AMPR F&B TRENDS: Tomato Ice Cream, Dog Fine Dining, Hi-Fi Bars in Senegal (and more)
From tomato ice cream in Athens to fine dining for dogs in Provence and hi-fi cocktails in Dakar, this edition of AMPR F&B Trends explores the ingredients, rituals, and experiences reshaping hospitality around the world.
THE MEDITERRANEAN’S NEXT FRONTIER: MARINE VEGETABLES
Long before “farm to table” became a restaurant cliché, the sea had its own version of the story. At the Michelin-starred La Passagère at Hôtel Belles Rives on the French Riviera, Executive Chef Aurélien Véquaud is among a new wave of tastemakers incorporating marine vegetables and herbs that rarely appear on any menu: sea purslane, sea asparagus, rock samphire, and sea blite, salt-loving coastal plants that carry the taste of the shoreline itself. Why use these ingredients? Beyond their flavor, which ranges from clean and briny to aromatic and faintly anise-forward, these halophytes are naturally rich in minerals, vitamins C and E, and antioxidants.
HI-FI COCKTAIL CULTURE FINDS A NEW HOME IN SENEGAL
The Japanese kissa, a listening bar built around audiophile equipment, vinyl, and intentional sonic atmosphere, is being reimagined around the world, with local flavors literally poured into the concept. A compelling new iteration to the mix: Diamono at Hôtel Terrou-Bi in Dakar, Senegal. The name means “the present moment” in Wolof, and the bar is a love letter to Afro music, with an experience shaped around bespoke Harbeth speakers, an acoustic-mirror ceiling, and a vinyl program spanning soul, jazz, afro-funk, and R&B. The menu translates Senegalese ingredients into global classics: a Sossu Kaani Margarita on Wolof chili, a Madd Martini using the iconic Saba senegalensis fruit, and a zero-proof interpretation of the Ataya tea ritual.
Terrou-Bi’s culinary story extends to La Terrasse, the property’s beloved oceanfront restaurant celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Set right on the ocean, La Terrasse welcomes guests to a beachfront setting, with menus built around fresh Senegalese dishes, grilled seafood, and house-made breads, desserts, and ice creams. To mark the anniversary, the kitchen has unveiled a newly reimagined menu, doubling down on its commitment to local produce and the flavors of Dakar’s coastline.
THE SINGLE GRAPE THEORY: HOW LUXURY HOTELS ARE TURNING ONE VARIETAL INTO A DESTINATION
The world’s most interesting wine programs are getting smaller, not bigger. At Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens, Head Sommelier and Wine Director Evangelos Psofidis has built what may be Greece’s most ambitious collection dedicated entirely to a single grape: Assyrtiko. Long associated with the volcanic vineyards of Santorini, the variety is prized for its mineral structure, vibrant acidity and remarkable aging potential, but the new Assyrtiko Cellar traces the grape far beyond its island origins, across Tinos, Naxos, Paros, Crete and Northern Greece, through more than 120 labels spanning rare vintages, large-format bottles and emerging producers. Vertical tastings, winemaker dinners and thematic evenings extend the experience beyond the glass, while QR-integrated wine lists allow guests to trace each bottle back to its producer and region.
CANINE CUISINE: FINE DINING FOR FOUR-LEGGED TRAVELERS
The pet-friendly hotel has evolved. Coquillade Provence, a five-star estate in the Luberon, has launched its first K9 Sommelier menu as part of a full Canine Concierge program. Delivered via in-room service, the menu was developed to the same provenance and nutrition standards as the estate’s human kitchen, with dishes like a Chicken & Garden Vegetables Bowl, a slow-cooked Beef Provençal Bowl with gentle herbs adapted for canine nutrition, and a light Turkey & Rice Healthy Bowl designed for easy digestion, paired with private doggy pools in select suites, vineyard walking trails, and a VIP arrival kit from premium German pet care brand LILA LOVES IT.
CRETE: EUROPE’S GASTRONOMY CAPITAL FOR 2026
Crete has been named the European Region of Gastronomy for 2026, and Phāea Blue in Elounda as well as Phaea Cretan Malia are both natural places to experience why. At Blue Door, set inside a former fisherman’s stone house with some of the best views in Greece, the menu is built around timeless Cretan cuisine anchored by the iconic salt-baked fish and the Blue Door Aperitif Ritual. At Phāea Cretan Malia, arrivals begin not with a cocktail but with a shot of the hotel’s own extra virgin olive oil, a nod to an ancient local practice and a reflection of how seriously the property takes its ingredients. That same oil is used exclusively across all Phāea kitchens, from table to stove. The Phāea Farmers Feast takes the philosophy further, inviting guests to hand-pick produce from the hotel’s organic garden before sitting down to dishes prepared through earth cooking, open-fire roasting, and slow-simmered braising, techniques rooted in generations of Cretan tradition.
TOMATO ICE CREAM: SUMMER’S MOST UNEXPECTED SCOOP
Just as olive oil soft serve had food lovers doing a double take last summer, a new savory-sweet contender is arriving: the tomato. This summer, Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens is introducing a fiore di latte ice cream topped with tomato as part of its immersive “Il Giardino Segreto” concept at the Atrium of Alexander’s Lounge. The dessert is accompanied by spoon of sweet tomato dessert from rare heirloom tomatoes grown exclusively for the hotel by Executive Chef Asterios Koustoudis, cultivated on the foothills of Mount Pateras using natural farming methods. The ice cream is garnished with handmade crochet coasters crafted by the Women’s Cultural and Folklore Association of Spata. Photos here.
FULL MOON, FARM TABLES
Some of the most memorable hotel dining experiences are the simplest. At Jakes Hotel in Treasure Beach on Jamaica’s south coast, once a month on the Saturday closest to the full moon, guests and locals gather at Seaside, an open-air pavilion on Old Wharf Beach, for a long-table farm-to-table feast. Every ingredient is sourced from the nearby Pedro Plains, known as the breadbasket of Jamaica, and served family-style down one long table, lit by bonfire.
