Ikinari Steak restaurant | The restaurant with no chairs

24-2-2017

If you are addicted to steaks and would like to experience a fun and interactive dinner, than you have to go the Ikinari Steak restaurant. At Ikinari Steak they serve ‘super thick’ high quality meats at a fast pace, you even have to eat at a standing station. The Ikinari Steak restaurants are already popular in Japan (100 locations throughout Japan, including over 60 locations in Tokyo) but since last November you can also find it in New York where they’re planning to open 20 more locations in in the next five years. read more

The Langham children’s afternoon Tea with Hamleys of London

29-7-2016

Launching 1st August, the first Children’s Afternoon Tea at The Langham hotel in London. In partnership with Hamleys, the afternoon tea is part of a series of initiatives aimed at providing families an enjoyable experience within Regent Street’s Grand Hotel. read more

The Tea Ceré or matcha brewing device

16-11-2015

Matcha is very healthy and popular, they even made a Tea Ceré – a matcha or tea home-brewing device. With this tea ‘brewing’ machine tea lovers can enjoy matcha drinks at home.

Matcha increasingly popular

Leonie van Spronsen already wrote about the ‘matcha latte’ she drank at Maison Kitsuné in Paris last February. In this article, more about the health effects of matcha. This Japanese tea has become a popular ingredient, even for cocktails. Partly because of the beautiful green colour of the tea.

The Tea Ceré will grind your tea to powder

This tea brewing device is produced by Sharp (Canada) and it kind of looks like a coffee machine. It’s designed to make a perfect cup of tea, of course only if you use high-quality tea leaves. The machine grinds the leaves into a fine powder. The water in the machine will be boiled to the right temperature and even whisks in the tea. You can even make matcha (or another tea) lemonade with the machine.

Dorset’s culinary food plaza along the highway

13-11-2015

A collaboration between AVIA and Willem Dankers’ restaurant Dorset creates a gastronomic experience in their food plaza along the highway, A1 (Lonnekermeer).

The term full service gas station takes on a whole new dimension. Thanks to a unique partnership between AVIA and restaurant Dorset in Borne, a visit to the renewed gas station along the A1 will become a gastronomic experience. Homemade pasta, stewed veal cheeks or fresh baked sourdough bread instead of a simple meatball. Gastronomy along the highway!

Dorset’s culinary food plaza – service, convenience and quality

The renewed AVIA gas station will be reopened by the end of this year. Willem Dankers of restaurant Dorset in Borne was asked to create a new concept regarding the food-related activities. AVIA’s Niek Weghorst: ‘A full service gas station is all about service, convenience and quality. Our customers, no matter how diverse, should experience a moment of rest like at home. In our vision this includes tasty and healthy food.’

Truckers eating stewed veal cheeks?

The concept, a food plaza with a spacious kitchen and a counter with a variety of fresh products, meals, fruits, delicacies and snacks. Both to take with you or eat in, says Willem Dankers: “The concept is based on fresh, healthy products and meals with a lot of variation, taste and of course quality. For example customers can order a fresh, homemade pasta, lasagne, hot chicken, stewed veal cheeks or an organic cappuccino with a warm muffin. Fresh fruit and delicacies. In other words, a complete assortment of food with with plenty of choice with an international look and feel. Of course, everything is top quality, delicious and tasteful.”

All products get a Dorset quality label, the restaurant has recently been awarded a Bib Gourmand, and is listed in the top hundred best restaurants of The Netherlands and a member of the Alliance Gastronomique.

Culinary take-a-way or the classic meatball

Dorset’s food plaza is not only for visitors. Next to the standard assortment, there are also ‘take-a-way’ dishes on the menu. The menu will be updated regularly. “We want to offer as many variation and surprises as possible, in fact the same way we work in our restaurant.” Says Willem Dankers.

Inspiration

An unique collaboration between a gas station and a local restaurant. In 2011 we spotted collaborations between supermarkets and local restaurants in England. Look around in your surroundings with whom you can collaborate and both profit from it!

Tea Gastronomy – The Dutch School of Tea by Dilmah

30-10-2014

Tea is more than just a popular hot drink – its possibilities are in a constant evolution. You can combine tea with cheese, process it in dishes, cocktails or mocktails.

School of Tea

The Sri Lankan family business Dilmah organized the first Dutch ‘School of Tea’ at the estate ‘Duin & Kruidberg’ in the Netherlands. During the lessons, the visitors were given information about the production process and types of tea (the white-, green-, Oolong and black tea) and the distinction of the teas based on the scent. Of course, the visitors also received detailed information on making a perfect cup of tea and masterclasses were given about pairing tea and food.

Tea & Cheese Pairing by Betty Koster

Betty Koster, cheesemaker and owner of Fromagerie L’Amuse in Amsterdam, lets the audience experience how well tea and cheese go together. She presented cheeses from France, the Netherlands and Italy, which she combined with Natural Jasmine Green Tea and Ceylon Souchong Black Tea. Betty Koster has been experimenting with combining tea and cheese for years, we already wrote about it in 2011.

Tea Gastronomy by Jeroen van Oijen & Hidde de Brabander

During the ‘School of Tea’-program Chef Jeroen Van Oijen showed participants how to make a typical Dutch soup ‘snert’ (kind of pea soup) with Dilmah Ceylon Souchong as ingredient. The smoky taste – that in a normal ‘snert’ comes from the sausage – was in this case replaced by the smoky flavor of the tea. Chef Hidde de Brabander used the tea as sour-substitute in a dessert; sacher biscuit with bitter almond and sour pear. The vinegar was replaced by Japanese ‘yuzu juice’ and the water by a green tea. The dish was combined with a Ginger and Rose black tea.

Tea Mixology by Robert Schinkel & Tess Posthumus

Bartender and tea sommelier Robert Schinkel created – along with award-winning bartender Tess Posthumus – a series of surprising tea cocktails such as Souchong Ceylon with Johnnie Walker, Jasmine Green Tea with tequilla and a cocktail of Earl Grey with Ketel One. As mocktail they presented a mix of French Rose & Vanilla tea with pear juice, ginger and fresh lime.

Dilmah shows the potential of its teas

Recently we wrote about restaurant Vermeer who won the Dutch ticket to the final of the ‘Global Real High Tea Challenge’, organized by Dilmah.

High Wine

3-6-2013

Restaurant Moerstede in Bergen op Zoom organizes a High Wine with culinary tapas on June 19. Led by a wine connoisseur, they will make a wine journey through different countries served with matching culinary tapas. A nice initiative that reminded us of the idea of a High Wine or High Bubbles from our booklet ‘Royal Hospitable Gestures‘. Based on the fact that in the Netherlands affordable High Tea is doing very well at restaurants and at various catering locations at garden centers. The success of these High Tea, Wine and Bubbles? You should just be able to walk in and order, so no reservations. It should be affordable and with lots of appetizers. It gives your guests the opportunity to pamper themselves (a bit luxury at an affordable way).

Urban Bistro by AMI now open in Rotterdam and The Hague

6-11-2023

The second location of restaurant chain BY AMI has just been opened in The Hague, Prinsenstraat 5A. The first location can be found on the Wilheminapier in Rotterdam. BY AMI has created a blend of a modern and urban bistro with an international ambiance. Both locations entertain a unique modern and very Instagrammable design while allowing you to enjoy their international menu filled with sustainable/local products.

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Trends we spotted | Week 38

25-9-2023

At horecatrends.com we spot many national and international trends on a daily basis. We pick the most interesting ones to write about, the other trends we use in our weekly column ‘Trends we spotted this week’.

With links this week to articles including an initiative by DoubleTree by Hilton in Amsterdam that allows people to give away 100 litres of water per hotel stay. They have also used advanced Orbisk technology, powered by AI, to reduce thousands of kilos of food waste.

For the first time, there is now also a list of ‘The World’s 50 Best Hotels’ and Sheraton Amsterdam Airport Hotel is launching a ‘Gouden Brood’ beer, a sustainable beer concept made from leftover bread from their kitchens.

Bijou Patisserie in Dubai is serving ‘Le Goûter Vault’: high tea from a jewellery vault. And in Venlo, the Daily Trade Fair Venlo has opened, over 15,000 square metres of exhibition floor with showrooms and a culinary stage!

McDonald’s Japan has added ‘Shrimp Nuggets’ to its menu, we think that many people in the Netherlands would like this menu item as well! At the Horecava, you can check out the pop-up of BUNKR, the first AI-controlled restaurant in the Netherlands.

New owner for tea and spice shop ‘De Droom van Utrecht’. It’s the fourth business of Dineke and Marc van Bommel now. They operate two Betjeman & Barton shops selling tea (accessories), crockery and delicacies in The Hague and one in Amsterdam.

And on Instagram, we came across a cool way to serve burrata – a burrata bar!

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The flavour line up of the Ice Cream Project by Anya Hindmarch

8-8-2022

The Ice Cream Project by Anya Hindmarch is open in the Village Hall at 11 Pont Street in London until August 28^th , and they introduce a very special flavour line up. The Ice Cream Project is the latest concept store at The Village – offering a collection of unexpectedly delicious ice creams and sorbets celebrating Anya Hindmarch’s favourite cult food brands.

We did spot this spectacular ice cream project on Instagram and we wonder if these flavours would be inspiration for other ice cream parlours? And we have spotted a lot of ice cream inspiration but these flavours are special!

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Trends we spotted | Week 44

1-11-2021

At horecatrends.com or hospitalitytrends.eu we spot many national and international trends on a daily basis. We pick the most interesting ones to write about, the other trends we use in our weekly column ‘Trends we spotted this week’.

With this week links to articles about the pop-up ‘Vurger King’ in Madrid, this Burger King location will serve only meat-free items. And Ruby Hotels outlines their Asia expansion plans.

The Accor group will also be entering the house rental market, the accor-residences.com website shows the group’s selected collection of homes.

Last weekend was Halloween, which is also becoming more popular in Europe. Some Halloween  inspiration for 2022: ‘Haunted House of Fryght’ by Wendy’s, ‘Haunted Restaurant with Fright Castle Takeover’ by White Castle and in Paris you could go to a Halloween party at ‘Le Manoir de Paris’.

You can enjoy the afternoon tea, ‘Prêt-à-Portea‘ autumn/winter 2021 collection, again in The Berkeley hotel! And recently the Chiaro restaurant opened in the Rocco Forte Hotel de Rome in Berlin. Here chef Tim Mälzer developed an Italian cuisine with Japanese elements.

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