Just like fashionistas wait for the spring/summer catalogue to find out what trends to look forward to this season, foodies can't wait to find out all about the cuisine trends they can expect in 2017.
New restaurants, new cuisine, new trends, the list is never ending. So to give all those foodies an idea of what is going to be big in 2017, International Business Times spoke to chef Manu Chandra, partner Toast & Tonic, The Fatty Bao and Monkey Bar, and executive chef Olive Beach.
Here are excerpts from the interview...
International Business Times: What sort of cuisine do you think will trend in 2017?
Manu Chandra: Regional cuisine. I think regional cuisine, which has not been getting its due in the large, urban market. This regional cuisine will come from all part of the country.
"You try to do something organically, it always involves higher input cost, but it's beneficial for you. Unfortunately, it is not a wide-enough movement"
IBT: What is your view on organic, antibiotic-free food? How easy is it to source these products and are they cost-effective?
Chandra: No, it's never cost-effective. The reason they are given antibiotics and fertilizers is that it makes it easier to grow, but you try to do something organically, it always involves higher input cost, but it's beneficial for you.
Unfortunately, it is not a wide-enough movement, and I really hope it becomes one because it is good for everybody and we are hoping we see more of that.
We also want to see much more bio-diversity, more local ingredients, more people looking inwards, towards what's available in their own country, rather than trying to get fancy things that grow elsewhere.
"This is the problem with running a business in India, there is always too much red tape"
IBT: Doyou think the food-truck trend has finally caught on for good in India?
Chandra: It is not so popular here because there is too much ambiguity, as far as the reality and law is concerned. This is the problem with running a business in India, there is always too much red tape. So, till such time as there is more clarity on that, I don't know if food trucks are going to take off as a major trend, but we have already seen quite a few pop up in big cities.
Bengaluru probably has the highest number of food trucks in the country and it has good traction. Mumbai is tougher, but hopefully we'll see more.
"You can't keep catering to 50 rich people and expect to make a difference"
IBT: Do you think it is time fast food gets a fine-dining twist?
Chandra: Yes, it is all about having more mass appeal. The idea is to take a great concept and make it available to a larger set of people.
Toast & Tonic, my latest restaurant, is all about using local, fresh ingredients and making everything fresh in-house and making it available to a larger set of people. That is how you change food. You can't keep catering to 50 rich people and expect to make a difference.
If you want to eat meat, eat meat; if you don't want to eat meat, eat vegetables. Mock meat doesn't really add up to very much
IBT: What do you think of mock meat? Do you enjoy cooking with it?
Chandra: No, I am not a big fan. I think it is a fading trend, which is a lot more pertinent in the eastern part of the world, where it is ingrained into their diet.
In India I think it just came as a fad – if you want to eat meat, eat meat; if you don't want to eat meat, eat vegetables. Mock meat doesn't really add up to very much.
IBT: How are food habits different in India than say the US or Europe, in terms of adapting to new tastes?
Chandra: The thing is India itself has so many tastes, so many varieties. If you start eating food of the North-East, there is a complete change of mindset about what cuisine is. If you eat Odiya food, you will probably forget Bengali food, so I think first we need to wake up to what we have within us and that's a very encouraging trend.
Of course we should do restaurants and cuisine from the other parts of the world as well, but to celebrate what is inherently yours is as important as celebrating what comes from the outside.
"I think too much is done to attract shock and awe and less attention is paid to thinking through the concept"
IBT: Can you name a food trend that you think should die in 2017.
Chandra: I think excessive fusion of anything should go away. Just yesterday I came across something – pani puri on top of a pizza. For the sake of experimentation everything is very nice, but sometimes I think too much is done to attract shock and awe and less attention is paid to thinking through the concept.
IBT: Do you think app-based food services like Freshmenu have broadened our taste spectrum?
Chandra: It's available and we enjoy it right? The more there is availability in the market, the more people will be able to choose. Much of it has been fuelled by a lot of money coming from the market, so I don't know how well all of them are doing because it's the burning money stage.
So I think only the strongest will survive, but yes it has made life a lot more convenient and for the customer it's a win-win.
IBT: What do you think about the rising popularity of ethnic spices and sauces such as peri peri, harissa, sriracha etc.?
Chandra: Like I said, we are becoming one world and global trade is facilitating a lot of movement of products. Why does England eat so much of Chicken Tikka Masala, why does everyone have garam masala at home? So similarly, we are getting access to a whole bunch of different ingredients, which we may not have had earlier.
IBT: What additions and new things are you planning for your restaurants this year?
Chandra: Well, Toast & Tonic is the latest. Very exciting and it's doing very well. We are opening several new Fatty Bao outlets in Mumbai and also looking at taking Toast & Tonic to Mumbai this year.
IBT: Do you see more high-end restaurants going local this year?
Chandra: Absolutely! I think that's the next thing. Everyone's started already and it is something we want to see more of.
Quickfire with Chef Manu Chandra
IBT: So a few quick things about you. What does Manu Chandra eat for breakfast?
Chandra: I don't eat breakfast actually. I have black coffee in the morning.
IBT: What's the one food that you've grown to love over the years?
Chandra: I think I am going back to my greens and vegetables. I love my saag, the different flavours. Every saag is not the same. I actually love eating different types of vegetables, different flavours, interesting chutneys. I have been discovering a lot of things from the North-East and it's fantastic so that excites me more than meat or rice and stuff like that.
