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This Month

Slow-cooked lamb shoulder, 2KW, Adelaide

Classic dishes reinvented for contemporary palates

These six restaurants have managed to make time-honoured recipes even better for today. Give them a try.

  • Necia Wilden

September

Chef Eilish Malony of The What If Society gathering rhubarb at Moonacres Farm, Wildes Meadow.

How this Sydney chef has won a cult following – without a restaurant

Eilish Maloney’s two regional cafes, her masterclasses and occasional pop-up diner reflect her adventurous approach to food, and people are lapping it up.

  • Eugenie Kelly

August

The toilets at Bacchanalia in London feature marble-tiled floors spread out like flower petals while painted vines cascade from the ceiling.

The restaurant washrooms turning into selfie stations

Forget the food and the flatware – bathrooms have become the big thing in many restaurants today.

  • Kate Krader

June

Can Guzman y Gomez’s New Yorker frontman prove everyone wrong?

Managers say the IPO is too riddled with cushy perks for insiders to offer value. Founder Steve Marks disagrees.

  • Primrose Riordan, Carrie LaFrenz and Max Mason
Restaurateur Jessi Singh at hhis new restaurant, Bibi Ji in Carlton.

BYO is coming to a fine-dining restaurant near you

The trend is no longer confined to lower-priced eateries, which is good news for diners who have their own wine collections.

  • Necia Wilden
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May

Guzman y Gomez co-founder quits board as it pursues IPO

The Mexican-themed chain has recently lured new investors at a $1.73 billion valuation and is backed by TDM Growth Partners and Barrenjoey Capital Partners.

  • Primrose Riordan
Five bespoke whiskies are based on the five foundations of taste – bitter, sour, salt, umami and sweet.

If you love single malt, food and a good craic, try this $10k pairing

An Australian chef with a two Michelin-starred restaurant in Dublin has collaborated with an Irish whiskey maker to create something exceptional and very exclusive.

  • Mark Ludlow
“Vinegar is the end of a very beautiful natural process,” says cider and vinegar maker Tim Jones.

Top restaurants can’t get enough of the mother of all vinegars

Tasmanian cider maker Tim Jones has branched out into barrel-aged craft vinegars and a refreshing sweet-and-sour cordial.

  • Max Allen

April

Asma Khan of Darjeeling Express renown will headline Tasting Australia’s inaugural train journey on The Overland.

Tasting Australia’s $795 debut train trip an instant sell-out

“I’ve come up with a menu that will work in a galley,” chef Asma Khan says of the coming journey. Here’s a taste of this and other events at next month’s culinary extravaganza.

  • Necia Wilden
Atsushi Katsuki: “The US market is the best and biggest market for us, and it’s also the missing piece for us.”

Asahi eyes US, cuts down on the booze as consumers go teetotal

CEO Atsushi Katsuki said the company wants to expand its line-up of alcohol-free beverages in the US through investments in start-ups.

  • Kana Inagaki and David Keohane

March

‘We don’t do curry’: this chef wants to change our idea of Indian food

Is progressive Indian food anything like the stereotype? What actually is Filipino cuisine? All will be revealed at the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.

  • Necia Wilden

January

Lobster and king prawn pappardelle at Grazia restaurant in Glen Iris.

Melbourne stokes its Italian love affair with a swag of new eateries

Maybe it’s a case of turning to comfort food in the face of tough times, but it turns out you can never have too many Italian restaurants.

  • Necia Wilden

Jill Dupleix’s guide to the hottest restaurant openings in 2024

Around the country, just debuted and soon-to-open venues are going bigger, louder and more playful.

  • Jill Dupleix

December 2023

High angle view of delicious appetizer shot on rustic wooden table. The composition includes a selection of cheeses, Iberico ham, red wine, grapes and bread. Predominant colors are res, yellow and brown. XXXL 42Mp studio photo taken with Sony A7rii and Sony FE 90mm f2.8 macro G OSS lens Cheese platter
iStock

What’s the best wine for $50, and 37 other wine questions answered

The AFR’s award-winning drinks writer provides the ultimate guide to buying, drinking, serving and storing wine.

  • Max Allen

Max Allen answers your questions about serving and storing wine

The AFR’s award-winning drinks writer talks us through all questions about serving and storing wine, like ‘can I put ice cubes in my wine’ to ‘which wines do I need to decant’?

  • Max Allen
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Max Allen answers your questions about buying wine

The AFR’s award-winning drinks writer talks us through all questions about buying wine, from ‘is cask wine any good?’ to ‘what’s the most overrated type of wine?’

  • Max Allen

Max Allen answers 12 of your basic wine questions

The AFR’s award-winning drinks writer talks us through all the questions you were too afraid to ask, like, ‘what is natural wine’ and ‘do hangover drops really work’?

  • Max Allen

Max Allen’s nine steps for ordering wine at a restaurant

Choosing wine when dining out might sound pretty basic, but there’s more choice than ever before and much more thought going into matching wine and food.

  • Max Allen

How to build a wine collection that will rise in value

Here’s what you need to know about starting a wine collection – for love and for money.

  • Max Allen
Table setting by In The Roundhouse

Here’s why we’ll be partying this summer like there’s no tomorrow

You can be forgiven for forgetting there’s a downturn afoot. Birthdays, Christmas lunches, parties for the hell of it – budgets are bigger and event planners are busier than ever.

  • Lauren Sams

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/food-trends-1msb