Sometimes crazy ideas are really dangerous, but sometimes they can be a big hit. The hot air balloon restaurant has lived through both hell and heaven.
Master chef Angélique Schmeinck has 25 years of restaurant experience, including a Michelin-starred restaurant, but under the leadership of Kromme Dissel, she has decided to pursue her next dream. She envisioned a small hot-air balloon kitchen, followed by careful planning and state-of-the-art equipment, and finally opened. Since then, many guests have visited and eaten at his place up in the clouds.
It took not only brains, but also courage
In 2003, Schmeinck saw a hot air balloon and realised that „a hot air balloon is actually a giant hot oven, if you use it right!” The prospect of building his own restaurant from scratch completely captivated him. He immediately called in a hot air balloon specialist and showed them a blueprint of how he imagined cooking in a balloon or balloon. Two weeks later, a giant baking bag full of fish and chicken was mounted on the crown of the balloon. The flame at the bottom of the balloon can heat up to 90 degrees Celsius, which is a certain for raw materials is known to be sufficient for a slow cooker The plan was that while they were flying, this flame would heat, cook and fry the fish and chicken in the bag on top of the balloon from below. The day of the test came and when the balloon was up in the air for an hour and a half and then landed, Schmeinck took the fish and chicken off and was greeted with exactly the result he had expected. „Tears came to my eyes when I saw the ingredients perfectly cooked.”- said.
What everyone feared has happened
But Schmeinck was not the first to try the hot air balloon restaurant. In the summer of 1896, Swedish explorer Salomon August Andrée set out to reach the North Pole by hot air balloon. His equipment included a custom-built stove lowered under the basket of the balloon so that they could cook while they were there. This cooking facility was lit by a cord, which was important to avoid the risk of the fire being too close to the balloon's gas. However, the method was still life-threatening, as Andrée and his team crashed and lost their lives at the North Pole.
The hot-air balloon restaurant had to wait 100 years before they figured out the right way to make it work and to restore its credibility.
How does the hot air balloon restaurant work today?
Schmeinck designs menus so that they can be prepared at the temperature available. He is constantly working with the „pilot”, so when he needs a little more heat, the hot air balloon rises higher. He picks up the dining teams at various pre-arranged points. Before boarding, guests are served mostly cold starters such as melon, goat's cheese and dried capers, followed by champagne. Guests then board the cart, and when they're aloft, Schmeinck starts cooking.The first in-the-sky course is typically a seafood cocktail. The natural, light and fresh ingredients can be prepared raw, low-cooked or slow-cooked. This summer, Schmeinck served crawfish (a Norwegian lobster-like delicacy), fresh mussels and lobster with passion fruit. Mildly fermented carrots and glasswort, a salt marsh plant that Schmeinck calls simply „sea vegetables”.
The hot-air balloon restaurant has already had over 50 flights in its first few months, and the number of bookings is innumerable. Not only is the food excellent, but the panoramic views and experience are priceless. Several people have asked the chef why he enjoys it so much?
„Sometimes, when the clouds are low, we can walk through them while I'm cooking,” says Schmeinck. „It's a little foggy, and then we're above the clouds and suddenly we see the sun shining. Those moments are unforgettable for me, even after all these years, I'm still enchanted every time we take off.
Source : https://www.atlasobscura.com/
