L’Avant-Comptoir – an ode to French cuisine

15-5-2015

Leonie van Spronsen, lives and works in Paris and recently dined at a tapas bar / wine bar L’Avant Comptoir.

“Last week I had the chance to visit the ‘tapasbar/winebar’ L’Avant-Comptoir in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, Saint-Germain-des-Prés. This is the place where chef Yves Camdeborde serves traditional French dishes, products and delicacies in a different, Spanish-feeling way.

You walk into a very small bar, with a wall of beautiful wine fridges behind the bar and a ceiling covered in cards with small dishes, their names and their prices on it. There is only place to stand and the bar is filled with gorgeous fresh bread and delicous salty butter. Every little dish is between 4 and 10 euros and can be shared and needs to be savoured. We’re talking lemon macarons with fresh foie gras pate in between, a cheese dish created as an apple crumble, blood sausage on a béarnaise macaron and many, many more. Did this get you ready? Imagine a vast array of beautiful wines to compliment these beauties.

Tip for when you’re in Paris: Apero at L’Avant Comptoir

And after this beautiful experience, you expect a hefty bill (as you would after eating foie gras) but none of this, everything is moderately priced and an elaborate apero (what the French call pre-dinner drinks) is already enjoyed for 17 euros!

L’Avant Comptoir, an absolute must-visit in Paris.”

Shadow Wi-Fi system

13-5-2015

The premier Shadow Wi-Fi System, developed by Happiness Brussels, launched with the support of the Peruvian League Against Cancer. The president of the Liga Contra el Cáncer, Adolfo Dammert Ludowieg about the system: “Shadow Wi-Fi has changed sun-worshipers’ behavior and educated them about the value of becoming shadow-worshipers at the most harmful hours of the day, between 12 and 4pm.”

We want the Shadow Wi-Fi system at the Dutch beaches as well this summer

With the summer ahead we could use some inspirational warnings against the harmful sun at the beaches in the Netherlands as well. It’s a new call for being extra careful while sunbathing especially directed at our youngsters. Check the video to see how it works, a little bit more info: a directional antenna ensures that the Wi-Fi is only delivered to the shadow area. A sensor tracks the movements of the sun throughout the day, changing the rotation of the Wi-Fi antenna. The system allows for more than 250 users to connect to the network at once. Once users log on to the network, they also received an email from the Peruvian Leage Against Cancer. According to our source the towers have been wildly successful in Lima (Peru) and will be scheduled to be rolled out in San Francisco and New Zealand as well.

Shadow Wi-Fi’s developer, Happiness, has released access to the software for non-profit use. Cancer foundations around the world can set up the system, without ICT knowledge.

The chefs of restaurant IDRW will be cooking from a vintage outdoor kitchen on location

13-5-2015

A culinary twist to the trend of outdoor cooking. Marcel Zomeren and Justin van den Berg, chef-owner and chef from the restaurant In Den Rustwat (IDRW) in Rotterdam will be cooking on various location this summer with only the basic essentials. They will use a wood-burning vintage field kitchen from 1944, complete with army tent.

Vintage outdoor kitchen

The chefs from restaurant In Den Rustwat (with a Bib Gourmand rating by Michelin) are available to cook underneath the starry sky at all kinds of parties and events. The outdoor kitchen is part of a new joint initiative called ‘Your Personal Chefs’. At www.yourpersonalchefs.nl you can hire the chefs for a culinary feast on location. The culinary duo is for hire with or without the tough field kitchen. The vintage outdoor kitchen will be pulled by a DAF army vehicle from 1955. Anyone that wants to extend their style can rent the army tent as well.

The chefs can also be used without the vintage kitchen, at any location. The dishes are prepared in camping style, but on a very culinary touch. Think of a perfectly prepared cote de boeuf, grilled tuna, stew or duck. Or flammkuchen, the Alsatian version of a pizza.

Project Foodography: plates that guarantee a perfect picture of your food

12-5-2015

We have already written many articles on how to handle the wish of your guests to photograph your dishes. Project Foodography is a concept that is developed around the art of food porn: dishes photographed on specially designed plates. The plates, called ‘The 360’ and ‘The Limbo’, offer ideal conditions to photograph the Michelin cuisine of restaurant Catit in Israël.

A perfect photo

There are quite a lot of solutions for chefs to ensure that the pictures of his or her dishes look as good as possible. In 2014 we wrote about the Dinnercam and the Apicbase.com was introduced in the Netherlands during Chefs®Evolution by Jonnie and Thérèse Boer (from The Librije***) in September. The device offers a chef and his guests the opportunity to make great quality pictures of what they eat and directly place the picture on their social media channels via the APIC device.
Project Foodography does this through special plates which reflect the light better or you can simply rotate the plate. ‘The 360’ plate has a rotating pedestal allowing customers to spin the dishes around and photograph the dish from all angles. The another plate, ‘The Limbo’ is kind of a mini-studio, it has a high back which reflects the light. This Instagram optimization dinner costs 100 pounds per hour (including the meal).

Foodography is a collaboration of restaurant Catit in Tel Aviv and Carmel Winery from Israël. Ceramic design artist Adi Nissani is responsible for the design of the plates. We spotted Moshik Roth, chef from & Samhoud|Places in Amsterdam in the video and we hope that he will introduce the plates in the Netherlands!

Pair music with food and activate the fifth sense

12-5-2015

Former chef Barbara Werner wrote a book about pairing music with food and runs Musical Pairing pop-ups. She shows you how to create the perfect bite by combining all 5 senses: sight, smell, touch, taste and hearing.

Only BYOH at this event where they pair music with food

(BYOH) Bring Your Own Headset and Barbara Werner will teach you the essentials in assigning a numerical value to the food (FPN – Food Pairing Number) based on a mathematical formula. FPN is based on the primary ingredient (protein), the richness of the sauce, the weight (cooking method) and the heat index. You then find an equal numerical value in a musical piece (MPN – Musical Pairing Number), which is based on the following: primary instruments (musical family), beat, tempo and genre category.

What do you get when FPN = MPN?

For example: hot and spicy Mac & Cheese with as music: Coolio Gangsta Paradise. Vanilla ice cream with Pachelbel’s ‘Canon’. Tuna ahi with The Go Go’s or filet mignon with Pavarotti. Just BYOH to Barbara’s pop-up and enjoy all five senses. There’s also an app and a book on this subjet. A video of a pop-up get-together is to be seen here.
Spotted at a list of pop-up restaurants at the website of Fodor.

Bathing pond art installation opens at London’s King’s Cross

11-5-2015

The King’s Cross Pond Club, a naturally filtered outdoor swimming pool, is part of the redevelopment of King’s Cross in London. Soil and Water (the name of the project), will be the UK’s first man-made bathing pond that’s filtered using natural processes.

The pool is designed by studio Ooze Architects (Rotterdam) and Slovenian artist Marjetica Potrč. The pool is built two metres above ground level, with salvaged bricks and stones used to create a basin that measures 40 by 10 metres. The pool is both an art installation and a public facility and will be cleaned using wetland flora and submerged plants rather than chemicals or machinery. The local community participated in key aspects of the planting.

Swimming pool is located at London’s King’s Cross

It is located within the new Lewis Cubitt Park, close to the campus of design school Central Saint Martins, which forms part of the 27-hectare redevelopment of the area behind King’s Cross station. The swimming pool will open in May 2015.

“The project is an attempt to capture the dynamicity conveyed by the changes within the area, a moment in time where new possibilities and possible futures arise,” said architect Eva Pfannes, who co-founded Ooze with Sylvain Hartenberg. Architects Ooze and artist Potrč have been collaborating on projects since 2008. Ooze’s projects are of a participative and multidisciplinary nature. “The project is a small-scale enclaved environment, a living laboratory to test balance and to question a self-sustaining system including one natural cycle – water, land and the human body. The aim is communication with visitors, describing the balance of man with nature, and the balance of living in a sustainable city,” she continued.

The King’s Cross Pond Club is engineered and built by Europe’s leading natural pool designer BIOTOP and its UK partner, Kingcombe Aquacare Ltd. The pond will be operated as a swimming club by Fusion Lifestyle.

Exhibition of ‘Golden Moments’ in ‘A bar’ in the Amstel Hotel

11-5-2015

From 12 May to late June a selection of photographs from the book ‘Gouden (golden) Moment’ will be on display in ‘A bar’. Anita Bos, General Manager of the Amstel Hotel, was moved by the beautiful pictures and amazing stories of the children. The Amstel Hotel supports the foundation with the exhibition.

What’s the ‘Gouden Moment’ foundation ?

‘Gouden Moment’ foundation aims to create a special moment, to fulfill a wish for people in a special target group and for organizations representing the interests of these people. They do so by organizing and facilitating meetings between persons belonging to one of these special targets, in this case children with Down Syndrome and their idols. The idols can be very different; someone from the immediate surroundings of the child or a well-known athlete, actor or singer. The encounter with various idols was captured and distributed through various media channels such as the Internet, books, television, and the exhibition at InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam.

About the book ‘Gouden Moment’

To realize the book, 77 children with Down syndrome got the chance to spend a golden moment with their idol. They had a ‘meet and greet’ of 1,5 hours and this special moment was captured on film. Marco Borsato was the first to say ‘yes’ and Hans Klok, Giel Beelen, Jeroen van der Boom, Roel van Velzen, Bobbie, Bassie and Adriaan followed, like many other celebrities. This resulted in moving moments for both the children and the celebrities. Pictures are displayed in the book ‘Gouden Moment’.

About ‘A bar’ in the Amstel Hotel

A bar is a contemporary bar in InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam. Here, it all comes together what’s special about the city and its surroundings and they serve great contemporary cocktails.

We want to buy our groceries through the wall!

8-5-2015

Early May the second Bilder & De Clercq Wall has been placed in the most sustainable building in the world: The Edge on the Zuidas (South of Amsterdam). The new prestigious headquarters of Deloitte/AKD designed by PLP / Architecture.
This allows the employees of these offices to order their groceries at Bilder & De Clercq every workday, without leaving the office. Same day delivery without subscription! To use the Bilder & De Clercq Wall, one must download the Bilder & De Clercq app and enter payment details. We have previously written about the first Bilder & De Clercq Wall in Google’s office in Amsterdam.

The future of grocery shopping?

We would love a wall like the Bilder & De Clercq Wall at our office! No more worries about what to eat, no overwhelming choices. Just order it until 15:30 and pick up the groceries from 17:00 hours. No more shopping stress during weekdays! The wall offers 14 dishes, plus some drinks and small bites.
After registration you order the dishes either by tapping into the app, or by keeping the smartphone in front of the dish of your choice. The wireless NFC chip in the phone takes care of the communication. We know a similar concept from South Korea where supermarket chain Tesco has developed a virtual shop at a subway station. Yes.Tap makes contactless payments possible.

Bilder & De Clercq

With their store Rogier Leopold and Diederik Van Gelder facilitate people who want to cook tasty and healthy but just don’t want to dub about the menu. With a weekly changing menu, Bilder & De Clercq offers choice of fourteen dishes for which they provide the ingredients in the right amount. They have a shop in Amsterdam (on the corner of the Bilderdijkstraat and the De Clercqstraat) and already two Bilder & De Clercq Walls. The second store on the Ceintuurbaan will close in the end of May and they will focus on the office market. More info? Contact info@bilderdeclercq.nl

Pinkyrose: cool lemonade as non-alcoholic alternative

7-5-2015

Pinkyrose, the flamingo brand, is a fresh handmade syrup. No artificial substitutes like conservatives and preservatives are added. The juice, the spices, the herbs and the secret are all-natural and squeezed by hand. Great non-alcoholic alternative on your summer menu.

Cool lemonade in industrial oil tins

With more than 20 years of gastronomic experience, the Pinkyrose-chef was able to create four distinctive flavours: Straight Lemon, Spiced Lemon & Rose, Dark Caramel Sea Salt and Floral Ginger & Orange. Pinkyrose is the perfect basis for a sparkling soda, lemonade or cocktail. The syrups are delivered in nice industrial oil tins with great labels, recognisable by the famous flamingo and the handwritten flavour-signature.

The flavors of the fresh handmade lemonade

Straight Lemon tastes like taking a dip in fresh, flowing water on a hot summer day. A sweet and tart syrup with lemon and lemon grass.

Spiced Lemon & Rose tastes like taking a stroll in a Thai rose garden. A fresh and spicy syrup with rose-petals, red pepper and oriental spices.

Dark Caramel Sea Salt tastes like an exotic snack. A sweet salty syrup with caramel, sea salt and original spices like nutmeg and cinnamon.

Floral Ginger & Orange tastes like your favourite summer festival. A wonderful sweet and floral syrup with orange, various types of ginger and lavender.

Pinkyrose, fresh & serious syrups

Pinkyrose was born in 2013. The chef and the designer were looking for a non-alcoholic alternative. They decided to combine their gastronomic and creative forces to offer a titillating alternative.

The ‘Scoff-ee Cup’ by KFC

7-5-2015

KFC in the UK has unveiled the first edible coffee cup. It’s called the ‘Scoff-ee Cup’. The cups are currently under development but most probably available from this summer onwards.

The ‘Scoff-ee Cup’ is made from biscuit, wrapped in sugar paper and lined with a layer of white chocolate. The chocolate keeps the coffee hot and the cup crispy. The biscuit slowly softens as the chocolate melts which it does in the mouth and not in the hand. The ‘Scoff-ee Cups’ will mark the launch of KFC’s Seattle’s Best Coffee (made from fairtrade Arabica beans) across England. We did spot edible coffee cups before, like the milk & cookie shots by Dominique Ansel.

Food scientist created the ‘Scoff-ee Cup’

Food scientists The Robin Collective created the edible cup in partnership with KFC. The cups are also infused with different scents (Coconut sun cream, freshly cut grass and wild flowers), that are known to improve your mood. And that together with a great coffee, there’s no better way to start your day!

Dominique Ansel’s answer to what’s next

6-5-2015

Dominique Ansel opened his second bakery and concept, the Dominique Ansel KITCHEN on 29 April. As we already wrote in February, Dominique Ansel KITCHEN will not be serving the Cronut™ pastry nor many of the items that are most popular at the original Soho flagship Bakery. So if you’re visiting NYC and want to taste some of the other delicacies by Dominique Ansel, you don’t have to wait in line at his bakery, although we think it might be a problem to get a reservation at his KITCHEN as well.

At Dominique Ansel KITCHEN time is an ingredient

More than 70% of the menu will be made, finished, or assembled to order. Chef Dominique and his team have changed the operations of a traditional bakery, fusing it with a restaurant service kitchen, to bring “à la minute” capabilities to some of your best loved baked goods.

In the fully opened kitchens, guests will see the cooks cut fresh vanilla beans and scrape the seeds directly onto your ice cream rather than have it mixed in and slowly lose the intensity of its flavor in the fridge. They fold the chocolate mousse to order so it doesn’t have to harden for hours in the fridge, and guests can even choose the intensity of the chocolate. The ham and cheese croissant is wrapped in premium freshly sliced ham when the order is placed. And they aim to have everything done in the same amount of time it takes to get a latte. If people will wait for a fresh pulled espresso, why not also for a pastry?

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GPS-Bottles leads finders to the Heineken experience

6-5-2015

Amsterdam’s Heineken Experience has littered GPS-enabled beer bottles through the city which can lead curious residents and tourists to the beer museum.

Anyone picking up one of the bottles around Amsterdam will feel the bottle vibrate and see the cap light up as it activates. The in-built compass and rotating cap will then guide the finder through the city directly to the Heineken Experience.

GPS-bottles instead of flyers

The idea is to boost the visitors to the branded museum, which saw 730,000 visitors last year. Heineken teamed up with JWT Amsterdam to attract more visitors to their brewery. The custom-made Heineken bottles had an integrated GPS system designed to lead people who picked them up back to the Heineken Experience brewery.

Dirk Lubbers, manager of the Heineken Experience, said: “Handing out flyers is not very Heineken, so we wanted to play on the brand’s famous inventiveness, wit and pioneering spirit and create something that stands out for potential visitors. Our key differentiator is that we invite each visitor on a cultural and historical journey, enabling them to interact with the brand. This initiative is a great representation of our approach: innovative, dynamic, surprising, and always leave you with unforgettable memories.”

Grandma’s dishes served in pop-up restaurant

4-5-2015

Oma’s (Grandma’s) pop-up restaurant is a restaurant serving traditional Dutch dishes. The dishes are prepared by enthusiastic seniors who still have energy and want to remain active. Benefit: reintegration of elderly and guests can enjoy meatballs, green beans and other traditional Dutch dishes.

Six Commercial Economy students from Hogeschool Rotterdam came up with the idea to establish a pop-up restaurant for seniors. Nowadays the loneliness of seniors is a big social issue and that’s why the students chose to do something about it. The idea is that the seniors will make their traditional meals which will be served in the restaurant.

Grandma’s dishes

Grandma’s soup, meatloaf or stew, who hasn’t got a fond memory of eating that particular great dish from grandma? At Oma’s pop-up in Rotterdam, guests can taste these delicious and traditional Dutch dishes. These dishes were prepared by seniors that mostly cook only for themselves and love to create more social contact this way.

A day full of activities

The seniors will have a day full of activities at the Saturday that they make their dishes. There will be a workshop by a professional chef and in the evening the seniors are preparing the dishes. These dishes will be served in the restaurant and after a nice meal the guests will get the opportunity to visit the kitchen and have a conversation with the seniors. Maybe even swap recipes! The six students are hoping that after this day, the people involved will maintain contact with each other.

Ideal white shirt for restaurants

1-5-2015

A white shirt that can’t be harmed by dirty stains! Really? Elizabeth & Clarke, the producers of ‘The Unstainable™ White Shirt, ensure coffee or red wine stains are history with the shirt. Besides that, it also perfectly fits every (women) body shape.

Every now and then there are some projects on Kickstarter that gain the money needed fast and exceed it by far. The Unstainable™ White Shirt’ is one of those projects. It looks like the ideal shirt to wear when working. Especially when you are clumsy and regularly get stains on your shirt 😉

Made with nanotechnology

Because of the nanotechnology, all kinds of water and oil based products are kept off. Transpiration will even vaporize before it reaches the fibers. Water based products, oil based products and transpiration are easy to wash off.

Elizabeth & Clarke think they have invented an affordable and easily washable shirt, ideal for women.  We are very interested in the cleanliness of the shirt in a real restaurant environment.

Kromkommer straight to the top

30-4-2015

Exactly a year after the introduction of the Kromkommer soups, a pop-up store opens its doors in Utrecht Hoog Catharijne (the Netherlands). The shop is open from 18 until 31 May. Kromkommer is the first store in the Netherlands with weird shaped vegetables.

Straight to the top

Kromkommer makes sure that products aren’t wasted because of their looks. According to the estimates 5 to 10% of all the vegetables and fruits in the Netherlands are wasted because of their looks. That’s why Kromkommer makes sure the crooked vegetables and fruits that don’t fit the perfect picture come back to the plate in different ways. The founders Jente de Vries and Lisanne van Zwol started their quest in 2012 and soon after Chantal Engelen joined in the waste battle.

See our earlier article about Kromkommer and their crowdfunding campaign.

Pop-Op Shop

The Kromkommer Pop-Op Shop is a place where the story of weird shaped vegetables can be experienced in real life. You can find Kromkommer soups, weird shaped vegetable juices and green gadgets. Nearly all the products that can be found in the store, are recycled.

The Kromkommer Pop-Op Shop is besides a point of sale for weird shaped vegetables, a place for meetings. Growers tell stories about their product, retailers share their opinion about the waste of food and the Krommunity organizes workshops and lectures for the visitors. The Krommunity forms the backbone of the activities by Kromkommer.

On the birthday of the Kromkommer soup (25 May), the newest weird shaped vegetable soup ‘Koele Soep’ (Cool Soup) will be launched. They’re going straight to the top!