dinsdag 26 april 2011

The Dream BBQ - Big Green Egg














Last Saturday my wife and I had dinner with a good friend of mine at the impeccable Lambermon's, Haarlem. He had moved to Haarlem a few months ago and was really anxious to visit the newly relocated restaurant. At the start of dinner it was a perfect Spring evening so we began outside and moved in when it got chillier. We left the kids with their grandparents in Zandvoort (a coastal town a few kilometers away) so we could enjoy our company of just three.
Lambermon's boasts a perfect setting just off the river Spaarne. The address on the Korte Veer is where the well known Dutch retailer Vroom en Dreesman began setting up shop as a haberdasher. The restaurant offers perfect al fresco dining with a Big Green Egg positioned outside in front of the entrance as sort of a centerpiece. Now I had read about the famous bbq/smoker on coolhunting.com before but our friend Post (who had been a chef at several uptown restaurants) was totally ecstatic and had to have one. He explained certain features and decided to get one as soon as his bank account would approve.

The Benefits:
- Cooks at temperatures up to 750°F (400°C).
- Easy to start (up and running in approximately 10 minutes).
- Easy clean up: the heat burns off any grease build-up - like a self-cleaning oven.
- Safer to use: the ceramic surface doesn't get as hot as a metal cooker.
- Baking, grilling and smoking in one.
- Lifetime guarantee.

donderdag 21 april 2011

The Dream Umbrella - Solid Ash Crook Fox Umbrellas













"Makers of the world's finest umbrellas"

I have a bad habit: I loose umbrellas. The last one was a Solid Ash Crook Fox Umbrella. Exactly like the one featured above.
My theory was to everytime buy a more expensive one so that I was keen on not forgetting the precious piece of art. It didn't help. I can't even bring up the subject at home because frankly, my wife has a point. In a few months (during summer) I'll begin massaging in the topic again, hoping she forgot how many I left behind in metros, busses, trains, on top of my own car, etc. There is a huge problem though: SHE doesn't forget anything!

maandag 11 april 2011

The Dream Coffee Book - MaRio de Janeiro




Mario Testino is one of the world's most successful fashion and portrait photographers, whose images are noted for their freshness and intimacy. Peruvian by birth, Testino has been fascinated by Rio de Janeiro since his earliest summer vacations.

I've just ordered a copy of this masterpiece, however, I can't seem to fathom why this work isn't available in a hard copy version. It could as well be that I just haven't found it yet.
Except for the fact that it's only available in paperback, to me this is everything a coffee table book should bring to the table. Interesting eye candy. Wiki: a coffee table book is a hardcover book that is intended to sit on a coffee table or similar surface in an area where guests sit and are entertained, thus inspiring conversation or alleviating boredom.

From Taschen, GBP 27,99 (ISBN: 978-3-8365-1858-1).

zondag 3 april 2011

The Dream Ad - Heineken goes Guerilla

Heineken's Champions League - Guerilla Ad

Previous post of Heston's Christmas Dinner reminded me of this ad by Heineken. A piece of top class guerilla marketing. Even if you hate football or Heineken.