STAR HOTEL CHEFS ON FOOD TRENDS & FINDS HERE TO STAY IN 2018
ALOK ANAND
Executive chef, JW Marriott Kolkata
Star ingredients: Quinoa, edible flowers.
Flavours: Simple, natural, uncomplicated fresh flavours, floral-inspired flavours.
Talking points: GST, jumpstart morning drink, Japanese food beyond sushi.
Cuisine: Ethnic-inspired food, dishes inspired from street food.
Biggest change in the way people are eating out: Comfort food, freshly grilled meats with intense burst of smoky robust flavour.
Food app: Epicurious (for recipes), TripAdvisor, Zomato.
Food book: Chai, Chaat & Chutney by Chetna Makan, At My Table by Nigella Lawson.
Food show: MasterChef Australia.
SONU KOITHARA
Executive chef, Taj Bengal
Star ingredients: Banana flower, jackfruit, banana stem, raw mango, drumstick leaves, red rice.
Flavours: Wild mushrooms, black rice.
Talking points: GST, FSSAI impact on food.
Cuisine: Home recipes, tribal food.
Biggest change in the way people are eating out: Healthy food. People are also adventurous to try new and trendy food.
Food app: Don’t use any.
Food book: The Flavour of Spice by Marryam H. Reshii.
Food show: MasterChef Australia.
SHARAD DEWAN
Regional director, food production, The Park
Star ingredient: Activated charcoal.
Flavours: Floral and smoky.
Talking points: Sequels — just like in movies — people are fishing out old recipes and giving it a new “avatar”. Even dishes as simple as khichri are featuring on some top restaurant menus!
Cuisine: I still feel it’s Italian… although last year has been more about food trends than cuisine. The trend is that of easy restaurants and traditional /regional cuisines.
Biggest change in the way people are eating out: Small meals. No one wants big, heavy meals. They want multiple small experiences in the same meal.
Food app: Difficult to say but would be a competition between Dineout, Zomato and Food Panda.
Food book: Sweet and Plenty More by Yotam Ottolenghi. Also, The Flavour of Spice by Marryam H. Reshii.
Food show: MasterChef Australia.
SAURAV BANERJEE
Executive chef, The Oberoi Grand
Star ingredient: Garlic… pungent, roasted, sweet, slow-cooked, black and even burnt, supposed to keep the vampires away too!
Flavour: Charcoal… infused into fruits, vegetables and even ice creams… intense is the only word that springs to mind.
Talking points: Alternative food like gluten-free, lactose-free and specific ingredient-based diets.
Cuisine: Israeli, somewhat Mediterranean, with “skhug” (chilli-cilantro sauce) which will probably become the next Sriracha sauce this year.
Biggest change in the way people are eating out this year: More and more people are focusing on specific regional foods to get more choice and unexplored flavours.
Food app: Pinterest.
Food book: Central by Virgilio Martinez.
Food show: MasterChef Australia.
VIJAY MALHOTRA
Executive chef,ITC Sonar
Star ingredient: Forgotten grains & millets.
Flavours: Natural flavours, that is more of fruits, florals and vegetable extracts.
Talking points: GST of course! G will stand for Gluten Free, S for Sugar free and T for Tasty still. We work with natural ingredients which add to the sugar quotient of the dish. And yes, how can we forget the debate about khichri being the National Dish of last year?
Cuisine: Without doubt, Indian.
Biggest change in the way people are eating out this year: The shift to customised, health-conscious eating with plant-based products taking centre stage. People are opting for more organic and healthy food.
Food app: TripAdvisor
Food book: MasterChef Kitchen Bible and The Road to Mexico by Rick Stein.
Food show: Hell’s Kitchen.
