It’s time to usher in a new year with new beginnings, new concepts and new paths to be forged as we enter 2019. As I look back at 2018, I can’t help noticing on how it’s changed the way people dined out. On how the Hyderabad’s food and beverage section molded itself into accepting change, feature and give competition to the best restaurants across India and yet also maintain their identity.
There was time when people would come over to me and lament the fact that the options of food and cuisines available in Hyderabad are limited. When I look back at the year of 2018, restaurants and eateries found their footing, understood the market, adapted to changing food trends and brought it all together in harmony.
Rise Of Regional Food
When the Top Restaurant Awards 2018 were handed, it didn’t come as a surprise to many when The Bombay Canteen took the numerouno spot. They beat Indian Accent to the top who had been last year’s winners. The emphasis and research that The Bombay Canteen has done on regional cuisines of India has been phenomenal. 2018 as a year truly heralded the rise of regional menus across India.
And Hyderabad wasn’t far behind. There was a time when chefs lamented that they couldn’t get fresher ingredients available easily to plate up dishes. But with the general shift towards regional and seasonal produce, the chefs now have new menus to work on. I was sitting with Chef Aaron Coutinho who’s earlier worked with Bombay Canteen, Desi Di and now consults for few restaurant across India on the sourcing of ingredients. He goes on explain that, “It’s easier nowadays to source international vegetables like broccoli for menus than fresh Indian produce like parwal and Indian beans.”
2018 as a year also saw the maximum regional food festivals being held in Hyderabad. And the five-star properties were at the forefront. Gone were the times when the favored Lucknowi, Awadhi, Bengali food festivals featured prominently across buffets.
Chef Amit Dash of Sheraton Hyderabad and his team went all out in researching the regional menus and showcased the food from Odisha, Garwhal, erstwhile kingdom of Maithali and Magadh. And the best part about all of this were that the people of Hyderabad accepted it all. They were sold out on all days of the food festivals and this has now further fuelled their enthusiasm to explore a lot more.
The Food Identity Crisis
When the division of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana happened, the investors and restaurant owners suddenly had to re-evaluate into the kind of food they’d have to plate up. But then again, Hyderabad has always had a niche, cuisine and personality of it’s own. Did the division bring forth the showcase of Telangana cuisine? Absolutely. Along with the regular Hyderabadi, Andhra fares a new page of purely Telangana were exhibited. The year of 2018 gave birth of purely Telangana speciality and Andhra restaurants. The stark difference in cuisines of all three regions, Hyderabadi, Telangana and Andhra were remarkably exhibited.
One of the restaurant which comes to mind is Simply South, who have their menu demarcated into specific regions of South India where all of the states get equal footing. A conversation with Chef Chalapathi Rao threw up interesting pointers on how customers have actually evolved in eating their South Indian food from when it was unified Andhra. He adds, “The Government has been primarily responsible in Telangana food becoming popular in 2018. With numerous food festivals and showcase of millets, the education of the public got this once neglected cuisine back to the forefront. “The spices were mostly the same in all three regions but the distinctiveness lies in how they were treated. While Andhra Pradesh with it’s fertile region and proximity is rich in rice and seafood, Telangana circled around the world of millets and red meat,” he goes on to add. And on the other hand we had Hyderabad, which was a melting point of cultures and rich history. It held it's own character, style and culture. It indeed has worked beautifully in getting all of them three cuisines together and yet setting them apart.
Plant Based Food
There is no denying the fact that people are more aware about the food they are eating and ordering. While vegetarian has been a much followed lifestyle, veganism is slowly becoming a way of life. But then again, most of South Indian food has already been vegan and healthy from the start.
Kerala food used copious amount of coconut milk, the millets played a major role in our eating culture and vegetables grew in prominence. It’s only now that it has been transformed into a style of living. I remember going out with a group of Germans who wanted to eat South Indian food. The place that we went to has never advertised itself as vegan, but were happy to oblige because most of the dishes were already using vegan ingredients.
Beautifully quaint cafes have mushroomed across the city. The produce that they source for the day, makes it into their daily rotating menu. Seasonal produce has started to play an integral part. Olive Bistro, Hyderabad comes to mind when I think of an eatery making use of seasonal ingredients the most. They literally have four different menus rotating a year capturing the essence of the freshly grown vegetables available in the market.
But then again sourcing these vegetables for a length of time becomes a bit of difficulty. For specialised menus across the city, chefs have now started to grow their own produce. Novotel, Hyderabad Airport has a huge garden of it’s own growing organic vegetables and herbs. Many of the eateries have booked their spaces in greenhouses located across the city to cultivate the produce that they want in particular, keeping in mind the timeline of their growth. The yield is now fresher and sourced on a daily basis, making food great again.
The Ascent Of International Cuisine
While some restaurant owners might be divided on this particular topic, we cannot ignore the fact that international cuisine made a whole lot of strides. The people of Hyderabad always been accepting on International cuisines and experimentation with their palates, but then again you have to truly understand them back too. As Chef Mahesh Padala of Westin explain, “Comfort European and Italian food have always been best sellers.” I will tend to absolutely agree on this.
Degustation menus might be making inroads the world over, but it shouldn’t be that they same trend needs to be applied in every city/country. The vast repertoire of Arabic and Yemeni food found in Hyderabad is higher than any other city in India. In no other city in India have I discovered food from Syria, Somalia and the likes. The display of Afghani food in the city is second only to Delhi in the country. These cuisines have beautifully coexisted and the Hyderabad’s denizens have been very accepting about it.
The Arabic Mandi has found equal footing with the Hyderabadi Biryani and Andhra Pulaos. Many such eateries have mushroomed around Toli Chowki and Lakdi ka Pul. 2018 saw these eateries take risks and branch out. There was no more dilution of their food with the local taste. And the people of Hyderabad got to feast on fantastic international fares.
There have also been mushrooming of restaurants serving North Easters fare in the city and being successful at it. From Akhunis (Fermented Soy) to Curries made with Bamboo shoots, Zing’s North East Kitchen has been making waves. Similarly The Himalayan Cafe brings close the taste of the hills down south with its wide range of momos, be it Kothe, Jhol, Fried or the classic steamded ones.
The Story Of The Single Origin
I was very excited to notice when the Third Wave of coffee hit the Hyderabad market. 2018 saw the entry of specialised coffees and the denizens of the city appreciating it beautifully. From a time when speciality coffees only meant the imports, the ones from different coffee estates came as a breath of fresh air. Roastery Coffee has been doing a fabulous job at sourcing and also roasting their own beans. They in fact do workshops for the city’s coffee enthusiasts. Sentido Brewers is another elegantly designed coffee shop making great beverages.
To End It All With A Dessert
No meal is ever complete without a dessert. It's like that warm feeling which envelopes you, snuggles you after a spice and you know everything is all right. Many of the chefs whom I talked to have put their special attention to their desserts section. A dessert is when the customer walks out with a memory. The last dish can make or break a dining experience.
With the launch of patissiers around Hyderabad, the city folks were treated to an endless variety of marvelous sweet creations. Desserts became works of art and looked straight out of Masterchef kitchens.
Was 2018 a great time for change in the way people dined? Absolutely. We have so many more options to choose from now. The food has become better, we are right up there following international trends in plating dishes and make them seem more Instagrammable.
And 2019 is going to get better. The citizens are now well travelled, well-researched and have are ready to try new food and beverages. Being unoriginal is being slowly phased out but the comfort food concept shall remain for a while. If 2018 as an year of analysis has proved one thing, it is to keep your mind open and believe in your concept. The rest will slowly catch on.
