2017 is fast coming to a close and while we’re ready to welcome 2018 with all its viral food trends, we certainly cannot dismiss this year and the F&B trends it brought along.
I mean. Nasi lemak burger, anyone?
If you’ve missed out on some of the major food trends this year, we’ve rounded up some for you to try just before the year’s up!
1. Time-Based Cafés
Homez Setapak and Herserlef are not your ordinary run-of-the-mill cafés. In fact, guests can stay at these spaces for an entire day and pay a fixed price. This is a great concept, especially for students or those who prefer to work outside of the typical office space. Pay anywhere between RM10-RM16.20 to spend an entire day lepak-ing at any of these time-based spaces. Alternatively, there’s also a pay-as-you-wish cafe called Summersault Café that allows guests to determine the price tag its food and drinks deserves.
2. Nasi Lemak Burgers & Indomee Cafés
During the Merdeka period this year, several eateries came up with their very own Nasi Lemak burger creations, namely, Bowery Petit, Define:Food and MyBurgerLab. Nasi lemak fans would absolutely love this unique creation which is a spin on the Malaysian classic. Nasi lemak condiments are lovingly sandwiched between 2 birger buns and served with either a side of sambal or classic ol’ fries.
IndoBowl rose to fame this year because let’s face it, Indomee is a classic dish and to have an eatery serving up large portions of it, paired with proteins, is an absolute dream come true for some. IndoBowl attained instant virality and with that, has even introduced its 2nd eatery in the same year.
3. Themed Cafés
You can never go wrong with themed cafés as they are designed for those who enjoy a specific genre or item. There’s the Harry Potter café, or the Jaws-themed café,
or the bus-themed café,
or the bear-themed café,
or the husky café
and even the bicycle and library-themed café.
4. Food Truck Parks
This year saw a rise in food truck parks and container food centres. Gobox Concept is one such place. Best part is, they’re open till 3am on most nights. There’s also a food truck park in Subang Jaya. With the inclusion of these makan places in the F&B scene, it totally redefines what it means to enjoy a roadside snack in the wee hours of the morn’.
5. Vegan Desserts
Vegan desserts has always been sought after in Malaysia and 2017 was the year we finally got to enjoy it. There’s vegan ice cream brand Kelava, with ice cream flavours such as salted gula melaka, matcha and strawberry.
Kind Kones is an ice cream bar and dessert café in Mont Kiara which offers vegan options and better-for-you dessert choices. Our personal fave’s the Flourless Sweet Potato Brownie and Spelt Red Velvet Cake. But of course, do yourself a favour and enjoy their classic ice creams too.
6. Hybrid Meals
There’s definitely ample space for hybrid meals in the F&B scene, and as 2016’s doughnut gelatos proved, Malaysians are into it.
There’s the sushi doughnuts from Aussie Roll, which is basically sushi shaped in the form of a doughnut. Sushi is also served on pizza crusts for those who are looking to try Aussie Roll’s version of a sushi pizza.
Maison De Gigi is an F&B brand from Osaka and they have brought about croffles, which is a combination of croissants and waffles. These flaky desserts are best enjoyed warm or with a nice warm beverage.
7. Highly Indulgent Desserts
Mix chocolate and cheese into anything and voila, you would get a highly indulgent meal and also something Malaysians would gladly line up for.
Some of the highly indulgent snacks and mains that KL-ites saw this past year included the Nutella wrap, which as its name suggests, is a wrap slathered on nice and thick with Nutella.
Then, there’s Cookie Nation, which brought indulgent to a whole other level with their cookie and ice cream sandwiches, which came in a variety of flavours. They are then topped off with sprinkles, marshmallows or chocolate.
8. Dreamy Drinks
Drinks are no longer how they once were. With F&B brands like Dream Colour and Project Gibraltar, we get dreamy drinks that are totally meant for Instagram.
Dream Colour, which originated from Taiwan, is a brand with a line of drinks which were inspired by a natural phenomenon common in the North Pole, simply known as the Aurora lights. That would totally explain their dreamy shades! Best part is, they’re also naturally coloured and free of colourings or additives.
46 By Project Gibraltar introduced a drink that Malaysians quickly caught on to, after the virality of a similar drink from Singapore. Aptly called Unicorn Tears, these drinks look magical and almost seem to have a hint of sparkle to them.
So, which food trend are you predicting for 2018? Let us know in the Facebook comment section below!
Feature Image Credit: The Bowery Group, Zoey Phoon
