We take a look at some of the food fads that have taken Sydney by storm this year
Brooke Van Der Woude & Tess Gibney
Expect the unexpected from food trends that have made a wave through Sydney restaurants this year. From the strange to the down right revolutionary, these revolutionary fads mark the beginning of what will surely be a golden age in culinary innovation and experimentation.
Cro–nutty for cronuts: hybrid pastries take the world by storm
If you haven’t tried one yet, we’re sure you’ve probably at least heard the term cronut by now. If not, let me quickly fill you in: it’s basically the hippest dessert trend to take off since Adriano Zumbo made the macaroon his own. Despite the fact that everyone is constantly talking about trying them and eating them, no-one really knows exactly what the decidedly elusive cronut is. Brain child of New York’s eclectic Dominique Ansel, French born pastry genius, the cronut is probably the best thing ever to happen to bread.
Known as the ”Willy Wonka of New York City”, 2013 saw Ansel deliver this delicious package of sugary, buttery bliss. Generating an immense amount of attention and acclaim from news media and avid New York City pastry addicts, this hybrid treat is literally a combination of a croissant and doughnut.
News of the cronut didn’t take long to spread, and it has slowly made its way around the world before reaching our isolated shores here in Sydney. Introduced first by entrepreneur chef Robert Pirinia, the cronut available at his Glenorie Bakery is layered in butter, deep-fried, coated with icing sugar and then filled with French vanilla custard cream. Adriano Zumbo (being the culinary dessert wizard he is) also couldn’t resist putting his own spin on Ansel’s cronut. Head to one of his Sydney stores to sample the aptly named ‘zonut’ (Z for Zumbo, of course).
Be sure to keep an eye out for Dominique Ansel’s other creation, the ‘Waffogatto’, because it’ll no doubt be cropping up somewhere soon. We predict the next year is set to be an exciting one for pastry-lovers worldwide.
You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice-cream!
Who else remembers the milk-bar days of yonder where ice-cream choices were relegated to the run-of-the-mill basics vanilla, strawberry, chocolate and mint chip( if you were lucky)? We certainly do. Enter the introduction of Sydney stores Messina and Cow & the Moon, Enmore, who may just have transformed the way we view ice cream forever.
After winning the world’s best ice cream for their popular Mandorla Affogato gelato at the Gelato World Tour in Rimini, Italy, owners of Cow & the Moon, John and Wendy Crowl, have received constant crowds outside their Enmore store.
“The gelato industry is growing, so therefore what we conceived as gelato flavours has evolved as the industry has grown. Bear in mind you still have to have the traditional flavours; a good chocolate, a good vanilla and a good pistachio,” said owner Wendy.
Cow & the Moon were selling so many affogatos (a shot of espresso with vanilla gelato) that they decided to turn it into a flavour, the Mandorla Affogato gelato, which quickly became the store’s most popular.
New flavours are created constantly, but Wendy Crowl argues that these new flavours aren’t just a trending fad – it looks like they’re here to stay.
Similarly, another Sydney gelateria has tackled the traditional face of ice-cream. In a futuristic twist, ice-creamery N2, situated in Chinatown, uses liquid nitrogen to set a range of wacky flavours that stretch the limits of imagination. N2 also experiments with eclectic add-ons and toppings such as flavour filled plastic syringes and glazed meringue. Sydney Observer writer Steph sampled their chocolate sour cream ice cream with kirsch cream, glazed cherries and chocolate. We’re hanging out to try the Ruby Red Velvet Cheesecake; a cheesecake ice-cream sandwiched between layers of red velvet cake and garnished with a swirl of smooth cream cheese frosting. It is clear; ice-cream in Australia has reached its renaissance.
Critters crawl their way on to our menus
Bugs and insects. Yes, you read it right – something you’d expect only to be found in your garden has crawled their way into the restaurants of Sydney and is becoming a fast growing food trend.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture organisation released a report in 2013 recommending that Western consumers should be open to eating insects, as the environmentally friendly food source is tipped to be the food of the future.
Sydney chef Kylie Kwong embraced insects at her restaurant Billy Kwong early in 2013, and Bondi’s popular Mexican hangout El Topo was quick to follow.
Roasted baby crickets, roasted wood cockroaches, and live green tree ants are just a few of the bugs found in the meals you’ll see on Kylie Kwong’s menu.
‘Chaplines’, or roasted crickets with chilli, garlic and lime, are served tastefully as an entree at El Topo. Surprisingly, they don’t sound – or look – too bad. Though the trend is prevalent in high-end establishments, we predict it’ll be a while before this fad takes off in mainstream food outlets. Pad Thai with cricket, anyone?
