Inspiring: a pop-up-traffic jam-concert
7-7-2015
Those people who were stuck in the traffic jam on the 30th of June at the A1 (highway), did pick a great moment to get stuck! A new classic festival, Wonderfeel, organized the first pop-up-traffic jam-concert in this traffic jam .
When the traffic jam occured, the side of a 16.5 meter platform truck opened. The New Amsterdam Clarinet Quartet supplemented with sousaphone and percussion began to play under the direction of a conductor and entertained hundreds of motorists.
Initiator Georges Mutsaerts: “We wanted the audience to enjoy classical music in a fun way in a place where you would least expect it. Motorists also reacted with disbelief to the totally unexpected performance. In order not to hinder the traffic the performance lasted no longer than 10 minutes. But in late July, Wonderfeel will return in collaboration with ‘Natuurmonumenten’ with 200 musicians and 100 concerts in nature area ‘s-Graveland for the ultimate relaxation this summer.”
Wonderfeel will take place in ‘s-Graveland in the nature area Schaep and Burgh at 24, 25 and 26 July.
Pop-up- traffic jam-concert as inspiration
It doesn’t seem conductive to road safety to organize a pop-up restaurant in the traffic jam. But we have spotted Twitter and Facebook messages from restaurants offering menu’s to those who stranded in a nearby traffic jam. We love to mention original ways to respond to a nearby traffic jam on horecatrends.com.
Local touch
6-7-2015
Restaurant Joelia at the Hilton Rotterdam has incorporated a local touch of ‘Rotterdam’ in their restaurant and in their menu.
Local touch
Those who visit horecatrends.com on a regular basis know that I like to share distinctive details and small welcoming gestures. Last week I had dinner at restaurant Joelia, where Mario de Ridder is the chef. The interior of Joelia has had a lot of attention in many magazines with its striking design. My eyes immediately fell on the original placemats at the bar and the back of the bill afterwards. The reference to the Coolsingel in the Monopoly game is a nice local touch to this cosmopolitan concept.
Also a local touch on the menu
In his menu Mario de Ridder (former owner of the Zwethheul**) also added a local touch: ‘Colors or Rotterdam’. And although I have some ties with the city, I must confess that I had no idea of the colors of the city. That seems to be green and white, which was reflected in a delicious fish entree. And if you have the possibility to eat at Joelia’s at least try the ‘uitsmijter Joelia’, it’s so delicious! As listed on the website, Mario offers his guests an experience of top-gastronomy in all its facets. You can enjoy the Joelia’s Bites in the food corner or sitting at the bar, enjoy an aperitif in the wine cellar or experience Mario’s talent at the chef’s table or in the restaurant. We will be back, Rotterdam has a new top-level restaurant which we certainly recommend! ^Marjolein
Listen to the sounds of Paris in Amsterdam
2-7-2015
A billboard with inspiring sounds from other cities. Pedestrians in Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam are invited to listen to each other’s original sounds through their headphones at interactive billboards.
Listen to the sound of
The railroad company Thalys uses these 3 billboards to inspire passers-by with a sneak pre-hearing of a new travel experience. They of course want to encourage you to use the train to go and explore nearby cities. The billboards are made in collaboration with French advertising agency Rosapark.
Each billboard represents a city, the billboard of Amsterdam has 1352 sounds to tell the passers-by, Paris 1460 sounds and Brussels 1889. Pedestrians are invited to plug in with their personal headphones and start exploring. Enjoy a sound from Paris while strolling your hometown Amsterdam.
Like Pop-Up City describes, the billboards explore a new way of urban advertising. The focus on hearing is added to the visual impact of billboards. And with most of the people carrying earplugs nowadays, this technique might be used more…..
York & Albany brings the beach to central London
2-7-2015
The sunglasses, flip flops and beach balls thrive well at the city oasis of York & Albany’s Beach Shack in London, where you immediately get the summer vibe.
Be transported from the heart of London to a beach bar at the courtyard of Gordon Ramsay’s York & Albany. The seaweed Martini or Bacardi Rum slush served in a mini bucket with scoops as spoons will definitely get you in the mood, otherwise the alcoholic popsicles with Pimm’s liqueur will do so.
Beach Menu
At the restaurant they serve a selection of tempting bites such as mini fish ‘n’ chips, bite-sized Cumberland sausages and jars’ with pickled seafood. For the big appetite, there is a Beach BBQ menu that includes grilled burgers and vegetarian kebab with salad, fries and potato salad but without the usual sand between your teeth.
Ice cream with caramel popcorn and cotton candy
If baking in the sunshine isn’t enough, a choice of sugary desserts will get you in the sandal-mood. With raspberry custard doughnuts, banana split ice-cream and a do-it-yourself ice cream machine that’s offering soft serve scoops of strawberry cheesecake with candy floss and caramel popcorn. Wow! Now that’s an ice cream cone (referred to as a 99) for the 21st century!
Beach bar arrangement for groups
Londoners don’t have to travel to the coast during these hot days, they can put their feet in the sand at York & Albany’s Beach Hut as well. The selfies made there will give the impression that they originate from the beach in Camden and not from central London. The beach bar is available for exclusive dinners up to 12 guests. For thirty pounds per person, guests can enjoy different savory and sweet snacks and two cocktails.
It’s a wonderful way of enjoying the summer feeling in town, even during less sunny days!
Terrace Café Rotterdam offers panoramic view of the skyline and the Maas
30-6-2015
Café Rotterdam was already an icon on the Maas, but is lifted to a higher level after a major renovation. With the reopening of Café Rotterdam directly above the Cruise Terminal, the ‘Wilhelminapier’ gets a real boulevard look.
Terraces with panoramic views are popular
We already know for a while that rooftop terraces have become very popular worldwide. Paris, New York, Istanbul, every metropolis is graced with (roof)terraces with beautiful views. In Amsterdam we have some pretty roof terraces with great views, such as the Skylounge at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel and the roof terrace ‘s at the former oil rig at the REM Island which is now a restaurant. The terrace of Café Rotterdam, at the same level of the Erasmus Bridge and the Cruise Terminal, offers a unique panorama of the Maas and the skyline. A new hotspot in Rotterdam this summer!
Café Rotterdam
The interior of Café Rotterdam breathes Pre-war Rotterdam class: large windows that offer plenty of light, high ceilings and modern details. The Chef Merijn Sips (formerly Librije’s Zusje ** in Amsterdam) serves a Mediterranean cuisine with international appeal. A business lunch, a delicious Sunday brunch or a romantic dinner, it’s all there. Apart from the restaurant area, there is a long bar where you can enjoy a cocktail, Gin & Tonic, authentic Schiedam Jenever, beer or a glass of wine with the Dutch delicacy ‘bitterballen’ (small round croquettes). The new Café Rotterdam is the youngest member of the Dudok Group which is a leading company in the hospitality and event industry since 1991.
ID&T and Coca-Cola collaborate for recycling at festivals
26-6-2015
Entertainment company ID&T and manufacturer Coca-Cola have been partners in sustainability since 2012. Together they want to encourage visitors of festivals and events to recycle. This summer they are working together for recycling at festivals in The Netherlands.
Recycling at festivals
ID&T and Coca-Cola are working together at three festivals: Defqon.1, Mysteryland and Welcome to the Future. At each festival there will be a couple of facilities available that will give people the chance to recycle. There will be ‘Green Teams’ walking around the terrain that encourage the visitors to throw their garbage in the right bins and they keep the terrain clean as well. There will also be a recycling-booth present where visitors can learn why recycling is important and how they can contribute.
A successful collaboration
Milou Hamelers, Recycling Manager of Coca-Cola Enterprises, says that they are very happy to work together with ID&T because their festivals attract hundreds of thousands of visitors. “This is a wonderful chance to show our involvement in sustainability and recycling.” she says. In an inspiring way ID&T and Coca-Cola would like to show people that a lot of garbage still has value after being thrown away in a bin.
Start pilot foodtrucks in Amsterdam
24-6-2015
On 29 June, a pilot with foodtrucks starts at 24 locations in Amsterdam. At these locations fifty food-entrepreneurs and their foodtrucks will rotate every half-day.
Foodtrucks in Amsterdam provide ‘Tasty streetfood’
This Monday 29 June the foodtruck pilot ‘Tasty Streetfood’ kicks-off in Amsterdam. At 24 locations in Amsterdam around fifty innovative food-entrepreneurs will sell their food on the streets. The entrepreneurs will change location every several hours taking shifts on the various locations. The city of Amsterdam is the first municipality in the Netherlands that gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to provide street food from foodtrucks at various spots in the city, besides the well-known food truck festivals of course.
Selected from 150 entries
Those interested could apply until 12 March and in total the municipality received more than 150 entries. The initiatives were valued based on a points system that valued food (whether organic, locally produced, innovative), innovativeness of the concept and sustainability.
Locations and Streetfood app
Because the food trucks change location between the various designated spots every few hours, a wide range of street food offerings will be available on every location. When drawing up the rotation schedule, the municipality will take the requests from the owners into account as much as possible. Check the locations on this image or maps.amsterdam.nl/markten. Want to know where your favorite foodtruck is located at the moment? Download the Streetfood app via ‘Reizende Sterren’ (Travelling Stars) http://reizendesterren.org/reizendesterren.org/?p=344.
Changing pop-up location Rotterdam Central Station
18-6-2015
Pop-up food concept ‘Eten Centraal’ opened at Rotterdam Central Station on 16 June. It is a new initiative by The Food Line-up in collaboration with NS Stations. The pop-up location changes every two weeks with another small street food entrepreneur from the city.
Changing pop-up
The Food Line-up was one of the initiators of the street food debate about new permits that would benefit diverse and sustainable street food. Now they’ve set their crosshairs on high traffic destinations like the Rotterdam Central Station. With pop-up stores like ‘Eten Centraal’ railway stations will surprise travellers with a weekly changing selection of several local entrepreneurs. The focus is now on empty shop spaces that require temporary filling at Rotterdam Central. If successful, this may result in temporary fillings of empty spaces at other stations. It makes stations thus even more attractive for everyone.
The Switch
Every two weeks during “the Switch” a new business will build up in the pop-up store. In 46 days, more than seven Rotterdam heroes will serve a diverse menu including Old Scuola Pizza Napolitana, Man met Bril Coffee, Saté man with Toko to go, Fritez Haute friture, Pinky Rose lemonade, Jumble Korean Food and Rotterdam brewers. The website and Facebook will show the complete list of entrepreneurs and time tables.
Groundbreaking
“The pop-up street food concept is truly groundbreaking,” according to Lotte Wouters and Maartje Nelissen. “For the first time a high traffic location like this provides room to small local businesses next to the fixed formulas and usual suspects on locations like these. Travellers can now also enjoy the offerings of local entrepreneurs at Rotterdam Central Station, one of the most prominent places in the city, and taste the identity of the city and its inhabitants. “
Chef Michael Wolf opens Wolf Atelier
17-6-2015
The 31-year-old chef Michael Wolf (Oud Sluis ***, Vila Joya ** and Envy) will officially open Wolf Atelier on 21 June. He does this in 1920 railway bridge transformed into a glass surrounded restaurant next to the Central Station of Amsterdam.
Wolf Atelier
Wolf Atelier is light and spacious, the monumental railway bridge has a characteristic industrial design and is equipped with 80 high glass windows. This workshop offers a 360 degree view of Amsterdam, due to the large amount of plants and earthy tones it looks like an urban garden. The open kitchen and small chef’s table provide constant interaction between Michael Wolf and his guests.
Gallery and Workshop-section at the menu
The menu contains two main sections. The so-called Gallery-section of the menu lists some of Michael Wolf’s current signature dishes such as ‘lacquered pork belly with fried langoustines, carrot cream and a sauce of spices.’ The Workshop-section is to pre-test dishes and consists out of experiments and cool innovations. After feedback from guests, only the best dishes will be continued in the ‘Gallery-section’ of the menu.
Chef Michael Wolf
Michael Wolf: “This workshop space is tough and metropolitan, the ideal setting to strive for perfection. Everything must be right, really. Not only the food and wine but the ambiance, the music, the service and the cocktails as well, each telling its own story. I can’t judge whether I ask too much from myself and my team, the only thing that matters is that I’ve lived up to this moment since I was fifteen and can’t wait to start!”
To beef or not to beef butcher’s brunch
12-6-2015
Top chef Erik van Loo ** serves a butcher’s brunch with three butchers at Parkheuvel in Rotterdam on 19 July.
Butcher’s Brunch
On Sunday 19 July butcher’s son Erik van Loo hosts a unique brunch with three butchers by the name of ‘To beef or not to beef’ at restaurant Parkheuvel. Herman ter Weele from Butchery ‘Ter Weele’ in Oene (GE), demo butcher Gertjan Kiers and culinary connoisseur Ernest Lebouille will join forces and will bone the meat live at the premises. They will give explanation and tell stories about the meat and boning craftmanship.
Erik van Loo
During the documentary ‘De Smaak van de Ziel (translated as ‘A Taste of the Soul’), it became clear that van Loo had much interest in meat because he is a butcher’s son. The idea for the brunch began when he got reactions about this after the documentary was premiered.
Tickets To beef or not to beef
‘To beef or not to beef’ begins on 19 July at 12:30 and lasts until 17:00. An all-inclusive brunch including drinks costs € 150, -. After the boning from head to tail by the butchers, van Loo will make ten to twelve dishes with the meat. The tickets are sold via the IENS website and there are 120 tickets available.
About IENS CarteBlanche
IENS CarteBlanche is a culinary event where a renowned chef gets the chance to perform a special concept for one day. That may be something with his favourite ingredient, something at a particular location or something completely different from what he normally does in his restaurant. The chef will at get a complete carte blanche. Unique events for food lovers!
Last year there was already a CarteBlanche at Parkheuvel, when the theme was based on the renovation of the restaurant.
