Packaging-free supermarket
19-9-2014
Many initiatives are designed to make supermarkets more sustainable: we have spotted the first dump supermarket in Amsterdam, there is a supermarket chain in Denmark selling local products and we have seen how supermarkets work together with restaurants to reduce their waste.
Bay & Buy
Wim van Dijk hopes to open a new concept through crowdfunding: the first packaging-free supermarket in the Netherlands ‘Bag & Buy’. In this store customers can pick their own products from containers, barrels and jars and can thereby determine the amount they need.
International developments
A comparable initiative can be found in several countries. In Germany packaging-free supermarket ‘Original Unverpackt‘ was funded by crowdfunding as well. The starting capital for this supermarket was collected in one day. Earlier this year ‘Robuust, the zero waste shop’ opened its doors in Antwerp and in France, Spain and Austria are a packaging-free grocery stores as well.
The crowdfunding for the supermarket ‘Bag & Buy’ in the Netherlands starts on 1 October. The crowdfunders also determine the location of this store: “Bag & Buy will open where there is the must enthusiasm” as said by Wim van Dijk. The initiator thinks he will need € 100.000,- to open the grocery store.
The Future Hotel
18-9-2014
Researchers of the Fraunhofer Institute IAO developed a ‘Future Hotel’ together with partners from the hotel and their supply industry. Via the video you get a brief impression of the future opportunities for a hotel room. Examples are a mobile check-in via a smartphone; round shapes in the hotel room; innovative communication systems, systems that are voice controlled; the fiber of the glass that could be adjusted from see through to non transparent; the ability to change the color of the room; taps with a light and temperature display and a whirlpool with a heated wall, by infrared. The hotel bed of the future (‘an energy-bed’) provides an electric motor for swing movements that makes guests fall asleep more easily and rise and shine the next morning.
We have seen more hotel rooms of the future, striking similarities are the round curves in architecture, the use of the smartphone and the tap and the possibilities of changing the color in the room. We didn’t see the ‘energy-bed’ before…
In February 2013, another future hotel room was presented at the Fiturtech, the International Tourism Trade Fair, in Madrid, that was called the ‘ITH Room Xperience’.
Restyling of restaurant Den Draeck in Utrecht
18-9-2014
Restaurant Den Draeck in Utrecht was recently restyled. Den Draeck is located in a 12th century cellar and is one of the hidden historical gems of the city Utrecht. The present and past of the location were brought together by combining a modern design with the ancient exterior: the walls were covered with old prints and photographs of the city and the old stones of the arches are brought at their best with new lightning and fresh colors. Watch the photos for an impression of the end result.
Bilder & De Clercq introduces interactive wall
17-9-2014
From 9 September the Bilder & De Clercq grocery store from Amsterdam introduced an interactive wall at the Google Office in Amsterdam. The grocery store weekly offers fourteen tasty, healthy and easy to prepare dishes with all the necessary ingredients in the right amount. YES.TAP makes it even more easy for consumers to order a meal: they only need their smartphone to touch a dish on a screen. The interactive wall was introduced as a response to the trend of online groceries ordering. Customers can order the fourteen dishes and other products via the Bilder & De Clercq Wall and via the app at home. If the order is send before 4 o’clock pm the cooled groceries can be picked up from 5 o’clock pm
More interactive walls? In 2011 we’ve already spotted a virtual wall from supermarket chain Tesco in a subway station in South Korea.
Sand Hotel Friesland in Sneek
17-9-2014
We’ve spotted ice hotels and a hotel made of salt before, but this summer the first sand hotel opened. The sand hotel opened temporarily in the Dutch city Sneek in response to the annual Sand Sculpture Festival Friesland. The hotel is inspired by ice hotels located in Sweden and Finland but because of the limitations of sand the organization has chosen for a combination of high quality facilities hidden in a sand sculpture. The sand sculpture of nearly 8 meters represents the town of ‘Bedrock’ from the Flinstones. This design is chosen because of the Hollywood theme of this year. The initiative of a sand hotel is already a great success for the organization: several countries are interested in building a sand hotel as well. A night in the sand hotel in Sneek is bookable until 28 September.
Selfies are here to stay!
16-9-2014
Restaurants, hotels and tourist attractions can use the trends #selfies.
The Braggy
Regardless of your opinion, too narcissistic, often poor quality, you aren’t fond of those flashes of the phones of those young people, the #Selfie is incredibly popular. Especially during this holiday season it struck me how many people make selfies at tourist spots, in well-known restaurants, on the beach, drinking a cocktail etcetera and posted it on their social media channels. In America they already came up with a new term, ‘The #Braggy’, from to brag.
For sale: the VeloPresso
16-9-2014
We already wrote an article about the VeloPresso in 2012. After three years of developments the last details are worked out as well and from 16 September the mobile coffee bar can be ordered online. The VeloPresso is a unique and highly innovative coffee tricycle. It has a great mobility and does not require electricity. The VeloPresso can be ordered from £9,995,-.
Biggest BYOB edition of the Netherlands
15-9-2014
BYOB, better known as ‘Bring Your Own Beamer’ is an event where artists and film makers bring their own beamer to project their art work. The event is an internationally recognized recipe, but SETUP organizes the largest BYOB editions worldwide in the Netherlands. In cooperation with the Dutch Film Festival the recently opened Tivoli Vredenbrug in Utrecht will transform into a large canvas where about 75 artists exhibit their work. The artists and film makers will beam their artwork on walls, windows and escalators on 26 September from sunset to midnight.
The Basque kitchen in Rotterdam
15-9-2014
From the first of October the Basque cuisine can be found in Rotterdam. The menu of the new restaurant BasQ Kitchen is inspired by the traditional Basque kitchen, modernized by chef Alvaro Martinez. Chef Alvaro Martinez worked at El Bulli and Arzak, and at this moment he is chef of restaurant Sukam in San Sebastian. BasQ Kitchen opens its doors in the new market hall of Rotterdam. The two floors of the restaurant have a contemporary interior and 85 seats, a bar and an open kitchen. Besides in the restaurant, delicious Basque food can be ordered at BasQ To Go at the market side as well.
Pop-up coffee bar Black Box in Ghent
12-9-2014
Pop-up coffee bar
A work-out followed by an artisanal cup of coffee. This is possible in the pop-up coffee shop Black Box in the Belgian city of Ghent. The specialty coffee bar is located in a garage box of CrossFit Gent, a gym focused on the new form of fitness, CrossFit. As from 4 September Barista Yf Feller serves freshly made coffees, for a month.
Bullet proof coffee
A special coffee on the menu is the ‘bullet proof coffee’. This is a creamy coffee made from butter from grass-fed cows, coconut oil and French coffee, what gives a boost, both physically and mentally.
For people who don’t like coffee, various activities are organized on location as well. For examples, a second-hand clothing market and an indoor picnic.
Pay-as-you-wish
A special aspect of Black Box is that there’s no pricelist available. Guests give a contribution and are allowed to choose what they think is fair to pay. Black Box is an example of a ‘pay as you wish’ concept which we may years ago in Vienna, Der Wiener Deewan. The system from ‘Pay as you wish’ is used for charity as well, like we spotted in 2007 at restaurant Trien in Herpen. Trust is a more recent example that opened in Amsterdam last year.
Pop-up koffiebar Black Box in Gent
12-9-2014
Eerst even flink zweten om vervolgens te genieten van een ambachtelijk kopje koffie. Bij de pop-up koffiebar Black Box aan de Forelstraat in Gent is dit mogelijk. De specialty coffee bar bevindt zich in een garage box van CrossFit Gent, een sportschool gericht op de nieuwe vorm van fitness, CrossFit. Vanaf 4 september schenkt barista Yf Feller een maand lang verse koffies waarvan de bonen geroosterd zijn in de beste branderijen van Europa.
Bulletproof coffee
Een bijzondere koffie op de kaart is de ‘bulletproof coffee’. Dit is een romige koffie met boter van gras gevoerde koeien, kokosvet en French koffie, die zowel lichamelijk als mentaal een boost geeft.
Voor mensen die niet van koffie houden vinden er op locatie ook verschillende activiteiten plaats zoals een tweedehands kledingmarkt en een overdekte picknick.
Pay-as-you-wish
Bijzonder aan Black Box is dat er geen prijslijst aanwezig is. Gasten geven een vrije bijdrage en bepalen dus zelf wat zij willen (eerlijk vinden) te betalen. De koffiezaak Black Box is een voorbeeld van een ‘pay as you wish’ concept. Al in 2007 hebben we hier voorbeelden van gezien onder andere in Wenen bij Der Wiener Deewan. Ook voor goede doelen wordt deze methode met enige regelmaat gebruikt. Zoals in 2007 bij restaurant Trien in Herpen. Een recentelijk voorbeeld is Trust in Amsterdam.
Food bloggers at restaurant Karakter
12-9-2014
Hand picked oysters from Zeeland in the south of the Netherlands, mussels, scallops, parsnip, mackerel, ‘gortepap’ (kind of porridge) and wines from Dutch wineries. The chefs of restaurant Karakter in Rotterdam, Pety Breugem and Nathan Vermunt, prove that Dutch cuisine taste great with their menu that consists entirely of products from Dutch soil, both the wines and the dishes. Horecatrends was invited to taste the menu, along with a number of food bloggers. Inviting food bloggers for the release of a new menu, is a great idea to generate more attention. If you are reading this and you own a restaurant; have you ever give this idea a thought, instead of or next to your standard advertising? Especially with food bloggers with many local followers, this might be an addition to your marketing strategy.
Bram Kosterink consultant at Van Spronsen & Partners hospitality consultancy
Bionina the organic drink
11-9-2014
Bionina is an organic drink made of fresh fruit and sparkling water. The ingredients find their origin in Italy. The mineral water is from the Italian mountains and the fruit is from the organic farms in Sicily. No colorants, fragrances, preservatives and flavoring are added to the drink. Bionina is available in four distinctive flavors: cranberry/pomegranate, blood orange, grapefruit and lemon. Another trendy, non-alcoholic drink.
This diet is Scandilicious!
11-9-2014
“In the past we have seen that ‘popular diets’ like for example Montignac and Atkins, did wonders (sales wise) for restaurants offering meals prepared within the limits of those diets. Would this be possible with the Scandinavian diet as well?” Our guest writer, Julia Soldic explains….
The masses are embracing the Scandinavian diet, the eatable solution to prolonged life expectancy – Why?
Gordon Street Garage, West Perth
10-9-2014
The Gordon Street Garage in West Perth is located in a former garage. The restaurant is based on the idea of simple and local produce. The coffee is for example roasted and ground on location which allows the garage to daily serve different types of coffee. The dishes on the menu are yard-to-table inspired and mostly designed to share. The restaurant has an industrial-chic interior which shows the origin of the building. A lot of furniture and fittings are even made from the wood and steel of the original garage itself. The large space of the Gordon Street Garage is divided into different zones to create a wide range of dining experiences. A part of the space is arranged for a quick cup of coffee, the large bar and high tables are created for a cocktail and a bar snack and another part of the area is used for extensive lunches or dinners. Watch the video for an impression of the Gordon Street Garage.
The potato store in Amsterdam
10-9-2014
A temporary potato store will open in Amsterdam on 26 September. The pop-up store ‘Pieperboetiek’ (pieper is a Dutch nickname for a potato) will be opened for two weeks and is dedicated to potatoes. Besides giving information, 30 kinds of potatoes are sold as well. All types of potatoes are organic and grown locally in the Netherlands. The goal of the store is to reduce the gap between the city and countryside. Visitors can ask questions to potato farmers, a fries-debate is held and a potato dinner is organized. The ‘Pieperboetiek’ is an initiative of Krispijn van den Dries, a biodynamic farmer and slightly a potato activist. Earlier Krispijn protested against the low prizes of potatoes by dumping 6.000 kilos of potatoes on the Dam in Amsterdam. Krispijn is, together with city farmer and journalist Felicia Alberding and the Youth Food Movement, committed to an honest food system and better relationships between the city and the countryside.
The Jane Antwerp
9-9-2014
The Jane in Antwerp beautifully designed by Piet Boon and is highlighted at the website of ‘The Restaurant & Bar Design Awards’. We think it might be one of the title candidates for the award in 2015. The restaurant of Sergio Herman and Nick Bril was opened in March in a chapel of the former military hospital of Antwerp. The preparations of the opening took three years: not only the dishes, but everything around it had to include the vision and feeling of both chefs. A collaboration between artists, designers and deejays was established. With the motto ‘food is our religion’, the kitchen is situated at the place of the altar. Other eye-catchers are the specially printed windows, a neon skull and the 800 kilo chandelier.
The Netherlands, Land of Whisky
9-9-2014
The documentary ‘The Netherlands, land of Whisky’ will premiere at the film festival ‘Film By The Sea’ in Vlissingen on 20 September. The initiative of film maker Gwen Jansen shows the remarkable whisky culture in the Netherlands: Over 2,5 million people drink whisky, world’s largest whisky fair is in the Netherlands and a lot of whisky media and whisky writers are Dutch. The first whisky camping is even founded in the Netherlands. The documentary is produced by JansenJager, Beeldmakers and is mostly established by crowdfunding and without use of subsidies. It will appear on DVD and Blu-Ray at the end of this year in Dutch and English and can be ordered via the website ‘NederlandWhiskyland’.
Accor opens Suite Novotel in the Netherlands
8-9-2014
Suite Novotel opens its doors in the Haagsche Passage in The Hague on 1 Oktober. The long stay concept of Suite Novotel Den Haag City Centre will exist out of 118 suites and will be located in the city center of The Hague nearby the Parliament, numerous embassies, government offices, museums and shops. The suites are suitable as bedroom, living room and as reception area and are equipped with numerous modern facilities.
Baidu smart chopsticks
8-9-2014
It all started as a April fools’ prank last spring: chopsticks that are able to analyze the quality of food. This summer Chinese web giant Baidu launched a prototype of smart chopsticks that focuses on health and hygiene. The smart chopsticks will tell you whether the oil that has been used is fresh: sensors of the chopsticks discover the oil’s temperature and judges its fitness for consumption. Poor food safety is a big problem in China, one of the concerns is ‘gutter oil’. ‘Gutter oil’ is illegal cooking oil what is made by reprocessing waste oil or by dredging up leftovers from restaurants.
Veuve Clicquot ages champagne in Baltic Sea
5-9-2014
Champagne house Veuve Clicquot dropped hundreds of bottles of champagne in the Baltic sea on 18 June. The Baltic sea offers unique aging conditions for the bottles of champagne with its low level of salinity and a constant temperature of 4 degrees. This was discovered four years ago when divers found a cache of more than 165 bottles of champagne near the Äland island near Finland. The bottles were dating back to 1839, but were preserved perfectly. The bottles champagne of Veuve Clicquot currently lie 40 meters below the surface where they will be monitored by a ‘cellar master’. The bottles will be brought back to the surface in 2054.
Dinner at Grant Achatz; a feast for all senses
4-9-2014
Chef Grant Achatz of restaurant Alinea is only 30 years old and no. 9 on ‘The World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ by San Pellegrino. As all his European colleagues particularly create a feast on the plate, this chef creates a complete show with the whole experience but in an understated, un-American way. Marjolein van Spronsen experienced it and concludes in her blog; “This is in the restaurant world, “Think different, Act different’, a rollercoaster ride from three hours that gives you a ‘dazzling experience’ of tastes and experiences”.
Restaurant ‘t Klooster was opened in Wijk bij Duurstede
4-9-2014
Jonnie and Thérèse Boer of ‘De Librije’*** and ‘Librije’s zusje’** opened restaurant ‘t Klooster at Wijk bij Duurstede on 1 September. This restaurant is taken over by former employee Jeroen van Hensbergen and his wife Natasja van Hensbergen. Jeroen and Natasja transformed brasserie ‘t Klooster into a restaurant where high-quality, creative and affordable dishes are served. A special aspect is that the restaurant serves a menu especially for people who had a gastric bypass or gastric sleeve. Natasja herself had gastric bypass surgery and realized that it was very difficult to join others in dining for a full evening. “Jeroen cooks in ‘t Klooster a special menu where the portioning is adapted to the wishes of the guests and where the intolerances and the use of sugar are taking into account.”
Delirium Café opens in Amsterdam
3-9-2014
The famous Delirium Café opens its doors in Amsterdam on 18 September. The Delirium Café is worldwide known to beer lovers. The café originated in Brussel and is known for its amount of different beers. In 2014 the café made it to the Guiness Book of Records with a variety of 3200 beers. The establishment in Amsterdam starts ‘modest’ with 500 different kinds of national and international beers. It will be located in a characteristic property at the Piet Heinkade. Guests can eat there as well, the kitchen serves simple but qualitative dishes. Soon a Delirium boat will float through the canals of Amsterdam. The boat transports guests from and to the Delirium café.
The Bacon Bullets
3-9-2014
NEXTDELI is a new player in the field of food concepts and introduced new products: The Bacon Bullets and The Bacon Balls. The products are inspired on the Dutch well-known ‘Kroket’ and ‘Bitterbal’ and have a bacon flavour. The Bacon Balls and Bullets distinguish themselves from the ‘Kroket’ and ‘Bitterbal’ in three ways: ‘The Crunch’, ‘The Bacon’ and ‘The Taste’. The products have a special crunch because of the use of American breadcrumb. The Bacon can be tasted in the creamy filling and the Taste refers to the spicy aftertaste. The products are made of organic bacon and no additives and preservatives are added. A special sauce is developed to replace the mustard that is usually used with ‘kroketten’ and ‘bitterballen’. The Gunshot sauce looks a lot like a mustard-sauce, but has a sweet touch from honey and a touch of BBQ.
