While 2015 has been the year of international cuisines and flavours, restaurateurs and chefs of top hotels are unanimously claiming that the coming year is going to see more of comfort food, simple ingredients and authentic tastes. This apart, 2016 will also see an increasing number of concept-based restaurants because diners will be looking for an experience, reports Shrabasti Mallik
The year that is about to come to an end was an eventful one, strictly in terms of food and dining. It introduced us to cool concepts like molecular gastronomy and fusion cuisine. It intrigued the well travelled to try different flavours of foreign lands and encouraged chefs to reach over their boundaries and master new techniques and cuisines and cater to their customers.
But that was the thing of the past and we eagerly look forward to the amazing new trends that Delhiites can expect in the coming year.
what to expect
Top restaurateurs in the city are all ready to face the challenges that the coming year may bring, although most of them seems pretty confident that 2016 will be bigger and better than ever before. On a collective note, however, they echoed that while this year belonged largely to international cuisines and flavours, the next year will see diners reaching out for authentic and comfort food with simple ingredients. Even then, they believe that people will not put aside their love for fusion food and experiential dining. Therefore, chefs will not stop experimenting with international cuisine and the Indian sensibility.
We spoke to Priyank Sukhija, the brain behind lord of the Drinks and Hybrid, and he believes that everything that happened in 2015, starting from quirky concepts to diverse cuisine, was because of the evolved clientele. He feels that Delhi is a place where people are not afraid to experiment. “That had given us the confidence to take a few risks with presentation and we are on the way to introduce more concepts and food innovations,” said he who believes that 2016 would belong to comfort fusion food because is filling, presentable and also blend international cuisine with Indian sensibility. “Indian palette is evolving to embrace more flavours. It would be more on similar lines of 2015 but with more dishes and more fusion coming up,” he explained.
Varun Puri, the man behind Imli and recently opened Molecule, too, believes that concept based restaurants and eating joints are here to stay. “People want to be surprised and more than the dish, it depends on how you present it,” he said. The best examples would be being served golgappa chat in a miniature ferris wheel (in Imli) or drinks in a grenade and amuse bouche in a miniature military truck (in Molecule).
The recently opened Cafe FlYP@MTV at Connaught Place is perhaps the ideal example of a concept based restaurant. It is a place where youngsters can chill out by learning cool things like cooking, singing, painting, bartending and can also record their songs at the recording room there. In the restaurant premises they also have lockers and shower cubicles just in case one needs to change into something comfortable before joining the party outside. In fact, to take things a notch higher, they also have a live music counter where you can step up and sing if you like.
Akshay Anand, owner of Townhouse Cafe and upcoming Drama feels that in the new year people will opt for comfort fusion food. “The restaurants and lounges that are coming up offer a wide variety of cuisines from different parts of the world. And the best part is that customers do not hesitate to try different things,” he said.
One probable reason why people will be inclining towards comfort food was provided by Sahil Baweja of Boombox Reloaded. He thinks that diners are tired of smoke and mirrors and are therefore returning to good authentic tastes and better ingredients. “But even then, experiential dining is on a rise and will grow in 2016,” he added.
Sunny Bhatia, on the other hand, begs to differ. The owner of Penthouse believes that since food is the fundamental reason to dine out people look for experience to engage them. “The food outing should always be eventful and not monotonous,” he said and added that the new year will see more wider audience because 2015 has exposed gastronomes to a lot of international flavours.
Presentation, too, will play an important role. He elaborated, “One just can’t do without art of presentation. It is just as important how you present the food. It enhances your appetite and enjoyment of the food that is being served and surely adds to your dining experience. It adds value as it increases visual taste. Balancing variety and contrast of a dish is the key factor to be kept in mind while plating. It is good to have a variety of textures on the plate, but how these textures are combined is just as important. Using the finest cutlery, with right portion of serving are very important elements.”
Comfort food or no comfort food, Sharad Madan, owner of Imperfecto, told us that what people will be looking for are healthy and nutritious food. “People are becoming health conscious and like to keep their calories in check,” he said.
fusion food
Over the last 11 months Delhiites have liked and disliked the concept of fusion food. Fusion food, in a broader sense, is the coming together of two or more cuisines and try as one may, not all fusion platter is going to be completely accepted. But there is no denying that it is not going to get bumped off the menus.
But it is not the end of fusion cuisine because, a handful of foodies prefer to order one such dish in a meal, once in a while. According to Sukhija fusion food will continue to be in the menus in 2016 as it “settles chords with the Indian clientele.” He explained, “Dishes like vada pav slider, pizzas, mezze platters, dip innovations, jalapeno poppers and more will always work as the most accepted starters.”
“Fusion food will always be food. It employs our mind and also gives us the freedom to experiment as much as we can. People gladly accept it, too,” said chef Nuria from Imperfecto who will be playing with Spanish and Indian flavours for a new fusion dish. “I am planning to use croquetas ham with dosa and lamb stile spanish with idli and more. Fusion is always fun,” he added.
Baweja clearly explained to us the meaning of fusion food. “It is the delicate balance of flavours and cannot be the mainstay in a restaurant offering,” he said and added that people largely confuse innovation with fusion.
Puri told us that fusion food need not always be complicated. It can be made by the combination of two simple dishes. “Fusion is an approach with an intent of sounding cool without compromising on taste. You can pair one main dish with a sub dish or a side dish and it will make a beautiful fusion platter. You need not blend in two cuisines and jumble the flavours, you can just present it as they are. That way you retain the individual taste of both dishes and it turns out to be good, too,” he elaborated.
Sehrawat and Vivek Mallik, owners of The Groghead-gastro pub, however, believe that in 2016 fusion platter will become more flexible. “It also has to be wary of a resurgence of specialty and regional offerings. Molecular gastronomy et al. will either become truer to it’s DNA or cope with falling popularity ratings. Fusion food requires a great deal of thought, intelligence and insight than it is currently getting,” he said and pointed out that serving butter chicken with garlic bread or serving fish florentine with butter naan is not fusion. “Fusion begins and becomes cuisine-worthy when diverse dining cultures are amalgamated, rather than just various components being jumbled up together. So fusion will either evolve or beat a slow retreat,” he added.
Umang Tiwari, owner of Garam Dharam and Cafe Public Connection, confessed that Delhiites are not ready for fusion food. He pointed out, “I have tried that several times but there has been no great response. You need the right ingredients and have to be careful not to mix two flavours together.”
future projects
Currently Sukhija is working on his new restaurant Tamasha where one will be offered fusion cuisine with molecular gastronomy. He is convinced that concept places will take the centre stage in 2016 of which his other endeavour Teddy Boy is going to be the perfect example. “Teddy Boy is a next level concept inspired from Edwardians. The place is a take on punk and funk level,” he said.
Anand’s new project is called Drama in Rajouri where there will be reinvention and drama in everything — food, drinks, decor and specially in music. According to him, it will be a concept never seen before in India. “This will be an inverted bar which will bring the best of drama food, drama cocktails and drama interiors as well. The menu will surely be of more globally accepted food. Dishes like quesadillas, pizzas, burgers will go change with stuffings and toppings,” he said.