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.
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.
Bakery serves breakfast at hotel Eindhoven
27-8-2015
The Van der Valk hotel in Eindhoven has partnered with Bakery Schellens. Together they realized a traditional bakery in the breakfast room of the hotel. Guests can witness the baker preparing the bread and pastry products freshly. It’s a store-in-store bakery which serves ‘instantly fresh’ bread.
Worldwide, there are more and more large international hotel concerns that sign up for a cooperation with formulas that establish small pickup point in the lobby. Like for example small Starbucks outlets in various hotel lobbies, but also local bakers in others. A great example is the AMCE hotel in Chicago with the Weston Town Bakery in the lobby. A great addition is their, almost old-fashioned, Knock ‘N Drop service for breakfast.
Bakery serves breakfast at the Van der Valk Hotel Eindhoven
The store-in-store ‘Bakkerij’ is the answer of Bakery Schellens and the Van der Valk Hotel Eindhoven to the growing need for ‘instantly fresh’ and artisanal bread. Additionally they will expect to interact more with their guests and offer them better quality and freedom of choice. Just grapping a quick breakfast to go, or enjoying the breakfast and slowly waking up in the breakfast room. Breakfast as part of the food-as-experience trend.
Guests can take a look behind the scenes and will have a choice of Frisian rye bread, croissants, several wheat buns, spelt- and sourdough bread, and the famous ‘worstenbroodjes’ (kind of sausage sandwiches, you should try one if you’re ever in the South of The Netherlands) and Danish pastry.
According to Rick Polman, director Van der Valk Eindhoven, is the Bakery Schellens a unique addition to the hotel and its presence increases the fresh experience for his guests. The Bakery is their response to the changing needs, trends and developments in the market. In addition, the Bakery works with themes and seasonal themes. Both the hotel and the Bakery focus on their own core business.
Moringa will be introduced in the USA with the help of a celebrity chef
21-8-2015
A new leafy, nutritious plant called ‘Moringa’ has been introduced in the USA. And now, celebrity chef José Andrés, will start helping to introduce the Moringa with his non-profit, World Central Kitchen. This in cooperation with the first American moringa company, Kuli Kuli.
Moringa
While kale is still very popular as superfood in the USA, José Andrés will try to seduce the Americans to start using the Moringa leaves. The Moringa oleifera tree, also known as the Miracletree is a nutrient-dense plant with nine essential amino acids, 27 vitamins and 46 antioxidants. Almost all parts of this tropical tree can be eaten or do have medicinal values. The Kuli Kuli company makes a pure Moringa vegetable powder. And this is the product they are trying to make more popular in the USA. Moringa is also available in the Netherlands.
#MoringaInspired
Together with the Kuli Kuli Company and the Haitian nonprofit Smallholder Farmer’s Alliance, the World Central Kitchen launched a nationwide moringa recipe competition on Instagram, using the hashtag #MoringaInspired to raise awareness and support moringa farming communities in Haiti. The #MoringaInspired recipe competition seeks to draw creative and inspiring food and beverage creations from consumers using Kuli Kuli Pure Moringa Vegetable Powder. According to thefoodpeople, one winner will be selected to win a trip to Washington DC, including dinner at Jose Andres’ new restaurant – China Chilcano.
Culinary inspiration from Barcelona and New York around the Nikkei kitchen.
20-8-2015
Pakta restaurant in Barcelona combines Japanese and Peruvian cuisine, called Nikkei. Peru is the cradle of this popular and inspiring cuisine. In New York, a pop-up Peru Show was organized which included this Nikkei kitchen.
Over 25 years ago, I had the pleasure to visit Peru (especially the capital Lima) several times. Even then, I frequently experienced the influence of the many Japanese people who live there. You could have sushi and other Japanese food specialties for example. Over time, the mix between these two kitchens, Nikkei, became very popular. One of the first great chefs who made Nikkei very popular was Nobu Matsuhisa. Nikkei is already a source of inspiration for chefs for several years.
Pakta restaurant in Barcelona
For Ferran Adrià, former chef of El Bulli and his brother Albert Adrià, the Nikkei kitchen is also inspiring. In their restaurant Pakta in Barcelona they are experimenting with unlimited Nikkei since 2013. In Peruvian ‘Pakta’ means ‘union’, so in this case two cultures with their respective kitchens that melt together. Pakta is the first Peruvian-Japanese restaurant in Barcelona. They serve two menus, we enjoyed the surprising and delightful dishes of the Fujiyama menu, the cocktails and their hospitality. The video shows you what to expect when having dinner at Pakta.
Meanwhile in New York
‘The Peruvian Business Council’ organized the Peru Show in collaboration with the Consulate of Peru in New York, in the Chelsea Market from 27 July to 2 August. This pop-up show was made possible with the help of some Peruvian chefs and artists. They showed Peruvian products, cocktails, gourmet cuisine and fashion. This pop-up show was a preview for a permanent showroom about Peru which is planned for 2017 at the expansion of the Chelsea Market. Read more about the Peru Show on thefoodpeople.
Nikkei, inspiration for a small festival in the Netherlands?
Since a large number of chefs in the Netherlands are inspired by the Nikkei cuisine as well and there certainly are a lot of fans, wouldn’t a small festival or a themed room in one of our new food halls in Amsterdam or Rotterdam be a good idea? And if we could get an international inspirer to the Netherlands such as one of the chefs of Nobu or Pakta, it would be a must visit for all foodies in the Netherlands! ^ Marjolein
Why don’t we have a Cheese Bar in the Netherlands?
13-8-2015
Why don’t we have a cheese bar in the Netherlands? The Poncelet Cheese Bar, with locations in Madrid and Barcelona, is a great example. The restaurant serves great dishes with all kind of cheeses.
The interior of Poncelet Cheese Bar in Barcelona
Located in the Hotel Meliá Sarriá, the Cheese Bar has a total of 400 square meters on the ground floor of the hotel. And like in Madrid it is a great meeting point for cheese lovers to enjoy a high gastronomic level. In the library you can scroll through some great books about cheese. Design atelier Estudi{H}ac created a unique interior using a lot of wood, marble, copper, green elements like a fabulous vertical garden and colorful wooden sticks at the ceiling. The 400 square meter is filled with a cocktail bar, the main cheese bar, a library, a community table and a big cheese pantry, filled with great cheeses. Check the website of the Design Atelier for great pictures of the interior.
On the menu of Poncelet
We’ve visited the Cheese Bar with a company of six, giving us the possibility to try a couple of starters, like the croquettes made with cow cheese Valtellina, matured goat cheese or sheep cheese blue cheese Arribes. The coca Q & Q (Quatro Quesos), the manchego bonbons and the coolant potato and mimolette cheese tasted delicious as well. The wild mushroom risotto with Sbrinz cheese and the false gnocchi’s with Zamorano cheese and the Prey Iberian meatloaf where our favorites amongst the main dishes. The Cheese Bar also serves fondues and raclettes. You can even have dinner at the Cheese Bar with people who don’t fancy cheese, a couple of dishes have the – no cheese for me – sign. The prices range from 13 to 23 euro per dish.
Why don’t we have a Dutch Cheese Bar?
We think that a cheese bar could be a popular spot in touristic areas in the Netherlands as well. Amongst others you could serve cheese ‘kroketten’ (croquettes), our tosti’s (melted cheese sandwich) and Dutch cheese on our healthy ‘boterham’ (bread) during lunch time. We’re sure that a great chef will be able to create dishes at the same gastronomic level while using our Dutch Cheeses.
Tip when you visit Barcelona: Poncelet Cheese Bar, Avinguda de Sarria 50, Barcelona
Inspiration from the Xiringuito Escribà: an ‘Airbag’ with Iberian ham
12-8-2015
At the xiringuito (beach restaurant) Escribà in Barcelona they serve an ‘Airbag’ with Iberian Ham, a great alternative way to serve one of the most delicious hams of the world. Because of the fact that the ‘Airbag’ is served hot the ham will melt a bit, creating a delicious combination.
Xiringuito Escribà
If we do visit a town we always check the Michelin guide and the internet for great places to eat. Recently we bought a great book (also available as app): Where Chefs Eat, a guide to chefs’ favorite restaurants, in which this beach restaurant is recommended by Albert Raurich, Ferran Adria’s right-hand man at el Bulli for seven years who left in 2007 to open the Asian tapas bar Dos Palillos. At this xiringuito you will have dinner or lunch in a relaxed atmosphere with simple but great dishes. If you want to have lunch at weekend days, you really need to make a reservation. Besides their ‘Airbag’ we loved their Escribà special paella or fidueà (Catalan noodles) and their choice of desserts.
A small hospitable gesture from the Xiringuito
The staff brings the bill in a hat with a small surprise. Old-fashioned but we saw a lot of adults play with it, a great place to enjoy a summer lunch or dinner if you’re visiting Barcelona! ^Marjolein van Spronsen
