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

HITSPlate it brightWE 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 clicheacute of smoke bubbletopped cocktails and pintildeata cakes restaurants are paying more attention to serveware Move over boring olrsquo round and shiny plates asymmetrical ceramic dinnerware is here From KMC to Neuma and Eve to Tregravesind Mumbai restobars are celebrating unusual shapes of bowls odd bumps perking out of plates little grooves in beer tumblers and eclectic cocktailholders like ceramic bird bath basins And thumbs up to the soothing pastel pinks and blues earthy beiges and rustic greys mdash keep lsquoem comingSay cheersFrom kokum to karambal and kaapi Indian mixologists are intelligently infusing desi ingredients into our cocktails and we canrsquot get enough of it Look out for a whiskeyspiked kadha at Native Mumbai or the summery feni kaffir lime pineapple and coconut milk concoction called jackfruit at Slink amp Bardot or the Banarasi tidda with vodka and paan syrup at Taftoon mdash 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 itBlurring food boundariesThe 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 Wersquore excited to see where this tech turn takes us nextPower to the annadataTough policies vitriolic politics and one of north Indiarsquos coldest winters mdash 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 mdash a narrative that city chefs and eateries are furthering Take for instance Project Hum a new addition to Bandrarsquos foodscape which started a verifytraceshare 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 popups tieups with farmer cooperatives and nuggets of trivia on InstagramMISSESTruffle troubleDonrsquot get us wrong we love truffle especially its pungent musky addictive aroma But truffle oil mdash which has nothing to do with the wildly expensive mushroom and is in fact artificially produced mdash is everywhere Itrsquos in our risotto sushi pav bhaji icecream biryani avocado toast naan pizzahellipwe 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 wonrsquot be surprised if truffle oil is headed in that directionMake space for womenWhile a majority of women in India grow up learning the nittygritty of the kitchen early in life itrsquos 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 cityrsquos dining scene Perhaps policy interventions womencentric initiatives and focused hiring strategies can lead the wayLook eastRestaurateurs itrsquos time to look east Bandra Lower Parel and SoBo will always draw the crowd but Mumbairsquos 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 muchneeded balance to the cityrsquos dining sceneNot so chicAesthetic is everything but maybe itrsquos time to go easy on the bohochic vibe that seems to find favour among restaurants and cafeacutes in the city Macrameacute 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