With the vast recognition of Indian millets, micro-cuisines, local whiskeys and untapped opportunities explored by chefs, there are more trends to catch up with in the F&B space. We ask Yogen Datta, Executive Chef, ITC Maratha Mumbai, and Area Executive Chef West Region, ITC Hotels to shed light on the same.
What’s hot on the fine dining menu?
• Responsible dining: Trending restaurants moving into minimally altered houses and heritage buildings offering climate conscious cuisine. Sustainable dining continues to be the trend.
• Plant-based alternative proteins are trending, substituting dairy and meat and reducing the carbon footprint.
• Indian millets, being a superfood and a local alternative grain with health benefits, continue to be explored on the menus.
• Micro-cuisines will be shining as the next level regional cuisines from sub communities exploring the unexplored regional tapestry of the country.
• Social for local: Local offerings are gaining recognition and trending in social media, bringing back into focus what was always around us but stayed unexplored.
• Instagram, YouTube and Facebook are some platforms which have helped in generating curiosity amongst the general population about the local dining places.
• Small plates continue to trend because they offer variations within a meal, keeping the meal manageable.
What’s brewing in beverages?
• Indian whisky: Various regional blends like Indri, Paul John and variations, Amruth etc are gaining traction on a national level.
• Bar chefs: Chefs entering bars and creating flavours using ingredients and techniques which were earlier restricted to the kitchens.
Tech influence on fine dining:
• Data science is helping shape experiential dining.
• 3 D food printing (the process of manufacturing food products using a variety of additive manufacturing techniques) may be coming in as it becomes affordable with technology advancement. And cutting edge science is used to manufacture plant-based meats which in turn gets featured into the menus of fine dining establishments.
