8 minute read
Forward thinking
Like sands through the hourglass, so are the food trends that come and go. Here, Hospitality’s pick of 10 trends you’ll be seeing in 2019. By Annabelle Cloros.
Hospitality has seen a lot of trends hit the market over the years. While some become permanent fixtures, others thankfully disappear when the next big thing comes along. In 2018, we saw the continued rise of vegan options, fermented foods and a European style of eating and drinking — think spritzes and cured meats. On the flipside, we witnessed the downfall of monster burgers, freakshakes and Nutella-slathered confections.
The restaurant industry is heading towards a single-focus mantra, with venues sticking to a concept they can really nail. Cooking proteins over charcoal has become commonplace and natural and biodynamic varieties make an appearance on most wine lists. There’s a general feeling of stripping things back and the rise of vegetables sans meat is a welcome relief from years of excess. Native Australian ingredients are making their way into more dishes and we’re witnessing the rise of a casual dining experience over formal fine dining — even Quay got rid of their tablecloths. While we’ve selected 10 trends, our prediction is 2019 will be the year of less is more.
1. SINGLE-FOCUS VENUES
Fish Butchery
Image credit Mark Best
Australia lags when it comes to venues with a one-track mind. Japan is rife with noodle shops cranking out one dish, and same goes for tapas bars in Spain that offer a singular specialty. The concept is slowly finding its feet in Australia, and the idea of a small menu done well is appealing to consumers who appreciate a niche offering. Josh and Julie Niland opened a dedicated fish butcher a few doors down from their restaurant, Saint Peter, preparing and selling fish in the same vein as meat. Bistecca in Sydney only offers one main — bistecca alla Fiorentina — with the grain-fed Angus from the Riverine region ordered by weight and cooked medium-rare over charcoal, wood and olive branches. Dessert outlets Pafu and Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart have also expanded with gusto across the country, churning out apple puffs and uniform tarts.
2. NATIVE INGREDIENTS
Jock Zonfrillo’s charred kangaroo with gubinge, grasses and wild garlic
Local and sustainable are two buzzwords that aren’t going away anytime soon, and what’s better than utilising ingredients that are unique to the country? Chefs are becoming more interested in exploring the flavours of Indigenous Australian ingredients such as Davidson plum, bush tomato, wattleseed, muntries and lemon myrtle, to name a few. Restaurant Orana’s Jock Zonfrillo works closely with the local community and uses a range of native ingredients in dishes including kangaroo with smoked potato, feral plum and wattleseed alongside mud crab with mascarpone, bunya and brush cherry. Chef Clayton Wells recently spoke to Hospitality about A1 Canteen’s bush tomato butter and Bondi’s Side Room use powdered Davidson plum in one of their smoothie options.
3. NATURAL WINE
P&V Wine + Liquor Merchants
Consumers like to know exactly what they’re eating and where it came from, and the same notion has made its way from food to booze. Natural, minimal-intervention and biodynamic wines are appearing on wine lists at Asian to modern Australian venues and everything in between. It’s important for operators to offer customers unique wines that aren’t mass-produced or readily available at the bottle shop up the road. But natural wines aren’t for everyone, and it’s up to the sommelier to explain their unpredictable nature to diners. “With low-intervention wine-making, the risk of wines having variation between bottle to bottle is greater,” says Automata’s Tim Watkins. A healthy number of venues have prioritised natural varieties on their wine list including Sydney’s P&V Wine + Liquor Merchants and Melbourne’s Restaurant Shik.
4. DIETARY REQUIREMENTS
According to research released by the CSIRO, one in three Australians avoid gluten, dairy or meat, which means venues need to cater for the burgeoning market of diners in more ways than one. Stocking milk alternatives such as oat, macadamia, almond and coconut are now just as popular as soy. Gluten-free bread options are a must along with vegetarian or vegan fare that’s more inspired than mushroom pasta. That being said, dietaries are a major point of contention for the industry. While most chefs are happy to cater to those with legitimate allergies, there’s been a surge of customers using faux allergies as an excuse to customise meals. Chefs have been taking to social media to call out diners who allege they’re gluten-free but will chow down on dumplings. “It makes you a bit more creative,” says Mercado chef Jason Dean, “but at the same time, I wonder how many of these dietaries are intolerances or people just saying it?”
5. SHAVED ICE
Devon Cafe's kakigori
Asian desserts are booming across the country, but one particular item is becoming more prevalent. Known as patbingsu in Korea, halo-halo in the Philippines and kakigori in Japan, we’re seeing more shaved ice desserts appearing on menus. Sydney’s Devon Cafe offers their take on kakigori during the warmer seasons and rotates flavours which include strawberry, rose and watermelon and taro. Kakigori typically consists of a mountain of fluffy, snow-like ice teamed with flavoured syrups and fresh fruit. Patbingsu follows a similar model, but uses flavoured shaved ice that’s fashioned into a towering pile and topped with ice cream, fruit, condensed milk and red bean paste. Donut Papi in Sydney’s Redfern serves up halo-halo during summer, combining shaved ice with dessert jellies, fruit, pudding and ice cream — talk about a sugar rush.
6. FERMENTED AND PICKLED FOODS
Preserving at Cornersmith
Foods that are good for your gut are very much in vogue. But much more than good bacteria hubs, fermented or pickled foodstuffs are also a good way for a kitchen to minimise waste. Leftover vegetable tops and scraps can be saved from the bin and pickled in water, vinegar, salt and sugar. Cornersmith in Sydney’s Inner West are well known for their sustainable practices. The venue sell jars of their house-made preserves and pickles which also feature throughout the menu on the ploughman’s plate and poached egg roll. Chef Chase Kojima from Sokyo is another fan of fermented foods, using the technique to create a varied flavour profile. “I personally pickle vegetables and let them ferment for a little bit,” he says. “It makes the flavour more complex and they can be served as a side or used for making sauces.”
7. VEGAN OPTIONS
Pendolino’s Garfagnana-style farro and bean salad
Image credit Guy Kinsman
Data has revealed Australia is the third fastest-growing vegan market in the world, with 11.2 per cent of the population admitting their diet is all or almost all vegetarian. While vegetarian and vegan diets are very different, venues should consider having options for both preferences on the menu. Melbourne’s Smith & Daughters has been a game-changer for vegan fare thanks to chef Shannon Martinez who creates plant-based options of classic dishes such as cacio e pepe and schnitzels. “We provide [customers] with the vegetarian alternative, which is still giving them all the satisfaction they’d be getting [from] meat or dairy, but they feel better about it because they know it’s all plant-based,” says Martinez. Pendolino in Sydney’s The Strand Arcade recently decided to make their vegan menu a permanent fixture after receiving high praise from customers who ordered it on request over the past eight years. “Earlier this year, we went a step further launching a four-course vegan tasting menu and the response has been fantastic,” says chef and owner Nino Zoccali.
8. HYBRID CROISSANTS
First, there was the cronut, and now there’s a new realm of croissant mashups appearing across the globe. Mr Holmes Bakehouse in the US made headlines when they launched the ‘crossushi’ — a soy-glazed croissant packed with smoked salmon, seaweed, pickled ginger and wasabi. While things haven’t reached that level in Australia just yet, there are some interesting options on the market. Rollers Bakehouse in Manly are packing croissants with peanut butter and brownies and topping others with nori. There’s also an iteration of spanakopita on offer, filled with feta, béchamel, pine nuts and spinach. Melbourne’s Lune Croissanterie have also been experimenting with flavours including twice-baked treats filled with peanut butter frangipane and raspberry gel topped with peanut whip, peanut brittle and raspberries.
9. CANNED GOODS
Ortiz sardines at Manly Greenhouse
Image credit Yasmin Mund
At some stage, most Australians will travel to Europe and discover the culinary greatness that is canned goods. Our obsession with all things cultured and cured has inspired venues to create their own or import tinned goods from countries such as Spain or Italy. Sardines and anchovies are a recent menu addition for many venues jumping on the bandwagon, and can be found at Sydney’s Manly Greenhouse, Black Bottle and Chester White. Continental Deli has taken things into their own hands, preserving sardines in-house which are served and sold at the Newtown eatery. The store also imports anchovies from the Bay of Biscay, clams and cockles from Galicia and sardines from France. Not just reserved to food, ready-to-drink canned cocktails such as Manhattans and martinis are also going strong, with Archie Rose testing out the idea with the launch of a limited tinned negroni.
10. HOT POT
Hot pot at Spice World
Asia’s love for hot pot has made its way to our shores and Australians are embracing the new dining option. Hot pot is an incredibly custom and interactive dining experience, allowing customers to select a broth before picking and choosing raw vegetables and proteins to cook at the table. International brand Spice World was a game-changer when it opened in Sydney and other hot pot operators are following suit, with Chinese-Macanese eatery The Dolar Shop recently opening in Haymarket. The concept is admittedly a go-to winter dish, but it seems customers are just as eager to line up down the street for hot pot during the warmer seasons.
We’re seeing a lot of these trends present in the market already, but get ready for complete infiltration in 2019.
