Hong Kong food trends 2023: caviar and reservations out, mentaiko and food on sticks in – here’s what we want to see
- A new year means new trends. We accordingly declare which dining habits are now dated and the food fashions that should be in vogue as the year goes on
- Say goodbye to butter boards, high-low food pairings and chasing restaurant reservations, and hello to spontaneous dining, food on sticks and drinking hot water
Every year, we food writers collectively gaze into our metaphorical crystal balls and sagely predict what the next big dining trends will be.
Not everything is based on reality, though you could say that many of our forecasts are loosely tied to cunning observations of the food world’s lemming-like behaviours.
In the spirit of a recent social media meme going around that comically contrasts what’s in and what’s out in the world of food, I’m presenting a few of my own – all to be taken with a pinch of salt.
Out: Food boards
In: Food on sticks
The concept of things served on sticks is far too underrated, as skewers bring a delightful ’70s dinner party vibe to proceedings. Plus, is there anything that can’t be turned into a pintxo?
Out: Caviar on everything
In: Embracing other members of the roe family
When you think about it, with caviar you’re literally just seasoning your food with something salty that happens to be incredibly expensive.
So for 2023, open your eyes to the possibilities of cheap(er) yet tasty roe. Bring your own Microplane and a block of bottarga for your McDonald’s fries. Carry around a jar of flying fish roe to anoint your char siu omelette rice.
I may or may not be serious about any of the above.
Out: Instagramming your wine line-up
In: Drinking lots of free hot water
There will be a point in your life when seeking external validation by photographing your expensive bottle of wine next to the not-as-expensive bottle of your dining frenemy becomes tired and sad.
Out: Bringing fancy wines to siu mei roasted meat shops
In: Being over the top in nature
At dawn on New Year’s Day, on top of the Bokhara Battery in Cape D’Aguilar on the southwestern tip of Hong Kong Island, I’m pretty sure I saw my future in an enterprising group of youngsters who had the foresight to bring a gas stove and a hotpot for their first daybreak meal of 2023.
I watched jealously as I bit into my cold, albeit incredibly delicious Family Mart-style egg sando, and resolved to do better next year.
It should go without saying that if you participate in such shenanigans, you should leave no trace in the wild.
Out: Sliding into Instagram DMs for doughnuts
In: Befriending soon-to-retire bakery bosses
(RIP Violet Bakery in Tin Hau.)
Out: Anxiously rearranging your schedule to reserve a hot restaurant on the first waxing crescent moon of the month
In: Never making plans, ever
Don’t chase restaurants. Shun the cult of SevenRooms. Become an untethered gastronaut floating through the infinite possibilities of where to eat at any given time.
Be a cliché and follow your nose. Build a thick skin as maître d’ after maître d’ gives you a look of pity as they suck their teeth and say that there is nothing they can do for you without a reservation.
