Funky is fine, but can we please #BringBackThePlate?
IF YOU’VE dined at an eatery considered to be trendy, you might have had a meal served on a tile or slate, in a glass jar or a wooden slab. I’ve heard of bangers and mash served in a cocktail glass.
While this kind of presentation might excite the eye, which is where your dining experience begins, there are foodies who’re longing to #BringBackThePlate.
We consulted professionals in the world of food to get their insight into global trends and if we’re likely to start eating “normally” again.
Executive chef Rudi Liebenberg, from the Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town, said the trend of serving food on anything but plates had changed over the past 10 years, from a clinical plate style to a more organic state.
“Wood has become acceptable in almost any form, from old wine barrels to reclaimed wood to bamboo. Tiles used to be popular, but not anymore – the biggest challenge with flat surfaces without a rim is the mess it makes.
“The use of anything that can hold a liquid has become a trend, from a copper bowl to a mortar and pestle. Coconut shells are used, wonky looking ceramics are huge. Chefs are opting to use organic colours: off-whites, brown, greys, ocean blue and greens are favourites. Food looks good on these organic plates.”
Liebenberg said that 10 years ago glass was a big thing and trends were moving towards using organic materials made from leaves or bark.
He believed there would be a return to the basics, but it would be a while.
“In the meantime, chefs and designers will search for new shapes and bowls to consume the need of the new.
“In the end it comes down to practicality, cost, hygiene, size of the establishment, sustainability and suitability.”
Heinz Brunner is the chief judge for the Cape Legends and Artisan Spirits Inter Hotel Challenge. He said there was more to consider when plating.
“The health inspector does not encourage wooden boards because they are porous and bacteria can get into the wood grain. Slate has become fashionable but it also depends on the style of restaurants.
“If you look at Michelin Star restaurants, they present in glass jars. High-end restaurants put a lot of emphasis on presentation because we all know we eat with our eyes first. They spend a lot of money on making works of art on the plate.”
Brunner said if you considered cost, you didn’t want to spend that amount of money on props and display.
“You also have to consider the cost of breakage. For me, a nice elegant white plate is all that is needed. White presents food well, it doesn’t detract from the food.
“The food must jump at you. When it gets to the table it must have that wow effect and you must just want to eat it.”
Kieran Conway, the group development chef at Tsogo Sun, said putting food on tile, boards and so on was trendy, but there were two important things to remember.
“Number one, everybody is doing it. And number two, everybody is doing it the same. Go back to basics and do it with a twist. Everything eventually ends up on a plate. Stick with that. When the editor goes out to eat, does he he talk about the plate or does he talk about the food?
“What impresses the diner the most is a combination of the service he or she gets and whether the food tastes great.”
He said presentation was important but it wasn’t everything.
“Here is my advice: a white plate will never go out of fashion as it’s a blank canvas and it works. Whatever the chef puts on that canvas is his work of art. Flavour is what counts.”