With truffle season freshly upon us, you can expect the top end of dining to be overloaded with luxury fungi for the next two months, but here are some of the other ingredients and dishes we’re excited about in 2023.

Sweet moves

In 1988, chef Phillip Searle paired pineapple and licorice to much excitement in his chequerboard ice-cream at Paddington’s Oasis Seros. The combination has made a few cameos at other restaurants over the years, but in the past two months it’s been spotted … twice!

There’s Clam Bar’s maple syrup pudding with grilled pineapple custard and licorice ice-cream, and Clayton Wells recently put a caramelised pineapple and licorice cheesecake on Mod Dining’s menu at the Art Gallery of NSW. One more example, and it’s officially a trend.

In other dessert news, crepes are making a comeback (Fred’s, Bistro Nido), and the world domination of rum baba is all but assured (Le Foote, Where’s Nick, Monopole).

Get the chop

The Barnsley chop – that’s a thick-cut double-loin lamb chop – is becoming a popular alternative to high-priced steaks at restaurants including Clam Bar, and Surry Hills’ Poly and Armorica.

Strange shapes

Italian-inspired joints, meanwhile, are locked in an unspoken battle to list the most obscure and regionally specific pasta. Tagliatelle? Pfft.

Now it’s all about scarpinocc (Palazzo Salato), capellini (Bert’s) and calamarata (Icebergs Dining Room and Bar).

Raw deal

Crudo-style or raw scallop: it’s the new tuna tartare. Find it diced with Korean-spiced ajo blanco almond sauce at Bar Soul near Taylor Square; bolstered by a spicy coconut dressing and sea grapes at MuMu in the city; and with grapefruit and a citrusy “Hawaiian” dressing at Castlecrag’s S’more.

Filipino forward

More broadly, Filipino cuisine is taking off. I’ve never seen queues for food – or been around so much charcoal-grill smoke – like at the Filipino Food Festival at Flemington Markets earlier this month. The biggest lines were for Darlinghurst’s Takam (tables for the modern Filipino tasting menu book out weeks in advance, but lemongrass-marinated chicken inasal is always available at lunch) and Pinoy skewer specialist Smoky Cravings.

The latter just opened a Parramatta location after finding success in Lakemba, Tempe and Ramsgate. Fauna is having a crack at Filipino-Italian fusion in Surry Hills, and ube (a purple-hued yam much-loved in the Philippines) is flavouring milkshakes and doughnuts everywhere. Try it at Surry Hills’ Don’t Doughnuts or Walsh Bay fine-diner The Gantry, where chef Rhys Connell serves a Violet Crumble hat-tip of honeycomb with ube ice-cream.

Flexing mussels

Lastly, mussels are starring in more dishes than just moules-frites. This is partly thanks to new-ish aquaculture brand Jervis Bay Mussels expanding production – its product is available in pickled form at the just-opened Longshore restaurant in Chippendale. I’ve recently seen the bivalves served with garlicky Filipino-sausage XO at the aforementioned Takam, and on toast with celery and aioli at Woolloomooloo’s Old Fitz. And Fish Butchery in Paddington makes a smoked mussel and prawn chowder that’s perfect to take home and eat while clad in your favourite jumper.