We’re halfway through the year, and a few trends in the food and drink scene are emerging. We looked over the past six months (and spoke to some of our foodie friends) to predict what the next year is going to look like. Here’s what we came up with.
1. Pretty plates will give way to affordable(ish) bistronomy
It’s no longer about frou-frou dishes that only take up a quarter of a gargantuan plate. A hybrid of bistro vibes and gastronomic dishes, bistronomy is a happy middle between fine dining experiences with bistro prices. Recently, Andre Chiang of Restaurant Andre opened Porte 12 in Paris, while Sorrel, with its five- and seven-course dinners focused on fresh market produce, spearheads the movement here. Now, Chef Andrew Walsh, formerly of Esquina, has teamed up with the guys behind The Cufflink Club to open Cure (21 Keong Saik Rd.) later this year. Owner Joel Fraser says a set menu of five courses will go for $100 with an extensive wine list to match. “I have seen the trend pop up in London and Paris and it will be mimicked here. Bistronomy is all about young chefs making great food away from the stuffy fine dining setting, which is exciting to diners here as the price tags won’t blow the budget,” he says.
2. Dude food will make a mark
With the recent openings of casual, down-and-dirty, meaty places like burger restaurant MeatLiquor SIN and smokehouse Meatsmith, elevated dude food is definitely trending. We also know that Chef Bjorn Shen of Artichoke is also looking for a more permanent space for Bird Bird, his hearty Thai fried chicken pop-up.
3. The era of the local chef might finally be here
Bjorn Shen is not the only local chef who has been getting an extra dose of (well-deserved) limelight. Jason Tan of Corner House has gotten good reviews for his “gastro-botanic cuisine”. And with SG50 in the air, we can expect more local pride in the F&B scene. Industry insider and director of Les Amis Group Raymond Lim agrees. “We are increasingly willing to pay top bucks to support local chefs, and on the chefs side, the confidence is there to step up to the plate,” he says. “Our local cooking schools such as TP, CIA and ITE have done such a good job of producing kitchen talents, many of whom will be blossoming on the local scene.”
4. You’ll see less cocktail shaking
We all love watching our bartenders skilfully whip up drinks, but pre-bottled cocktails may be the solution to cutting down wait times in crowded bars. Here, you’ll find bars like The Library, LongPlay and L’Aiglon pushing out some pre-bottled cocktails that are chilled to perfection. While it limits creativity, don’t be surprised when more companies like Sunday Punch pop up to offer bottled cocktail deliveries by some of the most accomplished bartenders in town.
5. The infusion invasion will continue
Most bartenders have been going crazy over infusions. But the mania seems to be going further up the food chain. “Alcohol producers are finally coming up with their own,” Howard Lo of The Secret Mermaid explains to us. There are things like smoked salmon vodka over at The Secret Mermaid as well as a homemade butter vodka (yes, it is as good as it sounds) at L’Aiglon. Plus, in addition to the usual spirit infusions, even soft mixers are getting the flavor treatment. Tom Hogan of Antidote has been infusing his own tonics, while Mark Thomas of Club 39 has been infusing sodas to impart flavors in boring cocktails like vodka tonics.
6. Whisky will leave Scotland
We’ve been geeking out over single malts the past couple years. But over the past year, we’ve moved over to North American stuff like bourgon and rye. Bars like The Secret Mermaid and The Beast focus solely on American spirits. “People are getting more curious about bourbon and rye so you’ll see older places adding a larger selection of bourbon to their menu. We want to be able to showcase American craft whiskys in the next couple of months,” says Lo. It might even get more radical: this year saw a Taiwanese whisky, Kavalan King Car, bag the World Whisky Awards, no small feat considering the caliber of their Scottish cousins.
