in the morning at most resorts during peak season. The sunbreaker is nothing more or less than a parking disc for sunbeds. Hotel owners can offer a sunbreaker with every sunbed to take away some of the frustrations on the subject!
A sunbed race is difficult to avoid.
The only way to avoid this is to provide enough sunbeds for all guests and enough space for all the sun beds. Because otherwise your guests will lay down their towel on the sunbeds at the best spot! At most hotels a sunbed race is inevitable, especially during peak season. Hotel owners who deal with those irritations on a daily base could start to use the ‘sunbreaker’ by entrepreneur Theo van den Dungen. Your guests can set the ‘sunbreaker’ at the moment they leave their sunbed. When they come back within the hour they can use their sunbed again, when they come back later, other guests may take the sunbed. Create a system around it, like for example have the belonging of the old guest handed to the pool attendant. The system is still somewhat susceptible to fraud but as hotel owner you’re showing that you at least try to avoid irritations. It’s possible to personalize the sunbreaker.
Do you have a secret menu?
23-7-2015
Hot in the USA: secret menu’s at fast food chains. From fast food chain In-N-Out, to Shake Shack to McDonald’s. Why not create your own ‘secret menu’ as a cafeteria or small fast food chain?
Last year I did visit the fast food chain In-N-Out in California, my daughter who worked and lived in New York already heard about their (not-so) secret menu. Recently I saw a video of Anthony Bourdain discussing his appetite for burgers of In-N-Out. This chain has been offering customer-created riffs on the menu which have been passed down through word of mouth since the 1960’s. At their official menu it has just three burgers (a hamburger, cheeseburger, and the ‘double-double’), it’s ‘not-so-secret’ menu adds six more. I tasted the iconic ‘animal style’ burger with a lot of grilled onions and mustard. Did I like it? Well it certainly was the most tasty fast food burger I have eaten on the West Coast. But I didn’t eat many!
How to create a secret menu
The appeal of the secret menu is a delicate matter for restaurants. You can’t promote them because of the fact that it will instantly lose its secrecy factor. It’s a matter of involving your fans and let them spread their favorite ‘secret menu’ through social media and locally through word of mouth. For more information read the article ‘Secret Burger Menus, Explained’ on Eater.
You can even check the secret menu’s at fast food restaurants in your vicinity at the website Secret Menus. At this website I even read that one of the secret menus at In-N-Out is called the ‘Flying Dutchman’. Just two patties and cheese, very trendy without gluten! ^Marjolein
These catamaran hotel rooms would be great on our Dutch lakes.
22-7-2015
Design studio Salt & Water from Serbia created this floating hotel where guests can drift off in a private catamaran. At the waterfront guest find a reception and a restaurant.
Catamaran hotel rooms
The catamaran hotel recently won the Millennium Yacht Design Award. The project is developed with the aim to promote tourism on inland waters in Serbia that offer wonderful examples of untouched nature. When passing through the central floating construction, guests are reaching pathways which are connected to the apartment catamarans. Each hotel room is actually an innovatively designed catamaran which can be easily separated from the dock and navigated, allowing guests to choose the perfect location for their vacation by themselves. The catamaran hotel rooms consists of a salon, a galley, a bathroom, a hall with storage space and a sleeping area (above the salon). Each hotel room can accommodate 2-4 persons, thanks to the possibility of converting the salon into a double bed. From the beach platform it is easy to access the water.
On the Dutch lakes?
We think that a catamaran hotel like this from design studio Salt & Water would be an asset on our Dutch lakes as well! What do you think? Check the article on the website of the Daily Mail for more details and great pictures.
Grand Resort Bad Ragaz is part of Bad RagARTz
21-7-2015
Grand Resort Bad Ragaz is part of Bad RagARTz. Many sculptures from the exhibition are to be found in and around the hotel.
The Swiss town of Bad Ragaz is called Bad RagARTz from May 9 to November 1, 2015, this because they house Europe’s largest outdoor sculpture exhibition. The park of Grand Resort Bad Ragaz is one of the centers of the exhibition. If you want to know more about the sculpture exhibition BadRagARTz you can check the images in Google. Many enthusiasts have put beautiful pictures on the web.
Pillars of the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz
Grand Resort Bad Ragaz has an extensive park where a lot of sculptures are exhibited during BadRagARTz.. During the exhibition they show sculptures of international artists from 13 different countries including works by David Bill, Robert Indermaur, Igor Mitoraj, Werner Pokorny and Sophia Vari. The columns in front of one of the hotels are part of the exhibition. A beautiful way to display a column series! They also have a number of sculptures placed in the hotel, for example around the central staircase and in the entrance.
About Grand Resort Bad Ragaz
The Resort is member of ‘Leading Hotels of the World’ and ‘Leading Spa’s of the World and is situated in Bad Ragaz, Switserland. Grand Resort Bad Ragaz is just four miles from the Tamina Gorge, where the physician and alchemist Paracelsus documented the healing powers of the Bad Ragaz spring water in the 16th century. The Grand Resort comprised of two hotels: Grand Hotel Quellenhof & Spa Suites and Grand Hotel Hof Ragaz. The resort has a wellness centre of 12.800-square-meter spa, one of the largest in Europe. The hotel also offers rooms with medical care where you can recover from surgery or an injury.
Inspiration from Grand Resort Bad Ragaz
20-7-2015
Restaurant Bel-Air in the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz offers a few dishes with local plants and herbs along with a small card with a picture, an explanation and a recipe.
Jelly from plants from the nature around Bad Ragaz
Renato Wüst, executive chef serves jellies of buckthorn, blackthorn and primrose in his dish ‘Terrine de foie gras maison, gelée d’argousier, primevère et prunier épineux’. Every jelly is described on a small card with a photo of the plant and the recipe! See the photos for inspiration.
Inspiration for other chefs
How often do you use local herbs or plants in a dish or special, distinctive ingredients? Is such a small card not a nice little welcoming gesture to your guests to provide more information about this dish? Furthermore, it is certainly a nice gesture to add a recipe for guests from the area. Name and phone number on it and you catch two birds with one stone: extra promotion of your dishes and you do not need to give more information to the table on that ingredient! Recently I also told my companions during dinner all I know about cresses, how you can use them and how healthy they are. You can also co-create a small card with a producer, like for example in this case with Koppert Cress.
Chizza by KFC in the Philippines
17-7-2015
KFC Chizza (#KFChizza) is KFC Philippines’ newest product. It consists out of chicken fillet topped like a pizza!
Chizza
A combination of two of the most well-loved food in the Philippines chicken and pizza, KFC Chizza features KFC chicken fillet topped with pizza sauce, pepperoni, bell peppers, pineapple tidbits, and melted cheese. A chicken fillet (pizza) crust in style of KFC and the taste and ingredients of pizza all in one.
#KFChizza; Inspiration for your country?
Sometimes you do spot food combinations that make you wonder whether the Dutch would love that! And then we came across this video, an ad for Kentucky Fried Chicken. We prefer a piece of chicken and a slice of old fashioned pizza on the side. KFC in the Netherlands, what do you think?
FoPo Food Powder creates powder of almost expiring fruits and vegetables
17-7-2015
Kent Ngo created FoPo Food Powder which saves almost expiring fruits and vegetables by drying & powdering them.
FoPo Food Powder is a nutritious powder
FoPo food powder is a nutritious powder made from unattractive market fruit that has been freeze-dried just before it expires, in order to help reduce food waste.
Worldwide more than 40 percent of fruits are thrown away, unattractive items which are classified as unsellable are quickly disposed of by supermarkets. All over the world we see initiatives to reduce this food waste. Like our Dutch initiative the Kromkommer and Inglorious foods in France. FoPo food powder is another ingenious solution created by students at Lund University in Sweden, who plan to freeze-dry fruit immediately before it expires. Food that otherwise would have been wasted can be used up to two weeks to two years later.
Freeze-dried almost expired fruit and vegetable waste
Freeze-drying isn’t a new technology, even in restaurant kitchens it’s used frequently to create powder. New is that FoPo aims to freeze solely products that would otherwise be discarded. The powder will be sold to consumers to be used in smoothies, soups etc. Besides that they hope that the food powders will contribute to help feed the hungry, especially in the Philippines, where the operation will be based. FoPo is crowdfunded through Kickstarter with, amongst others, a contribution by Ben & Jerry’s.
Inspiration: Chefs who are working with freeze-drying could try to use their almost spoiled fruits or vegetables and come up with ways to use this food powder, all in order to reduce food waste.
Pop-up power food restaurant with popular writer Rens Kroes
16-7-2015
For lovers of healthy and delicious food the popular writer Rens Kroes is a true hero. She is no longer ‘the little sister’, the Friesian has built her own health empire.
The second book of Rens Kroes ‘Power Food – From Friesland to New York’, was launched mid-June. In a sold out pop-up restaurant, guests could enjoy a very healthy dinner with dishes from her new book.
First pop up
Rens personally welcomed herthe guests, and had a culinary contribution to the diner as well, supported by a team of chefs. It was the first time that Rens presented her dishes to the public this way and all guests received a copy of the new book to take home. With two dinners and one lunch, a total of 135 guests could enjoying the food. That’s only a fraction of the 72.000 Facebook fans, 17.600 followers on Twitter and 223.000 followers (!) on Instagram and thus screaming for more events like these!
Friesland to New York
Rens was inspired by what she has seen, tasted and learned in Friesland and New York. She uses fresh, pure ingredients, and makes tasty dishes with nice combinations of spices. For every moment of the day Rens offers delicious and original, easy recipes. In daily life Rens is a nutrition coach and advises people in adapting a healthy lifestyle and diet.
Participants
Rens’ pop-up restaurant is made possible by Sien Concepts and sponsored by Amsterdam Flavours, Vedett, Bountiful, Arisz et al, Lemonaid – Charitea, V2Cgin, Bowls and Dishes, Catchii and Bloomon.
Inspiration: food blogger evening
For restaurants, it is interesting to consider a special evening with a popular food blogger or writer, it will amaze you how many loyal fans are waiting for events like these!
Restaurant in Leiden with homely atmosphere
15-7-2015
The historic building ‘The Volharding’ at the harbour in Leiden in The Netherlands is the home base of homely restaurant ‘Lot & de Walvis’ since a few weeks now.
Homely atmosphere at restaurant in Leiden
The fictional tour of Lot and her van that was named ‘De Walvis’ (translated as The Whale) went through Southern Europe and South Africa and recently ended at the port of Leiden. At ‘Lot & de Walvis’ American Barn wood and authentic weathered materials are used, mostly gleaned together by co-owner Rob van Wijnen himself. In the opening week, neighbours were personally invited for a drink and 80 people attended the neighbourhood drink. Friends and residents got a 25% discount to have a taste of the food in the first week.
Nightmare
The walls are plastered and transformed from sleek and straight into coarse and wavy. It was a nightmare for the plasterer who was used to deliver plain walls, but the result feels very natural. The various areas are named after the various rooms as you would expect in someone’s house. By using the same tables and style both inside and outside, the various areas of ‘Lot & de Walvis’ feel as one. On the toilet hangs a sign “The toilet design is Lot’s next project”, indicating why this space is less connected to the rest of the restaurant and still needs a make-over.
Food and drink
The extensive menu provides the opportunity to have breakfast all day. In addition, there is a cacophony of categories with headings like ‘bites’, ‘sandwiches’, ‘soups’, ‘small dishes’, ‘homemade burgers’, ‘Lot’s favourite dishes’, ‘desserts’ etc. The fans of refreshing fruit water can eat their hearts out with complimentary glasses of water from three jars with for example fresh melon water, citrus water or lemongrass water. There are beers available from the local brewery Pronck Leiden, wine lovers can definitely enjoy themselves and trendy Gin and Tonic lovers are served as well.
The Hospitality Group Leiden
Just as you would expect when visiting someone’s home, new guests are given a tour of the property, which, with its many nooks and spaces is well suited for a discovery tour. The waiters are already experienced in welcoming guests because a part of the crew worked at the party centre La France in Oegstgeest. Lot & de Walvis is part of the Hospitality Group Leiden together with Van der Werff, La France and City Hall. The board consists of the brothers Richard and Wouter van Leeuwen and Rob van Wijnen. Wouter van Leeuwen and Rob van Wijnen are responsible for the hospitality companies in Leiden. Richard van Leeuwen focuses on four Harbour Clubs based in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Scheveningen and Ibiza.
It was a warm welcome at the harbour of Leiden. Although we would have loved to get acquainted with the real Lot!
Unique pop-up restaurants in Amersfoort
15-7-2015
Coming Friday, 17 July there will be a pop-up dinner at a secret location in Amersfoort. There are still some seats left for adventurous food lovers.
Adventurous dining at pop-up restaurants
Visitors of pop-up restaurants are open to adventure and often naturally spontaneous. In addition, the hosts do a lot to break the ice and the reactions to the diners are positive. An interesting side effect is the free publicity the host location gets with such a dinner, and it offers unique closing events for locations as well. Two weeks after a dinner at the Porsche dealer one of the dinner guests bought a car and a number of sites closed shortly after the pop-up event, where the dinner leaves a nice final memory. There have been dinners at a gym, a library, a car dealer, a farmer barn and an art gallery. The initiative for the pop-up restaurants at special locations in the region was created three years ago at restaurant ‘Bergpaviljoen’ in Amersfoort.
Surprise
The dinners host never more than 50 people at a communal table. Visitors come alone, in pairs or small groups. The location of the dinner will be a surprise until the day itself. When ordering tickets, guests fill in their mobile number and dietary wishes and leave their mobile number. They receive a text message with the location on the afternoon before the dinner. For € 59.00 per person, guests receive a welcome cocktail, appetizer, a 3-course dinner, plenty of white and red wine and mineral water, bread, coffee and tea with a digestive and sweets.
#ParkthatPhone in your Mobile Parking Lot
14-7-2015
A Mobile Parking Lot: a semi new non-tech invention to spice up your meeting room! At Mobileparkinglot.tumblr.com you can download different designs, all free of charge. Great initiative by Christiano Neves and Fernando Barbella.
It might be because of my grey hair but I’m always looking for either my wallet, keys or my phone! When it takes a long time to find any of these items, I always think that I have to create a spot to leave them. That’s just what Mobile Parking Lot did! They created a gimmick to freely spice up your meeting room. No more phone distractions, just ask your meeting partners in a humorous way to park their phone in your Mobile Parking Lot.
Your Mobile Parking Lot
Mobile Parking Lot gets rid of device distractions during the day and ensures that all eyes are on you during a meeting. Christiano Neves and Fernando Barbella created this non-tech device while they worked and lived in London. They believe that the success of meetings is determined by actively being involved in the meeting without being distracted by mobile phones. To overcome this distraction problem, they created the Mobile Parking Lot, where all mobile phones should be parked before a meeting. #ParkthatPhone at the door and get your mind focused. You can download them for free and start using them at the office, a meeting room or at home, like I will! ^Marjolein
