Kebab 2.0, the next big thing in food?
28-9-2015
The first European location of Baba Rafi opened in Alkmaar. In Asia, the chain has more than 1,300 locations. Kebab 2.0 adapted to the European market.
In June 2015 we wrote about plans for the initial European establishment of Baba Rafi in Alkmaar. We then wrote about how 176 private investors invested € 250.000,= in the company via Collin Crowdfund. On September 24, the entrepreneurs Sinan Gul, Hans Gradient, Baris Kürkcü and Herman de Haas opened the doors of their Baba Rafi at an AA location in the center of Alkmaar. We saw in Paris that Kebab, if adapted to local customs, can become hugely popular. There Grillé serves ‘un Kebab quasi Gastronomique‘!
Kebab for the modern, conscious consumer
Baba Rafi is the largest franchise chain in the world in the field of kebab products. With more than 1300 locations in Asia the concept is very popular. The Asian concept is fully adapted for the European market where respect for food, the customers and the environment play an important role. Baris Kürkcü: “Every niche in the food industry, from French fries-, hamburger- and chicken formulas to sandwiches, has seen a trend towards more sustainable and responsible food in the recent years. With Baba Rafi we introduce a kebab concept that is tailored entirely to the needs and desires of the modern, conscious consumer. The dishes are freshly prepared with a minimum of E-numbers and maximum sustainable and organic ingredients. In addition, we have worked closely in the development of the food with a culinary consultant and nutritionist. Thus, the dishes are suitable to eat for lunch. For everyone, even for women and children.”
With Kebab 2.0 they want to realize the largest kebab chain in Europe
Along with financial expert Hans Verloop and former McDonald’s CEO, Herman de Haas the Baba Rafi team want to realize the largest kebab chain in Europe. There is no comparable franchise concept in Europe and in total more than 10 billion euros is spend on kebab. Hans Verloop: “We can apply our experience in Alkmaar to future franchisees in many other comparable cities. From the North of Holland we want to expand Baba Rafi all over the Netherlands and after the start-up phase also start in other countries in Europe.”
Bouzy, Wine & Food at the Denneweg Hague
25-9-2015
Bouzy, Wine & Food opened at the Denneweg in The Hague. The wine & bites bar was founded by Martijn Verbruggen and Stefan Verleer and is a place where wine lovers will feel at home.
Bouzy
Co-owner Martijn Verbruggen: “Bouzy is an accessible place with a tough but warm vintage look and natural light from the many windows. The wines are the heart of Bouzy, we have over 100 wines, including 25 open wines of which several champagnes. We serve wines that we get from wine specialist suppliers who share their gems for us. In addition, we import champagnes from small producers ourselves via our company G-Bubbles.”
The name Bouzy
“Bouzy is named after the French Grand Cru area ‘Bouzy’, which is known as one of the best terroirs of Champagne. Next to the wines Martijn and Stefan serve snacks and bistro-style dishes like bruschetta, flammkuchen, bites of fish and meat, charcuterie, salads, cheese, desserts and coq au vin.”
Wine events
Bouzy will be a place where special wine events take place. Recently Lucas Payà was at the restaurant to present the new innovative wine system Coravin of catering professionals. He was sommelier at the former Spanish three-star restaurant elBulli for five years.
About Martijn Verbruggen and Stefan Verleer
Martijn Verbruggen (34) worked as a master-sommelier in (star) restaurants as Savelberg, Seinpost and Catch by Simonis. Stefan Verleer (34) worked as a manager and maître-sommelier at restaurants Zoute Zoen and South of Houston.
Opening hours
Bouzy, Wine & Food is open from Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00 to 23:00 o’clock. Next to the regular opening days there will be regularly activities on Sundays.
Build peace while eating at the Conflict Café
24-9-2015
The pop-up Conflict Café brings people together over a meal in London. It’s part of the second ‘Talking Peace Festival’ which is taking place in London from 3 September to 3 October 2015.
The Conflict Café is organized for the second time by the NGO International Alert. The café serves food from the areas where it runs peace-building projects, like Syria, Nepal, Colombia, Armenia and Turkey. The pop-up café has one goal, showing that good food can help to resolve international conflicts.
The Conflict Café
The café is near Waterloo station in London. In the article in the Independent, Charlotte Onslow, who works for International Alert, explains how it works. “We want to make sure you don’t talk only to the person you came with, so we have long tables and materials on them that generate questions; there will be specialists who explain a bit about the conflicts.” Different chefs with ties to specific kitchens from these areas, will be cooking in the Conflict Café.
The Talking Peace Festival
The festival, which coincides with the UN’s International Day of Peace on 21 September, will bring together art, food, photography, talks, comedy, music and technology to showcase the power of words and creativity in resolving conflicts. This year’s festival theme focuses on ‘peace in our cities’, and will look at the new challenges that urbanisation poses to peace. This goes from organised crime to civil unrest, and identifying possible solutions. There are Peace Talks panel discussions on 21 September. There will be an ART4PEACE program with an exhibition and auction of urban and street art by leading international talent. A ‘music strand’ is introduced this year, with internationally acclaimed musicians coming together in a unique online creative collaboration.
Inspiration
In 2010 we already spotted the Conflict Kitchen in Pittsburgh, which serves food from countries with which the United States is in conflict with. With all the refugees coming to Europe at this moment why not create more understanding over a great meal? Please #steelmyidea! ^Marjolein van Spronsen.
German-style drive-through deli in Zeddam
23-9-2015
Zeddam will have a unique drive-through deli in the beginning of 2016.
Drive-through deli in Zeddam
People from the Zeddam region regularly drive to the other side of the border to get tasty and healthy sandwiches in Germany and drive back again. Daphne Kempers (21) was inspired by this and initiated an innovative deli in Zeddam with so-called “German pastries” that will be ready early 2016. The new deli-concept will be open seven days a week from seven o’clock in the morning until seven o’clock in the evening. Next to the German sandwiches the deli also offers cakes, coffee and wine.
Convenient, quick and healthy
The innovative sandwich shop is convenient, quick and healthy. With these three key features Daphne addresses important trends that are relevant today and in the near future. The price / quality ratio will meet German standards, so expect good and affordable sandwiches. Guests can order and pay through an app to prevent standing in line.
Crowd sourcing for the name
To come to the perfect name, Daphne calls out to the public. A competition has been started for the best name of the future deli. Creative people can participate via the Facebook page Broods.
Online click-and-collect service for Germans?
We hope the Germans will visit the drive-through deli for a sandwich in the near future, instead of the other way around which happens now. Perhaps an online click-and-collect service for Germans that order products through Dutch web shops can contribute to this. It may be an additional reason to pick up a sandwich on the go. Armand Sol has recently written a blog (in Dutch) about integrating online click-and-collect points in the hospitality industry.
Happy birthday! How to surprise guests
22-9-2015
The Refinery hotel in New York City gives guests that celebrate their birthday at the hotel a special gift. They receive a complimentary personalized birthday cake designed by the Magnolia Bakery.
All the ladies who loved to watch ‘Sex and the City’ are familiar with the Magnolia Bakery with its great looking cupcakes, cookies and lovely stores. And if you’d ever visited one of the stores, you probably had to wait in line to get in the shop. Just like I once did with my daughters. So what better way to celebrate the birthday of your girl and surprise her with a night at a great hotel and a birthday cake from Magnolia Bakery to top it off? The Refinery hotel knows how to surprise its guests!
Inspiration: How to surprise guests on special occasions
What’s a really attractive and special product from the surroundings of your restaurant or hotel? And I don’t mean a jar of jelly or a box of chocolates, but something special which makes celebrating a birthday at your hotel or restaurant a must for a special group of guests. I once went to restaurant La Coupole in Paris to celebrate my birthday. There waiters will sing ‘happy birthday’ a cappella at your table! And you would be surprised how many people are celebrating their birthday at this restaurant, every day! If you have found a special celebration gesture… don’t forget to let your future guests know!
The Refinery Hotel
The Refinery Hotel is located in New York City’s Garment District. The Refinery hotel used to be a high-end tea salon in 1912 but is now a modern hotel with loft-like guestrooms and an industrial-chic design. Check out their website for a look and feel of this high-end hotel. They even blog at least once a week and use social media in a refreshing way. Great to check out as inspiration for hoteliers all over the world.
Magnolia Bakery
A well-known bakery which originated from New York City’s West Village where they started in 1996. Magnolia Bakery has been cherished for its classic American baked goods, vintage decor and warm, inviting atmosphere. Nowadays Magnolia Bakery has locations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Mexico City, Tokyo, Moscow City, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Beirut, Kuwait City and Doha. They’re franchising the concept worldwide. ^Marjolein van Spronsen
An amazing Greek salad!
21-9-2015
Inspiration from restaurant ‘Funky Gourmet’ in Athens, the signature dish of chefs Georgianna Hiliadaki and Nick Roussos: their Greek salad!
Recently I have read that Coolhaus has started selling scoops of pizza ice cream. The ice cream isn’t made of the same ingredients but according to the website of Munchies they’ve created the same flavor with ingredients like mascarpone cheese, olive oil, sundried tomatoes, fresh basil and some salt. Coolhaus, which I now from their food trucks in New York City, has more strange ice cream flavors, what do you think about ‘Avocado Sea Salt’, ‘Beer & Pretzels’ or ‘Brown buttered candied bacon’? But we recently ate an ice cream more strange but also great in taste, in Athens.
Chefs do create an amazing Greek salad
Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Athens and eating out at Funky Gourmet (** Michelin). The chefs Georgianna Hiliadaki and Nick Roussos created an excellent menu full of surprises. One of the most special items was their Greek salad, an ice cream halfway the menu. It’s their signature dish and we were really surprised by the taste of it. You don’t expect ice cream based on the taste of lettuce, cucumber, tomato and feta cheese to be that delicious!
Inspiration from Athens, Funky Gourmet
Although this article is mostly about their signature dish, I highly recommend to make a reservation at Funky Gourmet if you do visit Athens. Hidden away in one of the older parts of Athens, the chefs and their partner Argyro Hiliadaki created a restaurant well worth the visit. We enjoyed their cuisine, the hospitality and next to that the sublime wine from the island of Santorini which the sommelier advised us…
KOST event to promote a healthy Dutch cuisine
18-9-2015
KOST is an event about the Dutch food culture for everyone who cares about our daily foods. The first edition will take place on 21 September.
Dutch cuisine
Chefs, producers, scientists, farmers and policymakers explore the possibilities to put the Dutch food culture and Dutch cuisine firmly on the map and make it healthier. They will do that together with speakers like Kobe Desramaults, Robert Kranenborg, Julian Baggini, Linda Roodenburg and Martin Caraher during the KOST event on 21 September at the Westergasfabriek in Amsterdam.
Platform ‘Van Moeder Natuur’
KOST is an initiative by the ‘Van Moeder Natuur’ platform (freely translated as the ‘Mother nature platform’). The platform focuses on a healthy Dutch food culture. This includes enjoying healthy, delicious and natural products packed with nutrients. Next to that, it means making time for food again by home cooking and enjoying meals together.
Day program
During the day program interesting topics are addressed. The program is compiled by various well know curators from the Dutch food culture like Mac van Dinther, Joris Bijdendijk, Joris Lohman, Samuel Levie and Helen Kranstauber).
Kostelijk dinner
In the evening there is a Kostelijk dinner (translated: Delicious dinner). The chefs responsible for the dinner are Joris Bijdendijk (RIJKS®), Albert Kooy (Dutch Cuisine), Luc Kusters (Bolenius), Benny Blisto (BAK), Sander Louwerens (Citroen), Willem Schaafsma (Eindeloos), Jonathan Karpathios (Vork en Mes), Geert Burema (Merkelbach), Nel Schellekens (de Gulle Waard), Dick Soek (Piloersemaborg) Eef Bolado (As) and René van der Veer (De Veldkeuken). Drinks are arranged by Niek Beute (De Klepel) and Ard Muntjewerf (The Lobby).
A delicious program. Unfortunately, it’s merely in Dutch and both the day program as well as the dinner are completely sold out.
Amstel Hotel Amsterdam reveals Van Gogh Suite
17-9-2015
From 7 September to 5 December the Amstel Hotel in Amsterdam has a special presentation about Van Gogh. Visitors can express their own creativity on a canvas as well, with pastels, oil paint and brushes.
Honouring Van Gogh
This year marks the 125th anniversary of Vincent van Gogh’s death. Several museums and other institutions in Europe honour the Dutch artist with special exhibitions and events. Recently there was a labyrinth of sunflowers at the Museumplein, referring to one of his famous paintings.
Van Gogh Museum Relievo Collection
The Amstel Hotel launched a special Van Gogh suite and paintings from the Van Gogh Relievo collection on 15 September. The Van Gogh Museum Relievo Collection is barely distinguishable from the original paintings that are on display at the Van Gogh Museum. This is realized with a combination of the most recent 2D and 3D technology, craftsmanship and handicrafts.
Van Gogh Suite
The special Van Gogh Suite is available until 1 January 2016. The comfortable suite is located on the fourth floor of the hotel and is furnished in the atmosphere of his paintings. On a weathered wooden table in the sitting room, a bottle of absinthe welcomes guests. This is the drink where Van Gogh was fond of. On arrival, guests get a plate in the shape of a paint palette serving typical Amsterdam snacks. For guests who are inspired by Van Gogh there are pastels, oil paint, brushes and a canvas available. Guests can take their creative works home. Getting inspiration is easily done at the suite. At two locations in the suite paintings from the ‘Van Gogh Museum Relievo Collection’ hang on the wall. The view is magnificent as well.
Grocery store Christmas Festival in Utrecht by Albert Heijn
16-9-2015
The grocery store chain ‘Albert Heijn’ organizes a Christmas festival by the name of its instore magazine.
Allerhande Christmas Festival
Albert Heijn is organizing a major food event in Utrecht on 11th, 12th and 13th of December. The food festival is called ‘Allerhande Kerstfestival’ and is located at the Railway Museum in Utrecht. The event is scaled to 40,000 visitors and is a logical continuation of the recent food festivals popping up all over the country.
Workshops and inspiration
Visitors can inspire themselves by tasting food and drinks and get help from experts during various cooking workshops. Saskia Egas Reparaz, director of marketing & format of Albert Heijn explains the choice of the food festival: “Christmas is an old festival where every family has its own traditions and customs. We celebrate Christmas for 128 years already and help our customers every year again with new ideas, inspiration and lots of special Christmas products. This year, we want to offer our customers something extra with the ‘Allerhande Kerstfestival’. It’s the tastiest inspirational event for the holidays. In preparation for Christmas, anyone can gain additional ideas to create his or her own special Christmas.”
From drinks to dessert
With the Allerhande Christmas Festival, visitors of all ages can get in the mood for Christmas and inspire themselves for the Christmas dinner. They can literally walk through the menu from starter to dessert and taste, participate in workshops, watch live cooking sessions by renowned chefs and get tips from experts.
Christmas Shop
Everything at the festival can be bought at the special Christmas store or can be delivered home or pre-ordered at Albert Heijn grocery stores. Besides inspiration, the event is meant for entertainment and fun. The Winter Wonderland stage includes a ‘wish tree’, a winter barbecue and market stalls. Furthermore there is live music, an ice rink and mulled wine.
Ticket Sales
The tickets are for sale from 5 October and cost ten euros per person. Registration for the cooking workshops is done online via allerhandekerstfestival.nl.
Amazon free take-out delivery
15-9-2015
Amazon starts with one hour free take-out delivery for premium members in Seattle.
Free take-out delivery
Online retailer Amazon.com Inc. has begun a free take-out delivery service. Amazon Prime members get free delivery on their take-out orders from dozens of outlets and receive them within the hour. The Amazon Prime service costs $ 99 per year.
Delivery of beer, wine and spirits
A few weeks ago Amazon already announced that they began with one-hour delivery of beer, wine and spirits in Seattle. The city is the only place in America where customers can order beer and spirits via fast mail-order. In the rest of the country the delivery is limited to wine. Amazon offers a fast delivery service for alcohol in London already.
Growth of the delivery market
With the rapid deliveries Amazon wants to compete with restaurant delivery parties like GrubHub. The American GrubHub is comparable to the Dutch ‘Thuisbezorgd.nl’. The company delivers take-out meals from 30,000 local restaurants and has customers in 800 American cities. Americans spend an estimated 70 billion dollar on takeaway and delivery meals in 2013. With such numbers offering a one hour delivery service for take-out pays off. In March 2015, total sales in restaurants and bars was higher than the grocery market (!) for the first time. With the expansion of the delivery market, restaurants can increase sales at peak times, without adding extra seats.
Game workshop by Nestlé Professional and Sligro
14-9-2015
Nestlé Professional and Sligro put Dutch game on the menu with a wild harvesting and game workshop for chefs.
Game workshop by Nestlé Professional and Sligro
Sligro Food and Nestlé Professional have joined forces to let chefs discover the possibilities and culinary variations with Dutch wild boar. Recently eleven chefs from restaurants throughout the Netherlands got inspired during a wild harvesting workshop and wild clinic in Lingewaard. In addition, they were challenged to create combinations of wild boar and CHEF products. Game, and escpecially wild boar, gets more accessible by processing it and make for example a wild boar burger or hot dog with the meat.
Pulled Swine
“Game is the finest free-range meat there is. Guests often think that game tastes very strong, but that’s a misconception we would like to take away, “said Edwin Detering, culinary consultant at Nestlé Professional Food. “In addition, a local product such as Dutch wild boar now widely available. By putting accessible game dishes on the menu, the threshold for guests to discover new game is lowered. Think of a dish like a ‘pulled swine’ sandwich. ”
Edwin Florès
During the game clinic and wild harvesting workshop the chefs discovered the edible nature under the guidance of Edwin Florès, professional wild harvester and cookbook author. The score of the wild harvesting included wild mushrooms, fresh watercress and water mint. These were incorporated into the food from the game clinic.
Beautiful dishes from neck and shoulder
The chefs attended a deboning demonstration of a wild boar. It was explained how to prepare tasty dishes with the obsolescent parts. “The front part, including shoulder and neck, is used less frequently, but there are lovely dishes to be made of” Hein Willemsen, SVH Master Chef explains. “Through slow cooking at low temperature (sous-vide), the meat is very tender. A shoulder pad can be grilled after cooking and you can serve it with pasta and mushrooms. The neck piece can be cooked in a game sauce based on demi-glace. The taste of wild boar meat can be well combined with powerful sauces such as the CHEF red wine sauce or pepper sauce. A nice piece of meat such as a Dutch wild boar deserves to be combined with a high quality sauce or stock, like the products of the CHEF. ”
Deboning workshops
Earlier, we wrote about a deboning workshop for consumers by Gertjan Kiers at Julius Bar & Grill. A trend that we applaud to. Let us know if there are workshops like these organized in your neighbourhood or if you choose to organize one yourself.
Slow Cow relaxation drink
11-9-2015
The Slow Cow relaxation drink clears the mind.
Slow Cow was developed by three hyperactive stressful entrepreneurs. They sought, and found, an alternative to energy drinks. A drink to help relax, focus and concentrate. Together with various partners and investors they launched Slow Cow in Canada in 2008.
Slow Cow ingredients and effect
Slow Cow promotes the feeling of natural tranquillity. The drink does not cause sleepiness or fatigue and isn’t the opposite of an energy drink at all. Slow Cow was developed in Quebec, Canada. The drink contains almost no calories, no caffeine, no sugar and no preservatives. It does contain extracts of green tea, valerian, chamomile, passionflower, lime blossom, lemon grass, potassium and sodium.
Alternative
The creator present the soda as an alternative to every day’s hectic pace, the adrenaline and race against the clock. In terms of taste it could have been a bit less sweet in our opinion. That will probably be due to our limited energy drink consumption normally. It is certainly an interesting alternative to high school students who are regularly hyper on the caffeine and sugar bombs that they consume in large amounts.
Mascot
Slow Cow mascot Harry plays a leading role in the promotional campaign. His mission is to help the Dutch people to relax in their increasingly stressful daily life. Through his discoveries, he reminds us constantly about his message “It is important and urgent to adopt a cool lifestyle.” Harry is the champion of ‘cool’ and relax. He embodies calmness in all situations.
Tres Hombres prepares a viral launch with Thunderclap
10-9-2015
Thunderclap sends a message through subscribed social media accounts at the same moment. By requesting users’ permission to send via their social media channels like Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr, it is possible to schedule a launch at one time.
Thunderclap social media distribution
The social media distribution tool shows who participates with the Thunderclap, it provides insight into the users supporting the message and creates a measurable reach. It gives the people joining a togetherness feeling because only the backers know about this upcoming ‘internet flashmob’ which can quickly provide be a trending topic. For the non-profit sector it is an interesting way to promote awareness campaigns by a “social contribution” instead of having to ask a financial contribution.
Sailing ship Tres Hombres
Using Thunderclap the crew of sustainable sailing ship ‘Tres Hombres’ will promote a campaign for organic coffee that the sailing ship will transport in 2016. Besides coffee, the ship was used to transport barrels of rum and chocolate with pure wind power over the ocean for the past five years. The ship can carry around 35 tonnes of cargo. Erik Rauws is one of the sailors Erik Rauws who has sailed along several times. He will join the sailing crew that will transport organic coffee from Costa Rica and created the sustainable coffee brand ‘Anemoi Coffee’. Half the ship is dedicated to cargo transport and half is used for passengers. People interested can join the crew on (a part of) the trip. The ship sails in the beginning of the summer in 2016 and a round trip takes about 5 months.
Anemoi Coffee by Sail
Share the Thunderclap by Erik Rauws and his Anemoi Coffee by Sail as well. The Thunderclap will be delivered on 11 September.
“We want to sail the most sustainable coffee in the world next year by sailing from Costa Rica to Amsterdam, join us!”
SUSHISAMBA, a culinary mix of Japan, Brazil and Peru
9-9-2015
At restaurant SUSHISAMBA you can eat a unique blend of the Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian cuisine.
We don’t know many restaurants in the Netherlands that combine a cultural coalition in one cuisine. We recently wrote an article about the Nikkei cuisine (Japanese & Peruvian Cuisine) and in reaction somebody wrote us about another great tri-cultural coalition namely SUSHISAMBA. This cuisine is created in the early 20th century when thousands of Japanese emigrants traveled to South America’s fertile soil to cultivate coffee plantations and find their fortune. In bustling cities like Lima in Peru, and São Paulo in Brazil, the integration of Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian cultures flourished. The restaurant in London, nearby for us Dutchies, opened in 2012.
What to expect when dining out at SUSHISAMBA
Hearty moquecas and colorful seviches found a place at the table alongside simple miso soup and tender sashimi. SUSHISAMBA serves these traditional dishes, plus more inventive creations, including sawagani, tuna tataki and anticuchos. The restaurant in London is located at the Heron Tower. A private glass-walled express lift hurtles up the outside of Heron Tower, taking you 38 storeys above the city. Once you’re up there, SUSHISAMBA has a pretty impressive rooftop bar that’s open all year round. Check all the pictures for an impression of the restaurant and the menus on their website. Certainly a restaurant and rooftop bar with a view. The next time I visit London, I most certainly will visit SUSHISAMBA!
About SUSHISAMBA
SUSHISAMBA started in New York City in 1999. Samba Brands Management was founded by Shimon Bokovza, Matthew Johnson and Danielle Billera. The company operates SUSHISAMBA® restaurants in New York, Miami, Las Vegas, London and Coral Gables. In addition to SUSHISAMBA®, the group manages SUGARCANE raw bar grill® in Miami and Duck & Waffle in London. ^Marjolein
Food on the rails in the Panorama Rail Restaurant
8-9-2015
With the Panorama Rail Restaurant train lovers and enthusiasts of culinary cooking can enjoy a train ride in the West of the Netherlands and a dinner, every Saturday.
Every Saturday evening the Panorama Rail Restaurant offers a trip by train through the heart of the Netherlands with Amsterdam Centraal as starting point. The train takes you along typical Dutch villages, rural landscapes, the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Haarlem, Gouda and the ‘Green Heart’ of the Netherlands.
The train
These dining cars from the sixties (the TEE trains Rheingold and Rheinpfeil panorama coaches) have a rich history and were originally used in European luxury travel industry. Recently they have been fully refurbished. The train can accommodate about 100 guests and has tables for two, four and six people. The historic trains of the Panorama Rail Restaurant comply with the strictest standards imposed from both the EU and the Environment and Transport Inspection.
The Panorama Rail Restaurant
The unique train restaurant is developed by Promo Rail, a leading provider of charter transportation by train in the Netherlands and Europe. The four courses menu which is served during the train ride will be specially developed by a Michelin-starred chef, each quarter another one. Currently by Edwin Soumang of restaurant One in Roermond. The menu of Edwin Soumang is based on the New Dutch Cuisine. The food is prepared and served by an experienced catering team led by Roland Vos of Buitenpoort Catering Amsterdam. Especially for tourists a nice way to see and taste a piece of Holland in two hours and three quarters.
The Vega Pop-up restaurant will be in Rotterdam in October
7-9-2015
From the first of October the Vega Pop-up restaurant will serve exclusively vegetarian and vegan dishes in their pop-up restaurant in Rotterdam for five days per week (Wednesday/Sunday). They will be in the ‘Westelijk Handelsterrein’ in Rotterdam for the entire month of October.
Why a Vega Pop-up restaurant?
Earlier we wrote about the initiative of, amongst others, Friedjof Kempenaar. They want to show the people in the Netherlands that the vegetarian kitchen is already far beyond the ‘Birkenstock’-image. They serve various small dishes to choose from the menu but you can also opt for a full evening menu. The dishes are served in the size of a ‘side dish’ so that you can taste even more … The wine list is vegan as well, which means that the wines are not filtered with the use of animal products.
Improve the image of the vegetarian and vegan cuisine
Vega Pop-up responds to the lack of good, but especially modern, vegetarian and vegan restaurants in the Netherlands. Through a variety of campaigns and food scandals, more and more people start eating ‘mindfully’ and sometimes even make the choice to eat vegetarian or vegan. At most restaurants the choice for these people is still poor. The Vega Pop-up is serving a trendy choice of vegan or vegetarian dishes and is having a cocktail bar and a DJ until the early hours on Friday and Saturday.
PinkFreeWifi: Free Wi-Fi in exchange for a like
4-9-2015
More and more bars and restaurants offer free Wi-Fi in exchange for a Like or Tweet. PinkFreeWifi also provides a powerful database to obtain data which an entrepreneur can use to get acquainted with his or her guests and use to organize an appropriate campaign or activity.
Still bars, hotels and restaurants that don’t offer free Wi-Fi
With a website such as hospitalitytrends.eu we spot developments at an early stage. We wrote an article about SO WIFI by the end of 2012, which is also a supplier of routers for ‘free Wi-Fi in exchange for a like’. Meanwhile, there are more free Wi-Fi providers on the market, including PinkFreeWifi. This company is based in the Netherlands but has implemented PinkFreeWifi worldwide and they create benefits for their customers by offering the router and a database. And since we also noticed that there are still many bars, restaurants and hotels that don’t offer free Wi-Fi, we have chosen to write another article about it.
Free Wi-Fi plus a data system
The software of PinkFreeWifi is developed in collaboration with the major manufacturers of routers such as CISCO and Merraki. PinkFreeWifi works from the cloud and is therefore always available. The system is focused on the social media and uses its statistics. The entrepreneur can use these data for promotional use. The system only uses data that users share via their open social media channels. For example the system will make analyzes like the demographic area your guests are coming from etc.
Tapas Bar Català uses PinkFreeWifi
There are already several companies using PinkFreeWifi. One of the best known users is surely the Tapas Bar Català in Amsterdam. This restaurant at the Spui – diagonally across from Café Luxembourg, has been around since 1985. The owner Gabriel Machin has taken over the restaurant in 1990 and serves only tapas with an authentic Spanish flavor. His quote:
“Our guests are our main focus and it has been our mission for years to give them that home-away-from-home feeling in the best Spanish style. We have our dishes and our kitchen under control and monitor the taste of our dishes, they taste as if they are made in Spain. Fresh, healthy and high-quality products. Amsterdam is a busy city with a very diverse audience that visits us. From the tourist to Prime Minister Rutte, but also our King and Queen, HRH Willem-Alexander and HRH Maxima enjoyed our service, quality and taste. In recent years, during the economic crisis, our industry had to deal with decreasing turnovers but our motto has always been to give our customers an enjoyable and pleasant evening. We looked around to find more market opportunities to better anticipate to their wishes. That’s how we got introduced to PinkFreeWifi and that has helped us tremendously in the communication with our guests. Our restaurant is in fact very small, we only have seven tables outside and seven tables inside. PinkFreeWifi told us of the opportunities that exist through social media today. Based on the data we pulled from the database, we have adapted our menus to the wishes of our guests. Our guests come from all over the world and we were able to adapt even better. As result: an enormous increase in turnover and a waiting line outside to enter our 40M2 large/small restaurant. We even won a TRIP ADVISOR Award.”
Royal De Ruijter opens pop-up sandwich restaurant in the Netherlands
4-9-2015
Royal De Ruijter opened its first sandwich restaurant in the Netherlands. In the 9 Streets district of Amsterdam, restaurant Struisvogel temporarily transformed into a cozy breakfast and lunch restaurant. The sandwiches restaurant is dedicated to special sandwiches and pastries. Guests can use various sandwich spread products of Royal de Ruijter to create their ultimate sandwich.
Two kinds of spreads
The reason for opening the pop-up sandwich restaurant is a recent research showing that most Dutch people eat a lot of bread, but vary only little with two types of spreads. Moreover, the sandwiches are routinely eaten in fifteen minutes according to the research. This while variety and attention are really important in enjoying food. Despite the popularity of the sandwich, it does not get the attention it deserves. With the restaurant Royal De Ruijter wants to change this and inspire people to make sandwiches special again.
Pay with #broodjebijzonder at sandwich restaurant
The sandwich restaurant in restaurant Struisvogel runs for one week from Friday 4 September onwards and is open between 9:00 and 14:00. Anyone can walk in from 9.00 am onwards for a creative selfmade sandwich until 10 September. Fresh bread, fruit and Royal De Ruijter products like Vlokfeest (chocolate flakes), aniseed sprinkles, Fruit- and Strawberry-Raspberry sprinkles, ‘Gestampte muisjes’ (crushed aniseed sprinkles) and Bebogeen are yours to use. There is no menu and no price list. Guests pay by sharing a photo of the creation on social media with #broodjebijzonder.
Broth-to-go at Brodo in NYC
3-9-2015
Broth is very popular, especially in those cities with very cold winters. Last year we’ve spotted Brodo in NYC at the end of wintertime. And as we’re all rethinking our winter menu’s it might be an idea to consider serving broth-to-go.
Broth-to-go instead of coffee-to-go
We already wrote an article about it last March, with the main focus on an European soup initiative in Montpellier (France) by chef Marc Veyrat, Urban Soup. At his soup place, guests can create their own soup. With the first week of bad weather in the Netherlands, we would like to inspire entrepreneurs to follow the example chef Marco Canora of Brodo gave us last winter and start serving broth-to-go during the cold days.
In NYC you go to the window of Brodo for a broth-to-go
Marco Canora started the trend of broth-to-go with his East Village take-out window dedicated to bone broth, offered in a few different varieties and served in a steaming paper cup for easy sipping. There are a handful of add-ins like bone marrow, fermented beet juice and fresh turmeric, plus a couple of more traditional soups too.
Check out Zagat’s interview with Marco Canora and reconsider serving broth-to-go this winter at your place, whether you’re a butcher, restaurant owner or a coffeeshop.
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.
