Yearender: Lip-smacking food and beverage trends that dominated 2022

Image for representational purpose only. Photo courtesy: istock

HITS

Plate it bright
WE eat with our eyes first. In an age where food has to be Instagrammable, plates are an essential part of the theatrics. Recognising the OTT cliché of smoke bubble-topped cocktails and piñata cakes, restaurants are paying more attention to serveware. Move over boring ol' round and shiny plates; asymmetrical ceramic dinnerware is here. From KMC' to Neuma, and Eve to Trèsind Mumbai, resto-bars are celebrating unusual shapes of bowls, odd bumps perking out of plates, little grooves in beer tumblers, and eclectic cocktail-holders like ceramic bird bath basins. And thumbs up to the soothing pastel pinks and blues, earthy beiges and rustic greys - keep ‘em coming.

Say cheers
From kokum to karambal and kaapi, Indian mixologists are intelligently infusing desi ingredients into our cocktails, and we can't get enough of it. Look out for a whiskey-spiked kadha at Native Mumbai, or the summery feni, kaffir lime, pineapple and coconut milk concoction called jackfruit at Slink & Bardot, or the Banarasi tidda with vodka and paan syrup at Taftoon - all of which toy with nostalgia. We also raise a toast to the new crop of homegrown spirits on the block, with gin, rum and whiskey leading the way. Mead, too, is having its moment in Maharashtra. Yet to sip on it?

Blurring food boundaries
The days of craving for a nolen gurer roshogolla from Kolkata or biryani from Hyderabad while sitting in Mumbai are over. Intercity food delivery, which was being experimented with by services like Just My Roots or Tastes2plate, got a boost with the rollout of Zomato Intercity Legends. These services allow you to order cooked food as well as perishable delicacies from other states with just a click. We're excited to see where this tech turn takes us next.

Power to the annadata
Tough policies, vitriolic politics and one of north India's coldest winters - farmers of the country braved this and more to remind Indians that they are our annadata. They also fuelled a conversation on how the food we eat reaches our plates - a narrative that city chefs and eateries are furthering. Take for instance, Project Hum, a new addition to Bandra's foodscape, which started a verify-trace-share programme to encourage diners to learn about the journey of their ingredients and purveyors by scanning a simple QR code. Or ventures like The Locavore or Wild Food Festival which champion regional, hyperlocal and sustainable ingredients, culinary wisdom and dining practices, as well as give back to the men and women who till the soil. We also doff our hat to home chefs and culinary chroniclers, who are fanning the conversation through regional pop-ups, tie-ups with farmer cooperatives, and nuggets of trivia on Instagram.

MISSES

Truffle trouble
Don't get us wrong; we love truffle, especially its pungent, musky, addictive aroma. But truffle oil - which has nothing to do with the wildly expensive mushroom and is in fact, artificially produced - is everywhere. It's in our risotto, sushi, pav bhaji, ice-cream, biryani, avocado toast, naan, pizza…we could go on. Did we mention fries? The novelty of the fragrant fungi is wearing off, or worse, making some of us nauseous. Remember the days of activated charcoal colouring all dishes black? We won't be surprised if truffle oil is headed in that direction.

Make space for women
While a majority of women in India grow up learning the nitty-gritty of the kitchen early in life, it's disheartening to see the skewed ratio of women and men chefs and restaurateurs. In Mumbai, chefs and entrepreneurs such as Amninder Sandhu, Gauri Devidayal, Pooja Dhingra, Rachel Goenka, Seefah Ketchaiyo, and now, Niyati Rao, Urvika Kanoi and Freny Fernandes, are leading the pack. But we would love to see more women emerge on to the city's dining scene. Perhaps, policy interventions, women-centric initiatives and focused hiring strategies can lead the way.

Look east
Restaurateurs, it's time to look east. Bandra, Lower Parel and SoBo will always draw the crowd but Mumbai's eastern suburbs could do with a gourmet fillip. From Chembur to Mulund, the suburbs increasingly house young working professionals who either trudge to BKC, or trek to Bandra, Lower Parel and Colaba to access interesting culinary haunts. Populating the eastern suburbs with fun gourmet restaurants and bars will also draw in discerning diners from Navi Mumbai, Thane and beyond, and lend some much-needed balance to the city's dining scene.

Not so chic
Aesthetic is everything, but maybe it's time to go easy on the boho-chic vibe that seems to find favour among restaurants and cafés in the city. Macramé wall hangings, cushion covers and planters are adorable. Distressed walls, rattan chairs and jute lampshades certainly spell homeliness. But their presence in every other eatery makes them look like clones of each other. They are pretty, but forgettable. Restaurants will do well to remember: we eat with our eyes first.