Dam Duc Vu

Restaurants in australia are using innovative approaches and returning to nature as they adapt to the new normal.

has been dramatically altered by the Covid-19 pandemic. Technology has come to the foreground, with apps offering home delivery of gourmet meals and ingredients for home chefs becoming more important than ever. At the same time, restaurants are taking precautions to keep customers and staff safe and healthy. 

It’s impossible to know what the future will hold – some parts of this new normal will be here to stay, while other developments will emerge as restaurants return to full capacity. On a trip to Australia, I experienced some developments in the high-end culinary world that may be coming soon to a restaurant near you.

SMALL PLATES

Many restaurants and hotels in Australia have restricted the serving of ready-made buffet food because of the pandemic, but trends have already been moving away from the buffet style. Serving smaller plates only after they have been ordered not only ensures food safety but also delivers dishes that are more polished by the chefs and served on time, thus avoiding wasting food.

The world of social media has also had an impact, with artful images of food a staple on Instagram and other image-sharing platforms. Restaurants are well aware of how vital the visual presentation of dishes has become and are pulling out all the stops to make each small plate a work of art.

PERFORMANCE ART

An increasing interaction with customers to bring them unique experiences has been a rising trend among restaurants, although in many places in-person dining remains limited by the pandemic. Open kitchens placed in conspicuous spots are lively stages for chefs to demonstrate their talents against a backdrop of sizzling sounds and dancing flames on the stovetop.

Restaurants have also been turning to preparation done right at the table, adding a performance element while also customizing dishes to each patron’s liking. Some servers skillfully draw an olive oil bottle out of thin air like a magician or quickly sear food on the spot, while others mix chocolate ice cream with chili or mint or even pull cotton candy to decorate desserts or a cocktail.

NATURAL WINES

During my trip, I discovered a wide range of unfiltered wines. Thanks to its distinctive soil conditions, Australia has established unique vineyards where old and new ideas exist side by side to produce craft wine with exceptional quality, rich taste and plenty of fruit and dried herb flavors.

Australian wine comes in extensive range of styles as this continent is home to more than 100 species of grapes. Grapes are primarily grown in southern coastal states with a cool climate such as South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria.

However, more importantly, this beautiful country possesses a generation of young culinary artisans who constantly work to innovate and inherit legacies of those who came before, making their marks by creating exciting culinary trends crystallized from tradition. Australian winemakers are free to experiment to create new, unique and trendy tastes. It’s not by chance that the trend of unfiltered wine is on the rise among winemakers over the past few years. On the menu at renowned restaurants, you’ll find wines that are more opaque than your bottles at home. Give them a try and you may be surprised at how vibrant their tastes are! These wines reflect a trend of local, authentic tastes and experiences that seem destined to remain well after the pandemic is over.