Top 10 food trends in 2009 as predicted by Angie Wong

1. Salad bars will become the new sushi joints.
All those jewels of the sea, spinning around on conveyor belts across town, have given us a big headache and a bout of salmon overdosing. Now we’re re-embracing vegetables in a big way because, thanks to two new salad-bar chains, Dressed and Just Salad, it is becoming so easy to eat our greens. The choose-your-own salad adventure allows us picky eaters (and we are all picky when it comes to the vegetables we shovel into our mouths) to tailormake our salad bowls and dressings. Besides, going green is fashionable.

2. Aussie/ Kiwi coffee culture will replace Starbucks and PacCo
They say the OZ/ NZ coffee culture is second only to that of Italy, and it takes months of training and years of practice (and often a degree or certification to be hired) to be a barista there. Almost a decade since Starbucks and PacCo opened up the virgin coffee market in Hong Kong, a few more imported coffee chains are joining our café society. Lavazza will be the first to thank the two superstar chains for teaching Hongkongers to drink coffee and rearing mature drinkers who are now looking to graduate to more premium coffee blends.

3. Rustic food is going to take over from molecular gastronomy
We’re finally done with the foam, the savory ice creams, the unidentifiable pearls, and those random concoctions made with nitrogenics. Bring back food that looks like food and tastes the way it should. Good hearty meals made with choice ingredients, salt and pepper and lots of soul are what we are looking for.

4. Merlot will be the most popular wine drunk by the glass
Mostly because Merlot is usually the cheapest thing on the menu. As depressing as that sounds, we’re already seeing it in bars everywhere. Here’s another depressing piece of wine news: the house wine (sometimes the biggest rip off) is also a big request. Note to restaurant owners: be kind to customers and don’t just serve them the cheap crap to make margins meet. We just want to numb the pain.

5. Spanish will be the new Japanese
 Viva Espana! It will be magnifico to treat our palates with something other than wasabi and teriyaki sauce. When we say Spanish, we mean (and we’ll offend some people here) every flavour from Barcelona, Seville and Madrid to Mexico and Texas. A number of tapas and taco joints are scheduled to open next year including Tequila and Unomas, plus two superstar chefs from Spain are planning their first restaurant in Hong Kong this year. No name yet, but it will be homegrown Spanish food.

6. Luxury items such as lobsters and steaks will go down in price.
Lobster and other luxury items have gone down in wholesale price. Whether or not that will be reflected in the retail market is hard to tell just yet. But seeing that less and less people will be picking up porterhouse cuts, the restaurants will have to take notice.

7. Patience food
Baking is the new yoga. Rather, baking is the new navel-gazing. We are so used to instant gratification that we’ve forgotten to stop and breathe and cook for ourselves. And since we rarely smell the roses, we have to make time for those stop-and-stare moments in our daily routines. Baking is not only a science, but a test of men with its kneading, poofing, spritzing and, of course, the baking and cooling. It sounds easy but it takes a great deal of patience and can become an obsession much like yoga, or the other food-related sporting trend of next year - pheasant shooting.

8. Roasting will be the new frying
Now that every restaurant seems to have invested in a deep-fat fryer, they should also think about buying more ovens. In these testing times, we crave slow-cooked meat, falling off the bone and stewing in its own juices. Maybe we all just want a little tenderness.

9. Smoking will be the new robatayaki
We’re seeing smoked everything everywhere, with some restaurants – such as Frog Face Fish – even installing their own smoker . Smoked fish, duck, ribs, nuts, fish roe, cheese, even desserts and cocktails. It’s a great way to add a dimension of flavour into any ingredient and it doesn’t have to take a long time (good news for the chef). A salmon fillet left in the smoker for 15 minutes is a delicious alternative to curing.

10. The incredible egg
Despite our massive melamine scare last year, we’re going stick our necks out and say we’re going to experience a lot of runny yolk in 2009. We’ve already seen it on some menus, with certain restaurants daring its customers to test fate and eat a raw one. Peace of mind, people: these eggs are being imported from lands as far away as New Zealand and from organic farms in Connecticut.

2009:

Read our other features:
Your year in art
Your year in stage
Your year in music
Your year in film
Your year in food