Food Trends in London
Online, May 25, 2013 (Newswire.com) - 2011 was London's year of the "Street Food Revolution", to quote food journalist and author Richard Johnson, with food trucks like Pit Cue Co, Meat Liquor and Street Kitchen being at the top of the list amongst others. 2012 saw the rise of the gourmet burger, reservation-free dining, common tables, and pop up restaurants from named-chefs. What will summer of 2013 bring London's dinner table? Though no one can say for sure what will hit and what will miss, chefs, restaurateurs and food critics have all weighed in on what they think the London public will see over the course of the next few months. Here are some of their predictions:
It seems London is not tired of it's across-Atlantic fever, with new restaurants like Duck And Waffle, specializing in handmade filled doughnuts with ingredients such as Oxcheek, an unusual take on the classic American jam-filled. And rather than just see interpretations of "American cuisine" we'll also see direct American imports with two of it's famous restaurant institutions, Keith McNally's Balthazar and Danny Meyer's Shake Shack open its' doors in Covent Garden. Along with a fascination with gourmet hot dogs, pancakes and even a few predictions of a fried chicken frenzy it seems America's favourite foods have or will become London's as well. What will be next to watch for with this growing trend is how many restaurants start doing what so many have done in places like New York and LA, and open up their kitchens for cooking courses in the UK, allowing the public a chance at participating in cooking lessons right here in London and learning some of the secrets to American cuisine.
Other predictions include a rise in sour flavours, with focus in curing, brining, pickling and fermenting. This may also give rise to an increase in the use of Korean ingredients, dishes and flavours, such as kimchi. While slow to gain popularity here in the UK, Korean food has certainly come into it's own in cities like LA and New York, with the incorporation of kimchi in various food trucks and restaurants. It may just be the UK's next big thing. Korean cooking lessons in London may also become more widely available if given the success of this prediction.
And lastly, another growing prediction that Asian and Oriental cookery school School of Wok has picked up on is the growing popularity of the steamed bun (bao). Offering an alternative to the sandwich, stalls like Yum Bun offer a range of fillings from pork belly to ice cream. With hand-held meals like burgers, hot dogs, and other types of street food so popular this seems to be a natural progression, exploring interesting flavours combined with a traditional Chinese bun. School of Wok is truly embracing this trend by offering it's customers a two-day cookery lesson in London featuring the steamed bun and fillings like Slow braised Lamb & Pomegranite Molasses or Coconut Meringue & Rasberry Coulis. For more information on how to participate in this cooking course, visit the School of Wok website.
61 Chandos Place
Covent Garden, London WC2N 4HG
020 7240 8818
http://www.schoolofwok.co.uk
info@schoolofwok.co.uk