Bitter, baby
With riffs on Negronis and Aperol Spritzs featuring on every cocktail list right now, and the revival of vermouth with restaurants like Sydney’s Banskii sporting a dedicated list, bitter flavours have never been bigger. And it’s a trend that’s on the rise – the craft beer scene in Australia, America and the UK is currently seeing a rapid rise in the popularity of challengingly bitter, hop-driven beers. And we haven’t even touched the surface of where bitterness could go yet; it’s nuances and variations: 2017 is its year.
More Mexican
With Noma this coming April, showcasing an all-Mexican menu, Mexican food is well placed to make a comeback this year. But it ain’t all about burritos and chimichangas (which are actually more Texan than Mexican anyway); we’re talking about real, regional cuisine.
Pizza party
Is it a pizza? Is it a pie? Well, actually, it’s both. Pizza pies feature a pizza crust placed over a pie-tin chockfull of cheese, pizza sauce and toppings, which is baked and then turned out at the table. It’s basically a Chicago-style deep-pan pizza on steroids, and it originated there too. It’s messy, it’s mental and it’s all over the internet. So which restaurant will be the first to bring them to Aus?
So sour
Sour beers are all the rage in Norway right now. A bit like natural wine (which is more popular than ever), the beer is fermented with wild yeasts, and has a distinctly sour taste. The refreshing acidity is perfect for our warm climes.
Vegan, still
Health food, and particularly vegan food, is on the up and up, and doesn’t show much sign of slowing down anytime soon. And we’re not just talking about vegan bolognaise here; even meringues are getting a shake-up –with . With the Western diet still dominated by too much meat, and the ozone layer paying the price, it makes sense that we cut back, and the industry is reflecting that.
Going native
Noma Australia helped to launch a whole new era for native Australian produce, and in 2017 we’re going to see native foods on more and more restaurant menus, and even in your local Harris Farm. Keep an eye out for finger limes, karkalla, saltbush and sea-blite.
Garden friendly, too
Glossy pearls that zing - native lime packs a punch
Less boozy
Bars like Sydney’s This Must be the Place brought a taste of low-alcoholic cocktails to the drinks scene last year, and with O Bar and Dining offering ‘healthy’ cocktails, more and more bars seems to be taking the approach that more alcohol doesn’t always make for a better drink. And in a climate like ours, keeping the booze levels down and hydration levels up is always a good idea.
Can we say goodbye to these guys though please?
Nutella
OK, you’ve had your fun, Nutella. There was a time when you were a bit jazzy – chefs liked you because you were quicker (and cheaper) than making ganache, and diners liked you because you were European and kitsch (and jam-packed with palm oil by the way – 20 per cent of it in fact). But we’ve had enough – enough of it in our doughnuts, enough of it in our milkshakes, enough of it in our cakes, and enough of it in our hot chocolates. Can someone please bring back ganache already, or at least properly made gianduja?
‘Healthy’ sweeteners
Listen people: sugar is sugar. Whether it comes from a cactus, a tree, a bee or a laboratory, it’s still sugar. There is no trick here: if you want to cut out sugar, cut it out. Because there ain’t no cheating: if it tastes sweet, go ahead and eat it, but don’t fool yourself: you shouldn’t be eating it by the gallon-load.
Extreme burgers
You know – these are those massive burgers that wouldn’t have a chance in hell of actually fitting in a normal human’s mouth. It doesn’t have to be civilised, and it certainly doesn’t need to be tidy (the best burgers are the messy ones anyway), but can we please just have burgers that we can actually eat? Thanks.
