What will be the Culinary and Hospitality Trends for 2008?

As we start the New Year everyone is curious to know what the New Year will bring. We therefore thought it appropriate to try to identify what will be the new trends in dining and hospitality for the year ahead. We asked Laurence Civil to meet with a broad range of industry professionals to get their take. Will there be even more Italian restaurants or does the city already have its fill? What will be the new trend in fast food, will it be a move to Asian influence pizza? Have we finally seen the last of the obnoxious "f" word fusion. Rather than hear our thoughts, this is what the food and hospitality industry had to say.

Franck Rodriguez – General Manager, Fenix 4

Customers are looking for a multicultural experience, the opportunity to be exposed to new tastes. They are looking for simplicity in the way the food is cooked with the focus on flavour and quality of the ingredients being used. They are more health conscious and are looking for more back to basics, authentic dishes that are affordable and easy to comprehend. Thai is still a very influential cooking style that is being given a western taste and presentation to create more modernity. The key factors for the future are freshness of the ingredients, choice, variety and finally presentation.

Patrick Schaub – Hotel Manager, Plaza Athenee

Diners are now more health conscious about what they want to eat. Looking forward I see the trend for small portions to each course with more individualistic taste experiences, while at the same time maintaining integrity towards food being served. Grazing will become common and I think we will see more cuisine methodologies coming up with their own tapas-style presentation. This allows authentic tastes to be presented in fun size portions that are chic for the customer. Dining will also be more experience driven rather than just eating.

What I see missing in Bangkok is that not all restaurants have every element of the dining know-how working together as a well thought through product. For instance, the chef is producing great food but the overall experience is let down by poor service delivery.

Sriram Kailasam – Group Food & Beverage Director, Banyan Tree Hotel, Resorts & Spas

I see the future trend as honest homestyle cooking, getting back to basics with the re-emergence of comfort food, dishes that customers are familiar with, re-done in a better way. There will also be a greater influence from street food again, cooked with the same integrity but in the best manner. The d?cor of the restaurant is becoming more relevant to the operation. At the high end for a restaurant to be successful the elements of food, service and design must get together. In terms of food style the trend is to make lighter, less complicated dishes. Tapas and grazing is going to be the new snacking or a quick bite. The fad for fusion is disappearing, while there will be multi ethnic dishes, however, there has to be a relevance to why any ingredient is on the plate. Branding and the profile of the chef will become more important in positioning a restaurant.

Brandon Davis – Executive Chef, Harvey

I have just been in Thailand for a few months so I am not sure if I am qualified to comment on trends. However, what I would like to see is more authentic traditional food and simple quality Italian. Less Thai chilli and more fresh wasabi and horseradish sauce. For Mexican, simple cheviche as fresh seafood and limes are available in abundance and its just a matter of bringing them together; better ingredients simple techniques. One idea for Thailand I have taken into my kitchen is to balance spice with cucumber and that works excellently with crab cakes.

Paulo (F & B Director, Dusit Thani Bangkok)

In 2008 the dining trend will be driven by a healthy lifestyle; organic vegetables, steam cooking and micro greens; additional fish and seafood less red meat and more fruit, especially bananas and red berry fruits. Younger people will focus more on vegetarian food , it will be the year for the tomato. Sauces will be lighter with less cream and butter.

Vietnamese will be an Asian food style of the year due to its vegetable content, noodles and light soups. Dark chocolate will be back in fashion because of its health value as the midmorning snack rather than croissant.

Supplementary red wine will be drunk and sparkling wines will be in as an aperitif. Added white spirits with exotic flavours such as caipriranha and cashasa and less whiskey will be seen. Grappa will be taken more with cigars for the connoisseurs. Khanitha Akaranitikul – Owner, Baan Khanitha Thai Restaurant

I see the impending trend continuing on in the midst of several types of adaptations and fusion with creativity at the forefront. Ingredients used in cooking would remain relatively the same; however, people will be more aware and knowledgeable; explicitly knowing the beneficial aspects of ingredients used in food preparation. In Bangkok I believe Thai ingredients will be continually infused with Western cookery and cuisine.

Furthermore, restaurants have to create something different to be a step ahead of their competitors. The completeness of a dining experience would prove to be quintessential. Trendy restaurants will be aplenty, however, as people are more health conscious and careful of what they consume other aspects of quality standards in dining need to tie in with the essence of what else is presented.