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Street food goes hip
Now enjoy a platter of gol gappas with raspberry flavoured jal jeera in the plush environs of a fine dining restaurant. Or why not try Kolkata rolls with a foie gras filling? Eateries across the country are now giving a stylish spin to popular street foods. "Of late, the trend of street food turning into gourmet food has become very popular. Restaurants like Monkey Bar and SodaBottleOpenerWala are offering easy dining street food with a gourmet twist. This trend is going to become bigger this year," says Soumya Goswami, executive chef and Chef de Cuisine, The Oberoi, New Delhi. So try the dabheli at Monkey Bar, Bangalore and Delhi, which has tangy tamarind and masala flavoured potatoes in fresh buns with pomegranate, fig and garlic chutney sprinkled on top or opt for a classic egg preparation Parsi Bheeda Par Eeda, Tardeo AC Market Mamaji's Grill Sandwich and nankhatai with kadak Iranian chai at SodaBottleOpenerWala, Gurgaon.
Just sous-vide it
Broil, steam and stir-fry are so '90s. Today's foodies know all about water baths, foam guns and molecular gastronomy, courtesy TV shows like MasterChef Australia, and want these techniques replicated at their favourite restaurants. "Newer cooking techniques like sous-vide and charcoal grilling are going to be in focus this year," says Chef Sujan S, Chef de Cuisine, Olive at the Qutub, Delhi. One of the foremost practitioners of this concept is Gaggan Anand, chef and owner of Bangkok's leading Asian restaurants, Gaggan. "If he is preparing a lamb shank dish, for instance, he will marinate it, vacuum pack it and cook it in a water bath for 12 hours - which is essentially sous-vide cooking. This keeps the juices intact. He then prepares bite-sized portions of the shanks and adds foams on top. The flavours are the same as the authentic Indian lamb shanks, but the technique and presentation are different," says Natarajan Kulandai, corporate chef, Gateway Hotels & Resorts by the Taj Group. The focus is also on newer ingredients like Indian kale and black quinoa. "The concept of organic is growing as is the idea of gluten-free," says Magandeep Singh, sommelier and food and wine writer.
Indian wines on a high
The wine selection from India is likely to get finer and interesting this year. "The usual countries like France, Italy, Australia and Argentina will continue to have a foothold but Indian wines are the ones that will gain maximum ground. Look out for Charosa, Fratelli, KRSMA and, of course, Chandon for sparkling wines," says Magandeep Singh.
Global regional fare
Italian doesn't necessarily mean pasta and French doesn't always have to be caviar and escargots. The focus is now on regional cuisines from around the globe. "People are no longer just travelling to Paris. Instead, they are going to offbeat villages in France. They now want to see the same cuisine offered back home in India," says Goswami. Even though Chinese is going to retain its cuisine-of-the-year title, the focus is going to shift from Cantonese and Sichuan to newer flavours. "Four overseas Chinese restaurants are going to open this year with focus on Hunan and northern Chinese fare," he adds. This focus on local ingredients and cuisines is also likely to give standalone restaurants a slight edge over fine dining in 5-stars this year. "We may also be lucky to see increased focus on regional Indian food. Menus may be broadened to include the simple alu kangmet from Manipur, the meaty pork dish voksa gotuai from Nagaland, aleti paleti from Parsi cuisine and meat-flour bread erachi pathiri from Moplah cuisine," says Sid Khullar, editor, Chef at Large - an Indian food network.
Bite-sized portions of joy
Gigantic gourmet burgers accompanied by heaps of fries and heirloom tomatoes or a handi full of kali mirch ka murg is so ho-hum. This year, smaller, bite sized portions will be in vogue. "The trend will be towards European and Mediterranean-style tasting menus, so that you can taste most of the tasting menu," says Chef Sujan. This trend has extended to traditional Indian food as well, which is making a comeback to the food scene this year. "The new-age Indian foodies wants traditional food with a modern twist. I can no longer present rogan josh in a handi, it has to be visually appealing," says Kulandai, who happens to be one of the few Indian chefs to be a member of the World Association for Chefs Society. Now people are serving 16-course to 20-course meals of Indian food, but in bite-sized portions with focus on ingredients and technique. "The trend of small portions first came into vogue in the 1980s. In 1984, London's chef Anthony Worali Thompson created one such menu for Taj Mumbai's rooftop dining restaurant. It's good to see the concept making a comeback," says Kulandai.
