If there is one trend that emerged last year, it was the resurrection of regional Indian cuisines. Cold-pressed juices, gastropubs, and innovative menus were another much needed edition to the epicurean landscape. So what is going to satiate your tastebuds this year Chefs and food consultants whet our appetites to get on this gastronomic journey.
Rakhee Vaswani, chef and entrepreneur at Palate Culinary Studio says:
Healthier food options
We are currently riding on a health wave, and are very conscious about what we put into our plates. Cutting calories and switching to naturally healthier options will be easier and more convenient with food-markets and restaurants providing wider variety of nutritional options in the coming year.
The No-Waste movement
One big change I’ve noticed in all food-travel expeditions abroad and I hope will have a big impact in India is the No-Waste movement. Thanks to the large number of activist-chefs who are churning out innovative menus to prove prevent wastage of food, I think more and more kitchens and restaurants will declare themselves waste-free. Restaurants and thereafter home-chefs (hopefully) will be turning their focus to minimising excess. Ranveer Brar, TV show host and chef says:
Food to aid technology
Technology has been a huge factor for the changing face of food today. 2016 will continue to see this growing trend — be it food apps, the way food is prepared and of course, marketing. I can’t wait to see all the new apps, podcasts, etc. that will continue this trend.
Regional cuisine to reign
We always say that Indian food will be big every year but in 2016, I think it will be huge. With so many Indian restaurants getting globally acknowledged and even winning Michelin stars, Indian food is no more restricted to samosas and butter chicken. In India however, regional food is going to be bigger than ever before. I also strongly believe that India will be the new face of vegetarianism for the world.
Last year, the F&B industry strongly felt that Korean and Peruvian cuisines would be the next big thing in the country but we were all wrong. We’ve learned that meat-based cuisines do not always work in India.
Fine dining is dead
When it comes to fine dining, I think stiff fine dining is dead. It has absolutely no future in India. There is a huge difference between fine dining and fine food. Fine food is what makes you feel special yet comfortable and not at all intimidating.
The homecook space will also be huge. It’s already grown so much in 2015. 2016 will only see this trend getting stronger. Home cooks and home cooking styles will continue to change F&B expressions in every sense including delivery, baking, casual dining and also fine dining. Ajay Chopra, chef and food consultant, says:
Authentic Indian preparations to get a boost:
While home chefs refreshed the food scene last year, the need for the need for great home cooked food is in big demand. People are leveraging online portals to showcase the their signature dishes.
For a very long time Indians have enjoyed and relished the food which is very close to their communities but haven’t really experimented much in other territories. For instance, comfort food in a Punjabi home maybe rajma and rice and but it is quite possible that a Punjabi home may not have tried Manglorean or an Assamese preparation. But this is all set to change — we Indians are eagerly exploring Indian cuisines.
Newer cuisines to experiment with:
While the popularity of home cooks will only increase, as people will dine in more than dine out, the rise of DIY meals will also see a progress. Apart from this the other cuisines, which might become popular are, Korean, Vietnamese, Peruvian and South American.
Trends on casual dining restaurants and fine dining restaurants are also changing: India has seen an influx of foreign chefs coming in and opening restaurants in India, I think that the NRI chef and expat chef restaurants will also see a rise.
Saransh Goila, TV host and chef says:
Street food meets gourmet The resurgence of street food in a gourmet fashion is going to be a huge trend. Right from the use of cheese to meats like duck, street and gourmet is going to own 2016. Street food last year was all about exploring cuisines like Vietnamese, Burmese, Colombian and what this year has to offer is going to be the best of world cuisine.
Asian flavours to be introduced
Asian cuisine has found a space here in Mumbai and it’s never going back. From baos to udon to ramen, Mumbaikars and Indians in general have always been extremely receptive to Asian food. May it be Malay, Vietnamese, local Thai food served with a twist and even the delectable array of meats and sauces, everything about Asian cuisine is here to stay. So Hail Sriracha I say!
Nikhil Agarwal, sommelier and CEO at All Things Nice, says:
More casual dining restaurants in the city
With the policy changes I see a lot more new restaurants coming up because it will now be easy to open one. The quality of food will surely go up and the focus will shift from fine dining to pocket friendly causal dining places with high quality food and some fantastic options. I do see a beginning for a lot of new cuisines that haven’t come to India make their space here now. Indian wine to play a role in dining experience
The dining experience is surely going to change and I see a revolution in the Indian wine industry. Indian wine will be touching global standards. Internationally wine plays a major role in the whole dining experience. However, in India it hasn’t caught up much because we assume that the standard of Indian wine is not that good and imported wine is very expensive. But that’s all set to change: Now we will have Indian wine at affordable rates, which will thus change the experience of Indian food.
