Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CURRENT TRENDS
A craze for Latin American street food has seen tangy soft-shell tacos replace salt and pep-
per squid as the bar snack of choice in hipper establishments. A similar fad for 'dude food'
has seen posh places adding fancy burgers (called 'sliders' by those chefs who watch far
too much American TV), pulled-pork sandwiches and big slabs of meat to their menus, of-
ten with a liberal side-serve of irony.
In an extension of the tapas trend that's been rolling for several years, 'shared plates' are
all the rage. Bigger than tapas and not necessarily Spanish, this style of eating favours
groups with adventurous palates. Fussy eaters and those from cultures that prefer their own
portions on their own plates might find it more challenging.
The move towards favouring quality local, seasonal, organic, sustainable, free-range and
fair-trade produce is now so ingrained in the culture of the very best restaurants that it can
barely be called a trend any more. While ethical eating seems to be here to stay, you'll still
see unsustainable fish species and controversial products like foie gras popping up on
Sydney menus. Cheaper restaurants with lower margins are usually less inclined to pay the
premium for ethical products, but there are worthy exceptions. Fair-trade coffee and free-
range eggs are quickly becoming the norm at the better cafes.
