Food trends of 2015: The in, out, going strong and coming soon

Get ready for more superfoods, queuing to get a table, and ‘rustic’ food this year, writes Chef Eugene Lee of Tanzini Restaurant.

Now that 2015 is here and we’re changing our diaries, desk calendars and table planners, we’ve seen some memorable trends from last year get laid to rest while some are still going strong. And what dining trends can we expect this year? Here are my two cents.

(Image: Thinkstock)

Memorable

Cold Brew Coffee

Thanks to the mushrooming of indie and mainstream cafes. Most chefs love coffee and personally, while I drink coffee, I wouldn’t say I’m a diehard fan. But I did notice the cold brew coffee -- a gimmicky, science lab, drip filter that sits on the bar top of most cafes now. It also reminds me of Melbourne’s coffee culture, which saw this trend five years ago.

Plating dessert literally on the table while guests are seated

Before Alinea Restaurant in Chicago closed, Grand Achatz came up with a brilliant idea in 2010 – splash, pour, tear, scoop, throw and reconstruct dessert on the table a la minute while surprised guests watched, enthralled. Many restaurants were still trying to imitate this in 2014. Creating a trend that’s lasted almost 4 years, that’s the stuff legends are made of.

(Image: Thinkstock)

In & going strong

"Rustic"

I personally do not know when this word came into the culinary picture. But, it seems like every kitchen is going bistro or "rustic" by playing a big slab of toast with an egg smacked on top. Of course, the egg has to be 63 degrees Celcius to be a poached egg. It’s then topped with arugula or some fine greens served on a chopping board. It made me realise that breakfast can be any time of the day! Isn't that amazing?

Queuing under the sun to get a table

Queuing up is a psychological thing, I think. The longer the queue, the better the food. And if it is under the hot sun and people are willing to wait for it - then the food must be godlike! When there’s little seating capacity in a café or restaurant, queuing up is imminent. With all that time spent waiting for a table, expect to see more check-ins and selfies on social media to make it worth the wait.

Foodporn

We all have to agree: taking pictures of food is not going to be out of trend anytime soon. It’s a positive trend for restaurants; after all, it’s free marketing. But, it could also be a downfall as complaints get around the world faster. While it’s always nice to post a photo of food in the middle of the night to tempt your friends, don’t forget to eat your food while it’s hot!

(Image: Thinkstock)

Coming soon

Super foods, chia seeds, quinoa!

Eating healthy has always been a trend but with the rise of clean eating and fad diets, these few ingredients will be coming in strong in 2015. As long as leg days, arms days, chest days and oblique exercise rules, these foods will come and are here to stay…for good!

Abusing the word ‘unpretentious’

What’s unpretentious? Food that you find along the streets of Jalan Alor; food that’s served on plastic plates. Establishments that don’t care about image and only care about cooking good food (and making money). That, to me, is unpretentious. There will be sham culinary prophets claiming to make unpretentious food while on the contrary, bring in imported ingredients, customised china and the lot. As restaurateurs, we’re here to impress our guests. If we don’t create a certain pretense, then they might as well eat along the streets.

Chefs will soon be farmers

When the world’s best restaurant is announced, expect the wave to travel. If the best restaurant starts planting their own vegetables, then all chefs will start doing the same.

Long process cooking

While chefs are aware of double cooking techniques, the new trend that I see coming will be long process cooking - fermentation, pickling, or even a long process preparation. This is when a single ingredient is subjected to few cooking techniques before it is finished and assembled on the plate. Since (most) chefs are impatient, I guess it’s high time to learn some patience.

Chef Eugene Lee is the senior sous chef at Tanzini Restaurant. One of Malaysia Tatler’s Best Restaurants winner, Tanzini is located at G Tower, Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur.