Yearender 2022: Mumbai chefs, restaurateurs reveal the trends they saw evolve this year

It has been a busy year as far as food is concerned because the hospitality industry saw a resurgence after people started coming out to dine at their restaurants. It came at a time when a lot of people were starved of socialising and enjoying food at their favourite restaurants in the city.

While the previous year saw a lot more home kitchen and food trends because people were still spending time indoors due to the Covid 19 pandemic, this year saw people discovering different kinds of dishes to appease their palate and it wasn't limited to outdoors but also indoors. In fact, the growth of delivery kitchens is one that has seen a massive growth spurt, reveals Sumit Gambhir, director and co-founder of Neighbourhood Hospitality, that runs Woodside Inn in the city. Capitalising on the opportunity, they started The Burger Shop during the pandemic and the demand hasn't stopped since then, he claims.

Every year, there are many trends that take over the hospitality industry. Now with the rise of social media, there are many that first become popular online and then in our homes and restaurants. Very often, there are many that go unnoticed due to the algorithm showing you only what's happening online. Mid-day Online spoke to the chefs and restaurateurs right in the thick of things and how they have navigated around it. Gambhir's observation is easily one of the many to take over this year.

Veganism and inclusivity

Delivery kitchens weren't the only effect of the pandemic on the hospitality industry because it also saw a lot more people eating healthy and reconsidering their food choices. Gambhir says he observed an increasing trend in the demand for low-carb and non-fried appetisers. He shares, "Many multi-cuisine restaurants are introducing sushi and steamed dim sum sections on their menu. Earlier these dishes were mainly associated with specialty Asian restaurants but now are going mainstream." The fact that more vegan options are popping up tells you enough about how many more people explored veganism leading to more restaurants adopting vegan-friendly options on their menus and Woodside Inn was no different.

Elsewhere, Dhriti Mankame, head chef at KMC' believes this very phenomenon is one of the most striking features of 2022 at large, the inclusivity of different dishes as an extension of vegan menus. She explains, "With an increasing awareness about climate change and its effects on our ecosystem, people are changing their eating habits. There's a sudden surge of vegetarians and vegans. Vegetarian and vegan food is not boring anymore." This, she believes, has led to a lot more thought that goes into curating dishes that don't include any animal meat. Having tried many faux meat products, chefs are making an attempt to work on unique dishes, and in that sense ‘inclusivity' to cater to the diner's dietary restrictions and preferences. Putting it into practice, Mankame has put together a special vegan section on their menu at the restaurant which features dishes like seed crisps with avocado and chawli, glazed roots, and vegan chocolate chip cookie with basil ice cream.

Tacos, toast and butter boards

Interestingly, Gambhir notes that sourdough toasts were also popular in 2022. While fascination around sourdough bread saw a spike in the last five years, its evolution saw it being converted into guacamole toast, which is among the popular ones, but the city restaurateur noted that this year saw many more variations of the crostini get popular, and that was seen as their sourdough sales increased this year.

Yes, this year has seen many trends pickup but one that is more pronounced is how tacos are being reimagined, according to Gambhir, as a bar snack. While they were earlier being served as the original Mexican taco, the slow shift to Indian flavours means that a lot more people are warming up to the speciality.

It is not only Gambhir who has seen the shift but also Harmeet Singh, owner and chef at Turban Tales in Powai. Interestingly, it is not only the filling but the very ingredients of making the tacos that are being experimented with. He explains, "Besan Cheela as a taco base has got a great response. Indian spices and chillies are getting a good response as vegetarian and non-vegetarian Indian tacos are a big hit." Interestingly, Singh also points out that 2022 saw many people opting for small plates over bigger and fuller plates. "They want more variety in smaller portions to enjoy more and this is especially with Asian small plates as that is something which not a lot of people can make at home," he adds.

One of the most recognisable developments has been how people have taken to butter boards. As many people tried to make their own at home, Harmeet Singh, owner and chef at Turban Tales in Powai, also jumped on the social media trend that took the world by storm this year to make two variations. While one is the traditional butter board, the other is their desi take on it with a chaat board.

Micro-cuisines and sustainability

This year has also brought about increased focus on micro-cuisines more than ever before, whether it was an effect of the pandemic is hard to tell but it has been building up over the years is what we can definitely tell and chef Gresham Fernandes, culinary director at Impresario, which has Social and Smoke House Deli under it, believes it too. He explains, "Micro-cuisines are basically cuisines that are very specific to a certain type of area," he says while referring to an ongoing street art in Sassoon Docks, which has a large presence of the Koli community and their involvement in trying to cater to the artist's food. The fact that the people working around the dock actually come in from Raigad, made him realise how the cuisine there is different compared to the Koli cuisine from Bandra, Madh Island and elsewhere in the city. It can be seen from something as simple as the change in the type of masalas used.

Understandably, the focus on sustainability is now more than ever and where better to start than in the restaurant kitchens with just avoiding the wastage of water. "Whatever water is left in the glasses at the outlet, we collect and use it for watering our plants or just scrubbing the floor. With the water we get from our ice when we chill glasses, the ice buckets, we use it to either water the plants or clean the floor or scrub the kitchen," he shares. It doesn't end there but also the carbon footprint that one leaves while importing ingredients, as compared to a reduced one from locally sourced produce. This, he hopes, is a trend that not only stays in 2022 but also continues in the years ahead.

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