Traditional French table service at Restaurant Hemingway
11-11-2015
‘Back to the Classics’, restaurant Hemingway from Grand Hotel ‘De Draak’ (the Dragon) is going to implement traditional tableside food preparation for two days this month.
Restaurant Hemingway is part of the oldest hotel and company in the Netherlands, Grand Hotel De Draak in Bergen op Zoom. The team of the restaurant is going to implement traditional French tableside food preparations. Examples of this are flambéing, filleting etcetera at every course of their menu on Thursday the 26th and Friday, the 27th of November.
‘Back to the Classics’ with the traditional French table service style
A French serving style is not very common, but is seen at some exclusive upscale clubs and restaurants. The waiter typically has a fancy cart that carries different types of food for the guests to look over before they decide what they would like. Sometimes this is only done for appetizers or deserts, and sometimes it is done throughout the entire meal.
At restaurant Hemingway one can chose a four course meal with a classic dish at each course. During the evening they will cut smoked salmon, fillet sole at the table, serve chopped sirloin steak with flambéed lardons and they finish with ‘cerises flambées’. There’s a lot of craftsmanship to witness on these evenings in restaurant Hemingway.
The craftsmanship of preparing classic dishes at the table is disappearing
In recent years, more and more restaurants stopped preparing the classic dishes at the table. This is mainly due to the labour intensity but it also isn’t taught anymore at the institutions. The classic tableside preparations are no longer regularly practiced and they seem to disappear due to these causes. Fortunately they are still used with some regularity at high-end restaurants. Often in a fancy way, such as preparing ice cream at the table through nitrogen, or preparing a cocktail at the table or the bar this way.
One will find variations of the classic dishes such as Crêpe Suzette regularly in the top restaurants. Like at Maison Lameloise (***) of chef Éric Pras where they still prepare a delicious Crêpe Suzette at your table.
In the end the traditional French table serving styles guarantee a show and your guest will experience a night out instead of just having dinner! We love to experience it in restaurants and we do wish the guests of restaurant Hemingway lot of fun and the team the best of luck on 26 and 27 November!
Will pupcakes become a trend in Europe?
28-10-2015
Will the trend of pupcakes and homemade dog treats also get to Europe? And what can you as a restaurant or hotel owner do with this trend?
Pupcakes, it should not get any crazier
That dog owners in America love to pamper their dogs, is well known. Dog clothes, even from well-known designers are for sale everywhere. And since the owners are crazy about cupcakes, they’re also crazy about pupcakes. Sometimes the American dog owners go one step further with parties for the dog, including pupcakes and homemade dog treats. Whilst on October 4, International Animal Day, most pets in Europe just get a bone or an extra stroke. Nonetheless all photos on Pinterest are fun to watch!
Pupcakes as inspiration for restaurant or hotel owners
How nice would it be if your restaurant at the beach or in the vicinity of dog walking fields, also offers a menu for the dog? We’re not talking about a standard cookie from the store, but a homemade ‘pupcake’ menu. The dog owner can take his or her dog out for lunch! On Pinterest you can find many different recipes for pupcakes and their icings.
In America they know how to celebrate, the bigger the better, but in Europe it would be great if you have one or two pupcakes on the menu for people’s best friend. Such an incredible welcoming gesture!
A slumber party at The Mark hotel
27-10-2015
At the 5-star hotel ‘The Mark’ in New York one can book a Slumber Party Suite. The hotel offers extra attention to the children of their guests by providing a sleep-over service and some more child friendly initiatives.
A slumber party for young guests
The Slumber Party Suite in hotel ‘The Mark’ is specifically designed for parents with young children, including their own tepee. Upon arrival at the suite, the children are surprised with chocolate milk, cookies and an in-room family movie.
The Mark Hotel really offers special extras that their young guests will love, and so will their parents. For the very young ones they even have a stroller available, completely in the style of the hotel. Designed in collaboration with stroller manufacturer, Maclaren. They’re ideal for a stroll through Central Park, located nearby. A tour through the ‘Metropolitan Museum of Art’ is organized for children from 10 to 13 years to teach them a bit about the art and culture of the city.
Rumor around the brand
In addition, the hotel has bicycles available designed in the style of the hotel (black and white stripes), including a black helmet and a basket. Do you prefer to stroll through Central Park? You can also enjoy a ‘lunch-to-go’ prepared by chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. The picnic basket includes luxurious ingredients, a blanket, cutlery and spices. In order not to get lost in New York’s largest park, The Mark also designed a map so guests can easily navigate through Central Park. Four legged friends are welcomed with open arms as well. The dog has receives his own basket of the brand ‘Molly Mutt’ and water bowls with a coaster that is specially designed for the hotel. This creates a ‘slumber party’ including the family dog! All those extras creates a lot of ‘rumor around the brand’.
Inspiration for hoteliers
The service that The Mark Hotel provides is very thorough. However if it inspires another hotel owner to personalize sleeping arrangements for children in a family suite, that would be wonderful. In addition, a family dog getting a warm welcome is quite unusual, especially in large cities. Hotel The Mark has inspired us before in 2013, with a 24/7 shopping service at the luxury department store, Bergdorf Goodman.
Flight Funding; KLM experimenting with crowdfunding
8-10-2015
KLM is the first airline in the world that uses its social media channels for a FlightFunding experiment. Basically an experiment with crowdfunding. It is also a fine example of creating a new word in the English language and we wonder how it effects their brand image.
Oké, you say FlightFunding?
Today Juanita from Schijndel gets 24 hours (till 9 October, 7 am) the opportunity to make use of KLM’s social media friends to ‘FlightFund’ a flight to her family in Canada. KLM wants to use this experiment to test the strength of its social network. KLM has been using social media for years, it all began with the award-winning campaign, KLM Surprise in 2010. Since 2010 KLM has 24/7 social media service in 14 languages. Per week more than 150 social media service employees answer 70.000 messages from customers and fans. Amongst those messages there are many wishes from people who can’t afford to buy a ticket, but would love to travel.
Karlijn Vogel-Meijer, Manager Social Media KLM: “We would love to help everyone, of course, but sadly this is simply not an option for a business dependent on the sale of tickets. The FlightFunding concept arose from a deep-seated wish to help people make their dreams come true. This social media experiment will allow KLM to assess how its social network responds to appeals of this kind. From the stack of requests, the care team randomly selected the story of Juanita. ”
“Trial and error has played an important part in establishing KLM’s leading position in social media. FlightFunding really is an experiment. Today Juanita’s appeal has been posted on KLM’s social media channels. Everyone can make their donation on flightfunding.com. With over twelve million fans worldwide it must be possible to fund the amount for a ticket? However, in each experiment there is a chance that it will not succeed. We are very curious about the results. ”
The creative concept for Flight Funding has been developed in collaboration with Code d’Azur. See how Juanita experiences the FlightFunding.
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
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.
Mini Fashion Bar by Pimkie
14-8-2015
The Banks Hotel in Antwerp has the first Mini Fashion Bar from fashion brand Pimkie. Pimkie has adopted the mini-bar concept to bring its latest collection of clothing and accessories to the woman.
Mini Fashion Bar in Hotel Banks
The fashion brand aims at fashionistas who forgot to bring some garments. In their little ‘Mini Fashion Bar’ several items from the Pimkie collection are available, for example a raincoat, comfortable shoes and sunglasses. The collection is depending on the location, the weather and events. The Mini Fashion Bar is integrated in the closet of the hotel room, guests can fit and ask for other sizes via the dedicated fashion concierge. You can pay when checking out. There are plans for Mini Fashion Bars in hotels in Milan, Barcelona, Berlin and Paris.
We have already seen great initiatives of stores or brands teaming up with hotels, like for example Room Shopping at the Dylon hotel. Room Shopping is a co-creation by the hotel and www.9straatjesonline.com. Where guests have the opportunity to browse online through the range of 40 boutiques in the streets. We’re curious whether guests will appreciate and use this extra service of Pimkie and the hotels.
Great examples of small hospitable gestures at Cal Blay Vinticinc
14-8-2015
Cal Blay Vinticinc is located in a modernist winery from 1905 in the cava city Sant Sadurní d’Anoia and is showing us some great small hospitable gestures.
One of those days
At the end of our 2 weeks holiday in Barcelona, we brought one of our guests to the airport and decided to go to nearby Sant Sadurni d’Anoia to buy some cava to take home. And we had to lunch of course but didn’t check for an address… We ended up at the Cal Blay Vinticinc. It was one of those days you just stop at the right address…..
Entering the restaurant to check whether they had a table available they handed us a glass of cava before they went to find out. Wise, because we walked around in their shop while sipping cava…
Small hospitable gesture 1: pica-pica menu and tins
How often do you have problems choosing from the menu? With the Spanish tapas it’s already much easier to choose but Cal Blay offers a pica-pica menu; a couple of starters (snacks) to share with the table. Serving the tartare dishes in small tins. You can choose your own main course and dessert.
Small hospitable gesture 2: the game of the aromas of cava
Cal Blay presents a wide range of wines and cavas from Sant Sadurní d’Anoia to taste (120). The restaurant is all about the culture of wine and cava. Cal Blay tries to involve you in its pursuit of pleasure, combining the knowledge of traditional and new culinary trends. They invite you to play the game of the aromas of cava. At the table you will find 4 senses and instructions how to play the game.
Small hospitable gesture 3: wash your hands in cava
At the end of your dinner you will receive a bowl of hot water scented with cava and towel tablets.
Small hospitable gesture 4: invite your guests to share pictures on social media
Already in the wine store they invite you to use the ‘Photocall del cava’ to take photos in front of a cava wall while holding cava cushions. Which was used frequently by the young visitors of the restaurant.
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
Solving the sunbed race during peak season with the ‘sunbreaker’
24-7-2015
One of the biggest irritations in the summer: claiming sunbeds! Other guests have already claimed all the sunbeds by placing their towel on it. This ‘Sunbed Race’ starts very early in the morning at most resorts during peak season. The sunbreaker is nothing more or less than a parking disc for sunbeds. Hotel owners can offer a sunbreaker with every sunbed to take away some of the frustrations on the subject!
A sunbed race is difficult to avoid.
The only way to avoid this is to provide enough sunbeds for all guests and enough space for all the sun beds. Because otherwise your guests will lay down their towel on the sunbeds at the best spot! At most hotels a sunbed race is inevitable, especially during peak season. Hotel owners who deal with those irritations on a daily base could start to use the ‘sunbreaker’ by entrepreneur Theo van den Dungen. Your guests can set the ‘sunbreaker’ at the moment they leave their sunbed. When they come back within the hour they can use their sunbed again, when they come back later, other guests may take the sunbed. Create a system around it, like for example have the belonging of the old guest handed to the pool attendant. The system is still somewhat susceptible to fraud but as hotel owner you’re showing that you at least try to avoid irritations. It’s possible to personalize the sunbreaker.
