Drink Tube
More and more guests asking for cocktails? And no inspiration? Look at the youtube channel ‘Drinks Tube‘ from Jamie Oliver and Bacardi.
More and more guests asking for cocktails? And no inspiration? Look at the youtube channel ‘Drinks Tube‘ from Jamie Oliver and Bacardi.
DIY: Need inspiration for a new soap dispenser in the toilet of a restaurant or bar? Instead of throwing away empty Jack Daniel’s bottles, you can also transform them into a soap dispensers! Fill the empty bottle with soap, put adhesive film over the label to protect it from water and replace the cap with a pump. Besides Jack Daniel’s bottles you can also use other liquor bottles.
Roll up your sleeves and put these tattoos on your forearm! Italian designers Marina Cinciripini and Sarah Richiuse came up with the new concept ‘I Tradizionali’: a temporary tattoo with a recipe. These labels with recipes can be pasted on the forearm and explain the recipe step-by-step. You will always have the recipe at hand. There are a few sets with different themes, each with four recipes, you can already order a set with recipes via the crowdfunding website Eppela.
The refined taste of cognac and the rich aroma of chocolate makes a perfect combination. Cognac brand Hennessy and chocolate connoisseur Chocolaterie & Patisserie Tout made different combinations of cognac and chocolate: ‘Perfect Pairing’. The many types of chocolate and new cognac blends provide many surprising combinations. The ‘Perfect Pairing’ ranges of cocktails and desserts to a simple cup of coffee. Check out the recipes on the Facebook page of Hennessy.
Star chef François Geurds is looking for the best barbecue master of the Netherlands and organizes a barbecue contest on the terrace of FG Food Labs on 3 August. Ten amateur cooks will compete with each other and they will cook out of a mystery-box on the Big Green Egg (barbecue) for ten guests. These guests will also judge the dishes without knowing who prepared the dish. The winner can call himself FG BBQ Champ for one year and will receive the Big Green Egg.
The new terrace of the Wereldmuseum (World Museum) in Rotterdam opens on 16 May. Asian art is an important part of the collection of the museum and the terrace will also be in Asian style. The terrace has ramps with gravel that are connected by wooden arch bridges. There is a variety of Asian sculptures, a Balinese temple decorated with wooden carvings and a large carved table. The dishes served are prepared by Michelin star chef Wim Severein and are inspired by the on-going exhibitions. The museum will also organize various events like a tea tasting with a tea expert and a concert of Sinfonia Rotterdam.
More and more people can’t live without being constantly in touch with friends, family and the rest of the world. This becomes a daily reality. However, the batteries of the mobile devices can’t handle this behavior all day. ‘Charge to go’ made a fast charging station for this problem. We already wrote an article about a charging station at Stravinsky Food and Beverage in November 2012. These charging stations are already located in retail stores or at festivals. However, it is an innovative welcoming gesture for the hospitality industry. Certainly when it becomes more important when guests want to pay mobile. An entrepreneur can choose to charge the guest as a service ( a ‘coin operated’ version’). You can also ask your suppliers to sponsor the charging station and the touch screen will show events or actions.
Perhaps the sun doesn’t shine today, but you can already buy this book in preparation for the summer! Cookware and household manufacturers ‘Tramonitina’ and advertising agency ‘JWT Brazil’ have created a book that turns everyone into a ‘barbecue master’. The book is full of useful tips and some pages can be used as a tool. For example, there are pages that can be used as charcoal, firelighters, salt and pepper, grinder and even as an apron. The book was released in March and sent to a number of barbecue chefs, a simpler variant is sold at some bookstores in Brazil. We want to be able to buy a book like this in the Netherlands!
In museums visitors can’t get really close to an art piece, which makes it difficult to observe every detail of a painting. ‘Museo del Prado’ in Spain created, in partnership with ‘Madpixel’, the app ‘Second Canvas Museo del Prado’. The app allows visitors to view the masterpieces at a very detailed level. The app features a zoom function, show the sketches behind the painting, gives the story behind the artworks and more…
The web application ‘Hospitality Waste Coach’ helps restaurants to register food waste. The web application gives an overview of which products are wasted, the quantity, the costs and the reason why. It helps entrepreneurs to control the food waste. The application is available on Apple and Android and is intended for restaurants, caterers and other institutions that prepare food. An app that makes it easier to contribute to social responsibility. Besides the hospitality version there is also a consumer version.
Truett-Hurst winery has developed a 100% recyclable bottle in partnership with Ecologic Brands. Paperboy Wine is made of recycled cardboard, featuring a plastic liner and is developed by Greenbottle. The cardboard bottle is 80% lighter than a wine bottle of glass and the carbon footprint is 67 percent less than that of glass containers. Besides the lighter weight, the insulation keeps wine cooler longer.
On Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 May guests can enjoy the ‘Six starred dinner’ in the Paterskerk (church) in Weert, the Netherlands. Four chefs from Weert (Emmanuel Mertens**, Pascal Jalhay**, Soenil Bahadoer* and Jan Marrees*) will each prepare their own signature dish. The dinner is part of the activities around the celebration of Weert 600 years city.
Wine brand Canei introduces a new flavor this summer: Hugo. Hugo originates from Northern Italy and is a combination of sparkling wine, elderflower, lime and mint. The drink is very popular in the ski areas. The premix variant Canei Hugo is fresh, fruity and has a surprising taste. The Canei Hugo contains only 5% alcohol and is a great terrace aperitif served with ice cubes, fresh mint and a slice of lime.
At the moment we are at the climax of the asparagus season and it’s lovely to see all the creative recipes passing by. Last weekend I’ve challenged myself with the presentation of an asparagus dish and this is the result. ^Armand
Youngsters between 18 and 25 years can indulge themselves with an all-inclusive 3-course menu for € 40,- during the JRE Springbreak. The week, from 19 to 25 May is an initiative by Jeunes Restaurateurs d’Europe (JRE). The top restaurants that participate are Restaurant ML* in Haarlem, Restaurant One* in Roermond, HanTing* in The Hague, ‘t Vlasbloemeken* (Koewacht) and many others. See the website www.jrespringbreak.nl for more information and reservations.
Last Friday cafe-restaurant ‘In de Olie’ opened her doors officially in Amsterdam. The cafe offers a menu of finger food and tapas, such as Spanish and Italian sausages, manchego cheese and marinated pulpo. The dinner menu consists of a wide range of Mediterranean dishes, like lamb tajine and fish dishes, served with authentic vegetable side-dishes. Also, the restaurant offers several Spanish, Italian and Greek oils, which you can take home bottled. Every Thursday and Friday between 17.00 and 19.00 hrs you can visit ‘In de Olie’ for a ‘Aperitivo’, to enjoy a small bite and drink, whilst enjoying a DJ. Each Sunday afternoon ‘Tapas & Tunes’ takes place; a podium with changing live performances.
Send your loved ones a “Get well soon” soup from Heinz if they are ill. Instead of a simple card, one can create a personal message on the website that’s printed on a can of soup and sent. This campaign is currently only available for UK facebook fans of Heinz.
Spa Reine has started a campaign in cooperation with Unicef. For every bottle that is sold, Spa donates 4 liters of clean drinking water to the children living in Burkina Fas. Consumers can leave a personal message about this campaign on the website Spahelpt.nl and create more awareness to the campaign.
In France there are doggy bags for wine bottles. When a guest in a restaurant doesn’t want to finish the whole bottle of wine but rather take it home, he’ll receive a free specially made doggy bag. These wine doggy bags are used in 45 restaurants in France.
ABSOLUT Vodka is introducing a new Limited Edition bottle called ‘ABSOLUT MODE’. After several other Limited Editions in the past years, such as ABSOLUT DISCO, ABSOLUT ROCK and last years ABSOLUT GLIMMER, the new ABSOLUT MODE will focus on today’s fashion world. The bottle will be available from the 1st of November.
Smirnoff organizes a worldwide party in fifty countries at the 12th of November. The vodka brand challenges visitors to come up with original ideas, and create fifty unforgettable nights together. After suggesting an idea in the category music, location, dancing, eating, drinking and ‘other’ people can vote for their favorite idea. The campaign is supported with a video, Facebook page and a website.
Blippar shows the consumer extra product information of a certain product by using augmented reality. By filming the product with a smartphone, product information and recipes appear in the screen of your phone. Blippar has a partnership with several supermarket chains in the UK, such as Tesco and Cadbury’s, in order to make sure that most products will be recognized by Blippar.
Hotel-restaurant Villa Ruimzicht, located in Doetichem (in the Netherlands), provides a service where guests order room service by using their Smartphone or tablet pc. Guests can download a free app and scan a QR-code which can be found in the hotel room. A menu appears on the screen in which the guest can order a certain dish or a drink. To offer this service, the hotel uses the ‘Yoursmartbutler’ app, which makes a connection to the register system and communicates the necessary information to the kitchen and to the guest accounts.
Drinking vinegar is an age old practice in many cultures. Andy Ricker, announced to Best Chef Northwest 2011, launched his Pok Pok Som. This is a refreshing vinegar drink with concentrated flavours of fruit, vegetables and aromatics, and is very good for your health.
Restaurant The Cowfish is all about ‘East meets West’. It serves both of best worlds; the American hamburger and the popular Japanese sushi. You can find dishes on the menu like the real American hamburgers, Japanese sushi, as well ass a combination of both in fusion dishes.
A moment of relaxation, but staying focused at the same time; a new soda ChillCat Drink to Relax. This is no energy-drink, but a light carbonated soft drink, based on exclusive and natural white and green tea extracts and anti-oxidants, like pomegranate. Specially developed for moments of relaxation and inner peace, without losing the focus.
Last Sunday the 25th edition of the 4 Miles of Groningen was organized. Afterwards, ‘Café de Koffer’ organized massage-sessions in the café, to massage away the coming muscles ache. A nice way to pamper your guests!
Elsa Lambinet, a French designer, created these chocolates which can be composed to your own favorite taste. This is possible by combine the three basic elements; a base of white, milk or dark chocolate, a filling, and a topping. See the chocolates here.
A few Italian designers of the Dragdesign Studio created a new folding cooking island within a capsule. The cooking island can be opened and closed by pressing a button, and offers several elements which can be folded out, such as a small dining table or an extra cutting platform.
Interested in wild mushrooms? Expert Maurice van der Molen takes a group to the Gaasperplas (Amsterdam) and explanes how to recognize edible mushrooms and how to harvest them. It’s not possible to subscibe anymore, there are new workshops in November.
Starbucks has invited designers to make coffee-inspired t-shirts in celebration of their 40th anniversary. The designs are inspired by coffee and made by Alexander Wang, Billy Reid and Sophie Theallet. So a shirt with a coffee stain might be a top notch design item in the future.
Restaurant ‘De Bloemkool’ (The Netherlands) organizes a slow food evening on the 11th of October in collaboration with Knooopjelos.nl. The wine & food evening is all about calf ‘from head to tail’. A limited amount of 40 people can eat and drink for a special all-in prize.
“We want the beans back on the table” says food critic Lizet Kruyf. Together with food journalist Onno Kleyn and nutrition expert Yneke Vocking they’ve created the “Bruine Bonenbende”(brown beans gang). The bean gang exists for almost a year, but is recently gaining momentum due to their new website. Their goal is to create more popularity around the beans as food choice in the culinary world.
A new cookbook is published for the conscience eater of today. It is called Non-fish-a-licious, and contains forty non-fish recipes. The idea for this book was initiated by the “Dos Winkel”of the Sea First Foundation. The book is created to make the consumer more aware of polluted oceans and the consequences for the fish we eat.
After HoppaThee and Special Kit sauces comes a new product from the creatives of Natwerk: Limoncello. On this website they have placed photos and comments of their harvesting adventures at Sicily and in Salerno as well as the peeling in Sorento (Limoncello is made from the yellow peel of the lemon). This gives the product a personal and authentic touch. It would be wonderful to have a restaurant that shows the origin of its dishes this way as well.
Since this week guests can enjoy the ‘Knoopjelos Menu’ at restaurant Le Marron in Malden and restaurant Jerome in Valkenburg (both in the Netherlands). This menu consists of the best signature dishes and several wine-food combinations, and a couple of surprises supplemented. Unlike most discount weeks, you can order this menu anytime you like, even for lunch.
A nice and trendy idea to serve ‘Jello’ shots instead of cocktails or shots. By using exotic products you can create extraordinairy creations, such as the blue martini, strawberry margarita and the blueberry gin sour. View the website for recipes.
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“Park Supermarket” is an idea to create landscape supermarkets which are situated in the ‘city parks’ of the Netherlands. The polder was once intended to feed the Dutch consumer, but is becoming outdated and no longer meet the needs of the 170 nationalities in the Netherlands. The idea and concept is designed by the Van Bergen Kolpa Architect firm and Alterra Wageningen. The goal of the “Park Supermarket” is to provide and sell food, which can be found in the contemporary supermarket. Watch the movie for an explanation.
Innocent, the British brand which is famous for their 100% natural smoothies, has started a campaign in which small knitted caps are made for their smoothie bottles. For every sold smoothie with a knitted cap, 20 cents will be donated to the National Elderly Fund in the Netherlands. Also want to show your knitting tricks? You can send your self-knitted caps to Innocent, which will be sold.
Edible is a company which focuses on the production of edible insect snacks. The company was created in the year 2000 to stimulate the concept of eating insects and has already produced dozens of products on the market like BBQ worm crisps, Thai green curry crickets and Toffee scorpion candy. Eating insects is still exclusive but the goal of Edible is to make the products more accessible for the consumer market.