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.

Bulletproof coffee and FATwater

1-9-2015

Bulletproof Coffee is a branded coffee drink consisting of “Upgraded” black coffee blended with grass-fed butter and “Brain Octane oil” (coconut oil). The drink is supposed to boost cognitive performance and has opened a stand-alone bulletproof café in Los Angeles last year. FATwater also contains coconut oil extracts and water, a new product from the same Bulletproof company.

Bulletproof coffee

We already spotted the drink while writing an article back in September 2014 about the pop-up coffeebar in the black box in Ghent (Belgium). The pop-up coffeebar was part of CrossFit Ghent. The original recipe of Dave Asprey is created in 2009 and is originally based on the Yak-butter tea from Tibet. The coffee consists of a special coffee, butter from grass fed cows and a special kind of coconut oil. Just blend these 3 elements and you’ll have your Bulletproof coffee.

Dave Asprey now sells his own ‘Upgraded’ black coffee and the ‘Brain Octane Oil’ (an 8-carbon fraction of medium-chain triglyceride oil). Dave Asprey even claims that the drink will have you lose weight. The drink is very popular amongst sportspeople and entrepreneurs. Although we have read a couple of reviews which say that there is no scientific base for the claims and some people have been drinking so many Bulletproof coffees that their cholesterol level increased! Last year the Bulletproof coffee got a lot attention on shows like Good Morning America and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, like the above video shows. Here a link to another video showing Dave Asprey making a Bulletproof coffee. 

FATwater

At the website of PSFK we read that from the makers of Bulletproof coffee also comes FATwater. Another drink laced with coconut oil extracts and a punch of energy. The statement of Bulletproof Coffee about their new product: “Experience clean-burning fuel from fat instead of sugar. Using patented nano-fusion™ technology, FATwater concentrate is an emulsion of Bulletproof® XCT™ Oil and purified water, ready to be stirred into water or beverage of your choice.”

Inspiration

When and where can we drink Bulletproof Coffee and FATwater in Europe? Wouldn’t it be great to be the coffee company that introduces these drinks in Europe? Would you try one?

Cold coffee from a bottle

18-3-2015

Jits Krol and Robert Nijhof penetrate the hospitality industry with their Batavia Dutch cold coffee. The cold brewing method from the Dutch East India Company era is now also available in a bottled series.

Jits: “In June 2014, we quit our jobs to enter a world full of specialty (ice) coffees. Batavia Coffee is a company with only one mission; To transfer our passion for Dutch Coffee to the Dutch people. ”

The cold coffee method

The method owes its name and origin to Dutch traders in the Dutch East India Company era. The brewers made their coffee with cold water back in the days, to make it sustainable and to cool off in the tropics. With this method they introduced coffee in North East Asia, where Dutch Coffee is still very popular.

Origin

Alike wine the origin of the coffeebeans has an influence on the taste of it. Coffee has a lot of diversity in taste influenced by the region where the coffee is grown, the climate and the type of plants used.

Diversities

The Batavia Coffee is available in three variants. An Ethiopian Limu (with hints of chocolate, caramel and citrus), the Colombian Santuario (a powerful and spicy coffee where nuts, roasted peanuts and flowers can be distinguished) and the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe (a fruity coffee which has hints of melon and passion fruit).

Ingredients

The ingredients for a good Dutch Coffee are quite simple. Ice cold water and freshly roasted and ground coffee. Sugar, dyes, or E numbers are not needed, the coffee is naturally sweet and can be stored for 4 months if refrigerated.

Hospitality with a story at PRESSROOM

23-2-2015

PRESSROOM opens her doors in Amsterdam in the spring of 2015. The restaurant is located in the former building of the Dutch newspaper ‘De Tijd’. This was the place where stories arose, were written and were eventually printed in ink. These three themes: ‘time, ink & stories’ play a big part in the story of PRESSROOM and have been decisive for the selection of the staff, the interior and menu.

Hospitality with a story

PRESSROOM started looking for staff with an innovating recruitment campaign. Through this campaign, the restaurant has casted characters based on their personal and unique stories. The recruitment is completed, but they were looking for, among others, the following character’s; ‘The Mastermind’, ‘The Fortune Teller’, ‘The Flavour Maker’ and ‘The Brewer’. If you have to fulfil those functions, you do have to create a story around them. 😉 The interior is also based on a PRESSROOM with classic typewriters, ink bottles of glass and large rolls of printing paper.

All day drink&eat

PRESSROOM has selected an all-day drink&eat menu for every part of the day. Coffees are made with a machine of ‘Van der Westen’, also called ‘the king of the espresso’. With lunch and dinner it is all about sharing. The dinner menu is a combination of international cuisine with local produced products. You can drink a cocktail until late at the Library Lounge or the bar. PRESSROOM lives from early in the morning until late at night because the story must go on…

Dutch Coffee Makers back in The Netherlands

28-11-2014

Coffee has gained a more exclusive status over the past years and there are a lot of connoisseurs nowadays. That said, most of the coffees are brewed hot and the (re)introduction of a cold brew method might bump into some doubts.

Dutch Coffee

The classical Dutch brewing method dates back to the Dutch East India Company period. With this method cold (ice) water drips through the ground bean reservoir. Making a pot of coffee takes four to six hours, the result is a less bitter and less acid coffee. The cold coffee barely oxidates and therefore has a longer shelve time. The Dutch Coffee contains zero calories because the fat in the beans doesn’t dissolve in cold water.

Design

The design of the classical Dutch Coffee machines, or installations, dates back to the trade of the Dutch East India Company. The elegant design is a fusion between Dutch stolidity and Asian craftsmanship.

Taste

The various tastes of the coffee bean are well preserved by the cold brew method. The founders of the ‘Dutch Coffee’ company, Jits Krol and Robert Nijhof, say it’s even strange that we’re brewing coffee hot. This tradition probably started back in the days when it was more hygienic and healthier to brew coffee with boiled water. It does have a negative impact on the taste though.

The website www.dutch-coffee.nl/en shows a variety of serving methods, brew-experiments and the machines of course.

Coffee and Cake at the high level of Michelin

18-11-2014

Chefs who have been awarded with multiple Michelin stars often use their name to open ‘gastro bistro’-like restaurants. Some chefs connect their name to a bakery. For example this last year, some Fika’s (a rendezvous for coffee and pastry) opened in Stockholm. This summer I even stood in line at the Bouchon Bakery by Thomas Keller (two restaurants with three Michelin stars) in Yountville, California. Meanwhile, the Thomas Keller group already has five branches of the Bouchon Bakery, one with a café.

High level of Michelin at fika coffee shops

Recently I read an article in The Guardian by The Foodie Traveller who writes about the development of ‘Fika Bakeries’ in Stockholm. Some famous chefs with Michelin stars did open a bakery, where they use their talents to lift the original Fika coffee shops to a higher level in Stockholm.

The Green Rabbit bakery

The Green Rabbit bakery opened in May 2014 and is owned by Mathias Dahlgren (two Michelin stars with his restaurant Mathias Dahlgren at the Grand hotel) and his executive chef Martin Berg in Vasastan, Stockholm. They seem to include delicate blueberries and raspberries muffins in their Fika.

Wienercaféet, Lindeberg Bakery and Patisserie and Culinary Center K-märkt K-Mart

Wienercaféet is also an example of a Fika Coffeeshop. Wienercaféet opened last year by Daniel Lindeberg, who first worked with Björn Frantzén (Restaurant Frantzén, number 23 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Pelligrino). Daniel Lindeberg left Wienercaféet already to open Lindeberg Bakery and Patisserie in another part of Stockholm. In the culinary center K-märkt Daniel Roos (world champion pastry chef in 2012) opened a bakery, with chef Johan Gottberg and sommelier Jens Dolk.

Which Dutch chef follows these examples?

Just a bakery where we can buy great sweet and savory pastries, fruit salads, cakes and specialties of the chef, possibly with a coffee-to-go. In the neighborhood of Leiden please. I’m in Stockholm late December and will take a look at the concepts and would love share my experience with chefs who do have plans in this direction! ^ Marjolein van Spronsen

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.

A coffeebar that repels wireless signals

22-7-2014

The owners of the Faraday Café in Vancouver hope to restore non-digital, social interaction between people by creating a place without any digital connection. They went a step further than just not offering WiFi; social artist Julien Thomas and Hughes Condon Marler Architects (HCMA) have designed the first coffee shop that repels wireless signals. In the Faraday Café, you get disconnected the moment you step into the coffee bar. The café derives its name from the Faraday Cage, the material shield that has been used to block all signals. The Faraday Café offers artisanal coffees and will be the home of several events such as ‘drinks and discussions’ and meditation sessions.

Truth Coffee Shop

18-11-2013

A beautiful authentic coffee bar with the smallest details, located in Cape Town, South Africa. The Truth Coffee Shop is designed by Heldane Martin, who incorporated each detail in the interior. Steel railings, copper tubes, vintage typewriters, old chandeliers and mirrors give the coffee shop an authentic look. Truth Coffee Shop stands for honestly and serves the best coffees with simple machines. The store shows the transparency as regards a cup of coffee, something different than the modern coffee shops of today. Click here for more pictures. Truth Coffee HQ interior design by Haldane Martin, Photo Micky Hoyle.

Starbuck on rails

14-11-2013

Today, Starbucks Coffee Company and SBB unveiled the first Starbucks store on a train – offering travelers a new place and way to enjoy their favourite Starbucks coffee. The first official voyage for the Starbucks train will take place on the train line running from Geneva Airport to St.Gallen in Switzerland on November 21. In a pilot project, two dining cars are changed into Starbucks locations: on the lower deck, a take-away and the coffee is served on the upper deck. And a Starbucks trolley circulates through the train. The design is contemporary and focused on comfort, yet at the same time functional with a color scheme inspired by coffee. The opening of this train coffeeshop marks the rollout of a new B2B model for Starbucks. They will – together with partners – start selling coffee in places like drive-through’s (already active in Germany), shops in supermarkets and department stores (Galeries Lafayette) and vending machines in offices.