Pancake Art

5-10-2015

Barista’s could learn to manage new skills and become an expert on the pancake griddle as well. Pancake art is a new trend, spotted in Japan.

In the beginning of 2015 we’ve spotted the ‘PancakeBot’ that allows you to ‘print’ out pancakes into about any design you can imagine. Especially easy and fun for kids and a great gimmick at your breakfast buffet. But now there is another emerging trend: Pancake Art.

Pancake Art from Japan

In an article at Eater.com, a couple of American celebrity chefs have been immortalized in pancakes. And the Italian restaurant ‘La Ricetta’, located in the city of Zama in Japan, is making high end pancake art as a part of their trademark. Although for the most part, La Ricetta seems to be committed to preparing classic Italian dishes in the traditional way. As their website is only in Japanese, check out their Twitter account for examples.

Inspiration

Who is going to be immortalized in pancake art in your country? Would guests want to pay for eating pancake art of their own pictures? It would be great to be able to serve real prince and princesses pancakes or famous iconic characters for the little guests of your restaurant. When will be the first pancake art competition next to the well-known barista competitions?

The Happy Pig Pancake Shop

20-3-2015

The Happy Pig Pancake Shop is a unique store in downtown Amsterdam. In the shop you can find pancakes and Belgian waffles made from certified organic ingredients that are freshly cooked.

The Happy Pig Pancake Shop: Shop with breakfast bar

In the shop they make good old-fashioned Dutch pancakes and Belgian waffles with delicious fillings and toppings. The focus is on certified organic ingredients. Cooks prepare your dish right in front of you. Besides the pancakes and waffles they also serve organic coffee, tea, chai latte, hot chocolate and fresh orange juice. They have a breakfast bar, and if the weather is nice, you can sit on one of the benches outside. Of course you can also have your pancake for take-away as well. In the shop you will find organic snacks, drinks, coffee, honey and chocolate.

The Happy Pig Pancake Shop in Amsterdam

Andrea Steinmetz, owner of The Happy Pig Shop, at the Rosmarijnsteeg in Amsterdam, notes that it is very busy since the shop opened in October last year. She has especially noticed that reviews on TripAdvisor have much effect on the people coming in. On her website she placed a prominent button from TripAdvisor:

Bravo: The Happy Pig Pancake Shop Amsterdam rated “excellent” by 25 travelers.

Our colleague Armand Sol experienced the influence of TripAdvisor himself recently, he wrote a blog about it (in Dutch). Inspiration: Is your business established in an environment where international guests pay a visit, ensure that are good reviews on TripAdvisor. A friendly request for a review can provide new guests though this channel.

Foodtruck special | Crêpes-mobiel

11-2-2015

The Summer of 2014 was one of thriving food festivals. With several events focused on mobile kitchens and a lot of food trucks on smaller festivals throughout the country, the open air food offer grew tremendously. This was partly due to the efforts of The Food Line-Up, ‘Vleesch Noch Visch’ and ‘Rollende Keukens’.

Dutch food truck in Amsterdam

Recently an article on Dutch news website Nu.nl announced that the municipality of Amsterdam starts with giving out permits for food trucks on the streets of the Dutch capital. A great trigger to start a food truck special at Horecatrends.com and highlight some of the food trucks mentioned in the (Dutch) book ‘Reizende Sterren’ (Travelling Stars).

Crêpes Mobiel

The pictures on this page belong to the Crêpes Mobiel. A typical French foodtruck where you can make your order in the language of love. The truck is owned by French chef Frédéric Holaind and nowadays his whole family is involved in the foodtruck. His son Wojtek built the website, his daughter Nina bakes the small pancakes almost as perfect as her father does and his wife Marjan quit her job to help managing the truck. With a new paint-job and check-up the truck and its crew is totally ready for the new season.

‘Reizende Sterren’

The book ‘Reizende Sterren’ is only available in Dutch. If you want to show your (favorite) food truck at the website please write to tip@spronsen.com. If you’re interested in the Dutch food truck scene we can definitely recommend the annual ‘Rollende Keukens’ event in Amsterdam in May with over a hundred trucks on one location.

Butler-style brunch

10-11-2014

A relaxing Sunday brunch – Enjoying all the tapas style appetizers which are being served at your table while sipping unlimited cocktails or a glass of wine.

We don’t have a real breakfast culture at the restaurants in the Netherlands. Maybe breakfast in America is the meal that has the most influence from all kitchens. Brunch on the weekend days with the whole family in a restaurant is done regularly. In that perspective, we can take the breakfast culture in America as an example.

Butler-style Sunday brunch at restaurant La Cave

A family brunch in restaurant ‘La Cave’ in the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas on Sunday . The staff is constantly running around with tapas style breakfast and lunch dishes. A small indication; fresh fruit salad; yoghurt parfait with granola; French toast; eggs Benedict; pancakes with berry compote; flatbread with ham and eggs; mini burgers and unlimited cocktails.

A relaxed way to spend your Sunday afternoon

Great companions – beautiful dishes – delicious wine or cocktails and everything is brought to your table. The ultimate Sunday brunch, why shouldn’t this work in the Netherlands?

Give me that bloody ice cream!

6-2-2014

Article by Julia Soldic.

This year the Copenhagen-based Nordic Food Lab revealed another shocking new ingredient that had awakened the lab’s curiosity. The team had examined the re-integration of animal blood into our food chain.

The Nordic Food Lab was founded in 2008 by the brain and hands behind restaurant Noma, Rene Redzepi. The lab has, ever since, shown the world that the uneatable can be eatable if only your stomach can take it.

read more

Sugar Factory American Brasserie

18-11-2013

Saturday night, 11 PM, New York City. As expected, the bars, restaurants and cafes in the meatpacking district and throughout Manhattan are bursting with people. But what I did find to be unexpected, were the insane crowds at Sugar Factory American Brasserie, I mean eating desserts is not exactly my idea of a crazy night out! The Vegas native restaurant with a focus on sweetness opened in the Meatpacking District April 2013 and has not had a silent moment since! They feature a “normal” menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner but the crowds get wild for the candy store at the front, the endless desserts and the candy cocktails. We know New Yorkers love places that are new, unique and fill a specialized niche and this is exactly what sugar factory does. Where else would you go for a fishbowl of gummy bear cocktails (or any other cocktail inspired by candy), chocolate fondues with 6 special types of chocolate and 15+ types of dippers or specialty desserts as red velvet pancakes or specialty variations of the classic sundae? If you are planning to visit New York, get on that reservation because they are hard to get and will remain that way for a while I expect!^Leonie van Spronsen

Sushi as inspiration

27-6-2013

Over the years we have had several variants of ‘Sushi’ at horecatrends.com which can easely be used by restaurant owners. Like the German ‘Goshi‘, a sushi with European flavors or the Wichy, a sushi at sandwich-size. In 2011 there was an attempt to bring a sweeter rice variant with fruit, Frushi, on the market in the Netherlands. In Australia, somebody invented the squared sushi and in 2010 we spotted the first sushi sorbet, a dessert you can eat with chopsticks. For pancake restaurants a sushi made from pancakes is a nice appetizer. There are also recipes for sushi sweets and chocolates available on the internet. The shape and taste combination of sushi are perfect to combine with other flavors and ingredients. Catering Hanenburg of cookery school ‘Lokaal 55’, combines Frisian (North of the Netherlands) ingredients and tapas, but also Frisian sushi with smoked eel from the Sneekermeer at a sushi rolls from beetroot with a cream of potato. Use the sushi once as inspiration.

Kids cooking for their mother

12-4-2013

It is Mother’s Day at 12 May. In the coming weeks we will occasionally publish remarkable recipes and actions on horeacatrends. Do you have a special recipe or does your restaurant or hotel plans a special activity, let us know by mail via tip@spronsen.com. Who knows your company might be on horecatrends.

Steakhouse Midtown Grill in the Amsterdam Marriott hotel organizes a special Mother’s Day brunch for the whole family. Under the skilled guidance of the pastry chef, the kids will get a cooking class in making and decorating delicious pancakes for their mothers. During the brunch the family can enjoy the pancakes prepared by their kids and other delicacies.

Nutelleria

19-3-2012

For the Nutella lovers: in Germany and Italy, Nutella fast food restaurants are opened. They offer a wide choice of delights such as pancakes, biscuits, muffins, milkshakes, pasta and pizza made from Nutella.

Update: In Chicago an Eataly opened with a Nutella-restaurant as well.

Burger King opens Dessert Bar

11-12-2010

Burger King opened  its first stand-alone Dessert Bar in a shopping mall in London.  At the Dessert Bar you can buy pancakes, brownies, cakes, muffins and ice cream. If the bar proves to be a success more will follow in the United Kingdom.