Manu Chandra, Ranveer Brar, Sarah Todd, Kunal Kapur and Urvika Kanoi make predictions about how you’ll eat this year. 

BENGALURU | MANU CHANDRA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bengaluru will wake up to its heritage this coming year, especially in non-traditional ways. So, expect to see a lot of local ingredients like greens, beans, grains and fruit finding their way onto menus of places that may serve international cuisine. The rise of small, owner-driven cafés and restaurants with a distinctly wellness-oriented offering will also make an appearance, with a fair amount of innovation on the menus.

We’ll finally not have to be a brewery to serve great craft beer. The game changer will be craft brews on tap, available to other restaurants too, and this will truly put the pub back into the pub city. In short, 2017 looks promising.

MUMBAI | RANVEER BRAR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last year saw the rise of hyper local and regional cuisine, which is here to stay along with pride in home-cooked food. Vegetarianism continues to be celebrated as a choice rather than a compulsion. In 2017, I see gastropubs and post-work drinking and dining bars making a mark. We will go back to food being served in plates and platters, as it was meant to be. While we continue to look inwards, we will also look out for the not-so-Far Eastern cuisines, like Burmese. Another aspect that will make a difference in our lives this year will be the stress on unprocessed and preservative-free ingredients. It’s sad, but looking at the rise in vegetarian options, we will not see South American cuisines fly this year either. It’s a good time (and about time) for Indian grains to be seen on restaurant menus. A lot more food gadgets and apps can be expected. In terms of dishes, I see various versions of hummus making further inroads on menus that are gradually moving to a chip-and-dip space. Bitter variants of chocolate will gain more prominence, while fruits will show up in sections of the menu other than dessert.

GOA | SARAH TODD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The biggest food trend this season in Goa is reinventing the classics to give them urban flair. It’s all about giving a twist, using seasonal produce and a fresher, more sophisticated presentation. However, like all trends, they come and go. We have taken the very well known Goan favourite, the Crab Xacuti from our new Surf & Turf menu, preserving all the essential ingredients, but we have given it a modern Aussie twist and that’s what makes it a delight at Antares Restaurant and Beach Club.

NEW DELHI | KUNAL KAPUR

Good food and eating out have become immensely popular in Delhi in the past two years, so naturally the search for good food is more refined. According to me, health will play a major role in the upcoming restaurants, along with the introduction of classic fats that we have always eaten — virgin mustard oil, coconut oil, ghee etc. Delhi is high on experimentation and the last two years have seen a lot of Indian fusion in the capital, which will continue. The same experimenting will carry into other popular cuisines we like. Food apps will continue to dominate in deciding where to eat and what to eat.

KOLKATA | URVIKA KANOI

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There’s already a taco craze in Kolkata restaurants, but it will become bigger in 2017, with more restaurants doing tacos and experimenting with different flavours and textures. Activated charcoal is coming up in a big way, especially in drinks. It’s like a super food now. More and more restaurant kitchens will use technology in terms of equipment and food-grade chemicals to aid the process of food-making. This is how molecular gastronomy has become so popular, and there’s no stopping it in the city now. From cocktails to food and desserts, technology will play a major role — be it sous vide or siphon guns, it’s all coming up in a huge way. Lastly, chefs are now working towards zero waste in the kitchen and are trying to utilise most parts of the ingredients. This step towards sustainability is gaining good momentum.