ONE-BOWL MEALS AND COCKTAILS: Quick, economical, convenient and flavourful — the one-bowl meal will get popular. “With space crunch and the reducing size of kitchens, and changing lifestyles, the one-bowl meal will find many takers,” says chef Kinny. REGIONAL AND CLASSIC INDIAN CUISINE: 2016 saw an increased focus on Indian regional cuisines. The trend will carry forward to 2017. Kinny says, “I have been spending the last few months exploring cuisines of the Mountains, North-East, Southern Tribal cuisine, etc. These are so exciting, unexplored and I believe customers in the city are ready for it. I often meet guests who fondly recall their experiences in Delhi where there is a much stronger commitment to regional food.” VEGETARIAN FOOD: This is Kinny’s favourite and the most exciting project in the pipeline. “I want 2017 to be the year of vegetarians. As a chef, I’ve spent the last few months closely observing the limitations we have placed on ourselves when it comes to vegetarian options in our menus. You have to see some of the unexpected dishes in our Asian Shophouse — Shizusan. I’ve been experimenting with jackfruit, kantola, betel leaf which will offer vegetarians dynamic new choices beyond the ‘paneer, mushroom, baby corn’ variety. Vegetables like pumpkin, cauliflower, coconut will take centrestage as they have at 212 All Good where we have also substituted flour and rice noodles with coconut strips in Pad Thai, using cauliflower for the pizza base, etc.” ROASTERIES/ COFFEE HOUSES: Don’t be surprised if you see a sudden spurt of coffee houses and roasteries across the city. “It’s evident across our restaurants that customers are not only consuming more coffee, but they are also extending their interest in the form of wishing to buy beans, discuss bean treatments, etc. Every good roastery needs good food, more importantly, the right food. Gone are the days when Chicken Tikka Croissants ruled. Coffee shop food has evolved to embrace French-style baking methods, sandwiches using rye and seed breads,” says Kinny. INTERNATIONAL CUISINES: The new year will see a focus on Nikkei cuisine, Mexican food and you never know maybe even an Ethiopian restaurant. NEW TECHNIQUES: 2017 will see a lot of different interpretations of food and ingredients. “Char-grilling, blistering, cold press juices, nose-to-tail approach on a particular poultry product are some of the trends we are likely to see in 2017. I personally feel regional cooking is here to stay,” says Deshpande.