Use the #selfie in your benefit
10-11-2014
The luxury Mandarin Oriental hotel in Paris created a new example of the use of the #selfie that benefits both the company as the consumer.
Marjolein wrote about it in the beginning of September; the #Selfie as a trend. In that article she provides a few examples, recently she spotted a new one from the luxury Mandarin Oriental hotel in Paris. The hotel launched a ‘Selfie in Paris’ campaign in August 2014. Offering their guests a tour of Paris’ best selfie spots with a private car and driver.
The best #selfie time is yet to come
As from the end of November it will be booming with all the #Christmas decoration #selfies on the social media. In front of the Christmas Tree on famous spots, with the decorated windows at all the big warehouses et cetera. Make use of this #selfie trend by creating the perfect Selfie spot in your restaurant or hotel. As city you can organise your own best selfie spot tour to promote your most photogenic spots as well.
Sleeping in a sculpture
5-11-2014
In September hotel ‘The Beaumont’ opened in London, a hotel with the huge sculpture ROOM as façade. London has hereby gained a new public art object of the famous sculptor Antony Gormley. Gormley’s ROOM is both a monumental sculpture as an architectural extension of the hotel.
Sleeping in a sculpture: ROOM
Sleeping in a sculpture like the suite of ROOM must be quite an experience! The interior, which is a dark fumed oak-clad bedroom in a one-bedroom suite, accessed up seven steps through a black curtain from a strongly contrasting, pure white marble bathroom. Besides the ROOM the hotel has a total of 50 rooms and 23 suites. It’s the first hotel by Jeremy King and Chris Corbin, located in Mayfair. The hotel includes a couple of restaurants including ‘The Colony Grill Room’ and ‘The American Bar, a Gymnasium and a Spa.
Artist statement
“I take the body as our primary habitat. ROOM contrasts a visible exterior of a body formed from large rectangular masses with an inner experience. The interior of ROOM is only 4 metres square but 10 metres high: intimate at body level, but open above. The idea was to reveal this slowly. I wanted to structure night as a preamble to sleeping and dreaming, and re-enforce the feeling of being fully enclosed so the window only gives a view of the sky. At night, the shutters allow total enclosure and provide total black-out. The very subliminal levels of light allow me to sculpt darkness itself. My ambition for this work is that it should confront the monumental with the most, intimate experience.”
A bakery that starts serving meals
5-11-2014
The ‘Bakkerswinkel’ (Bakery Shop) in Amsterdam-West will start serving meals in the evening as from 14 November, starting on Friday and Saturday. Guests are welcome on these nights for a small or large meal.
A lunchroom during the day and a restaurant at night
Piet Hekker founder of the ‘Bakkerswinkel’ chain with 8 shops in Zoetermeer, Amsterdam, Utrecht, The Hague and Rotterdam asked Andy Verdonk to coach and guide the kitchen team. All dishes will be freshly prepared in the kitchen and they will work with seasonal products. The menu includes dishes (entremets size) to taste, combine or share. Andy Verdonk will also teach his knowledge to the young (future) professionals who are educated at this shop in Amsterdam.
Philosophy of the ‘Bakkerswinkel’
The ‘Bakkerswinkel’ is a meeting place focused on people, product and the environment. All branches of the Baker Shops are unique and have their own atmosphere and identity, adapted to the environment. This is consistent with the philosophy of Piet Hekker; through cross-pollination the city, the craft and the design reinforce each other. Each property consists of a shop, a restaurant and a traditional kitchen / bakery, which is preferably open so that guest can see how their bread and meal are prepared. Making the craft of cook and baker more visible, fits into the trend of transparency.
Bakery blurring
Shop and restaurant in one, another fine example of blurring. The ‘Bakkerswinkel’ does it for 40 years already. What once started as a bakery/shop evolved into a lunchroom (with an extended evening opening in Zoetermeer). Recently the venue in Amsterdam followed with an evening opening as well. The ingredients used at the evening are not for sale in the shop. Something that might change in the near future.
Lke the times the gas stations got permission to sell food and some restaurant owners asked if they could start selling gas, there will probably be restaurant owners discussing if they could start selling bread!
Maybe those restaurant owners can make a small wink to the concept; In France I have got a small loaf of bread home after a delicious meal a couple of times. This to discuss dinner at breakfast while still enjoying the crafts of the same kitchen. ^ Marjolein
Mumbai streetfood in Amsterdam
4-11-2014
As from October 21, 2014 SHIRKHAN brings the scent and the traditional flavours of Mumbai streetfood to the ‘Foodhallen’ in Amsterdam West.
Yossi Eliyahoo, owner and developer of the well-known international hotspots IZAKAYA, MOMO and The Butcher (West), has joined forces with top chef Hariprasad Shetty to introduce the first real Mumbai street food concept in the Netherlands. Chef Hariprasad Shetty was born and raised in India and has an unconditional love for Indian cuisine. His passion and knowledge of authentic Indian cuisine can be recognized in each of the streetfood dishes at SHIRKHAN.
Lamb Seekh and Chicken Tikka
Dishes like Lamb Seekh and Chicken Tikka are prepared the traditional way in the Tandoor oven or at the Indian grill in view of the guests. The impressive hand-made Tandoor oven is decorated with gold and bronze mosaic and obviously the showpiece of SHIRKHAN. The meat is served on metal skewers with homemade chutney, salads and fresh naan bread.
Indian street food in London as an example
Yossi Eliyahoo’s idea for SHIRKHAN is inspired by the Indian cuisine in London. Indian food is served there at almost every street corner. In the Netherlands the supply of traditional Indian streetfood is however minimal. We wish Yossi Eliyahoo and chef Hariprasad Shetty a lot of success with their SHIRKHAN.
Whisky tasting at the theater
4-11-2014
Tony van Rooijen is the Dutch brand ambassador for Glenfiddich and takes whisky lovers on a virtual tour during interactive whisky tasting sessions in Haarlem and Amstelveen.
Whisky tasting
At the tasting Tony van Rooijen gives a presentaino on stage while he guides the visitors through a virtual impression of the Scottish Distillery. During the presentation six varieties of whisky will be discussed, all of them are provided in a tasting box that’s included in the ticket price. This way the visitors can taste the variety of whiskys while being informed about it.
Tour through Schotland
Both experts and beginners can enjoy the tasting, that provides immerses you into Scotland for the evening. This Friday 7 November the tour is at the Stadsschouwburg & Philharmonie in Haarlem (from 20.30 o’clock) and the Schouwburg in Amstelveen will host the evening on 29 November. The first tasting of the tour was in Purmerend.
RIJKS® at Rijksmuseum
29-10-2014
On 1 November 2014, the RIJKS® restaurant of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam will open. The restaurant is located in the redesigned Philips wing, the final renovated wing of the museum. The restaurant will be open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner, has 140 seats, a separate room for 36 guests and a terrace with 130 seats. There is a separate entrance to the restaurant on outside of the Rijksmuseum. RIJKS® is a joint venture of Vermaat Groep and the Rijksmuseum.
Responsible for the interior; Paul Linse
For the RIJKS® designer Paul Linse used a mix of materials such as bronze, oak, marble, blue steel and suede. This gives the restaurant it’s cool and stylisch character in combination with the design furniture. Paul Linse was previous responsible for the interior design of various stations in the Netherlands, like Rotterdam Central Station and multiple projects at Schiphol.
The chefs; Joris Bijdendijk, Wim de Beer and Jos Timmer
Joris Bijdendijk is responsible for the kitchen team of Restaurant RIJKS®, that each season will be inspired by an international guest cook. Margot Janse from South Africa kicks off in January. The focus of the restaurant lies on Dutch products with inspiration from the exotic flavors that influenced the Dutch cuisine through the centuries. The chefs share the Slow Food mindset and have used products from The Ark of Taste in their dishes. Inspiring: At the restaurant a ‘RIJKS TABLE’ is served, check out the menu on the website to learn more about this. We are looking forward to future RIJKS TABLES inspired by the guest cooks and wish Joris Bijdendijk and his team a lot of fun and success at the RIJKS® in the Rijksmuseum.
A new hotspot at Laren: Gastrobar Anton
23-10-2014
As of today, 23 October, Laren officially has a new hotspot: Gastrobar Anton opens in the same building as restaurant Mauve near the famous ‘Brink’ and can be visited for a coffee, a drink or snack. The GastroBar has a hip, Scandinavian design, with high tables, designer bar chairs, a large solid bar and a comfortable lounge area with leather sofas. Different types of wood, leather and fabric are used in the interior, together with it’s vintage touch this creates a warm atmosphere.
Gastrobar Anton
Where their neighbors, Mauve restaurant, is known for its lunch and dinner, Gastrobar Anton is a great place for a drink, a culinary lunch or shared dining until late in the evening. The dishes are adapted to the drink menu and they are matching with the various drinks. These combination are served by the chefs, for example:
- Grilled beetroot, goat cheese mousse, sherry vinegar and tarragon, with a good glass of wine.
- Steak tartare with puffed quinoa and mustard foam, with a cocktail.
- Panna cotta of white chocolate with caramelized pineapple, with a cup of coffee.
In the weekends guests can stay even longer, every Friday and Saturday a DJ is playing music.
Popular dishes from New York at Hudson Bar & Kitchen in Zoetermeer
9-10-2014
Hudson Bar & Kitchen, the New York-style restaurant with dishes like the Hudson Burger, Organic Hot Dogs, Chili Con Carne, Wraps, Nachos, Chicken Wings, Cheese Cake and cocktails such as the Royal Mojito and Long Island Ice Tea, recently opened in Zoetermeer.
Willem Post about the similarity between restaurants in NYC and Hudson Bar & Kitchen
During the opening there was a short speech by Willem Post (NYC expert) in which he indicated the similarities between restaurants in the city and the atmosphere and menu of Hudson Bar & Kitchen. He gave his new book, The Magic of New York, to Mariette van Leeuwen, who is alderman of Zoetermeer and officially opened the restaurant. She gave the owners an olive tree…. here we have to point out that currently the growth of the Hudson Bar & Kitchen chain is faster than an olive tree grows. Hudson Bar & Kitchen in Zoetermeer is already the 6th restaurant of the chain. The other locations are in The Hague, Naaldwijk, Rotterdam, Noordwijkerhout and Almere.
About Hudson Bar & Kitchen
The restaurant is located in the ‘Sara Lydia Hoeve’ in Zoetermeer. It’s a spacious, modern decorated restaurant with wall paintings and has a rural American look and feel. In the weekends they have the ‘Afterdinner Beatz’ with DJs and on Sundays the ‘family day’ includes entertainment for the little ones. The restaurant also serves a High Wine arrangement which we earlier wrote about. In the Hudson Suite on the first floor you can eat with a private group.
We wish the owners, Doina Jonkman – de Gier and Alain Reestman lots of success with their new business.
Opening Market hall Rotterdam
2-10-2014
The city of Rotterdam has a new a new architectural landmark, The Markthal. Following Stockholm, Barcelona, Valencia and Copenhagen the first indoor market of the Netherlands opened yesterday, 1 October, in Rotterdam. The market hall has the size of a large soccer field and gives space to several entrepreneurs: about 100 fresh produce units, 15 food shops and 8 restaurants are located in this impressive hall. Besides that the market hall a culinary meeting point is, the building has 228 apartments build in the arch as well.
A restaurant, amongst others, located at the Markthal; BasQ Kitchen. We do wish all the entrepreneurs a lot of fun and success at this location.
More safety with a fun factor
25-9-2014
A marketing campaign with a dancing traffic light to increase safety on the road. Last July, car manufacturer SMART in collaboration with BBDO Germany placed a unique system in a traffic light in a busy street in Lisbon. The traffic light looked normal at first, but before people started to get bored waiting for the green light, the red man in the traffic light started to dance. The dance moves of the red man were recorded by volunteers in a large installation. The action doesn’t only look great it also served a purpose: because pedestrians were entertained, 81% more people were waiting for the light to turn green.
In 2009 we’ve spotted a ‘Wiki Traffic Light‘ on the website The Fun Theory, where car drivers could answer ‘wiki’ questions while waiting during the red light. Increasing safety with a fun factor, an idea for your town?
Icon by Freepik via flaticon.com CC3
