Snack time, anytime!

FSR’s consultant chefs George Diamond, Markus Werner and Adam Moore share their thoughts on the state of play in snacking and share plates.

Healthier snacks and smaller serving sizes

“I think that during Covid, people became a little more conscious about their health and their weight – possibly due to the closures of gyms and inability to exercise outdoors – and consequently we have seen demand for healthier snacks, possibly smaller serving sizes, but higher quality,” argues Delaware North Australia Culinary Director Markus Werner.

“Our customers love snacking on little cocktail items, but they want them to be high grade – a quality indulgence. They’d rather enjoy a beautifully presented, smaller snack item as opposed to a big quantity of fried chicken.”

Markus says share plates are on the rise in snacking – “certainly the family share platter is trending high right now, as opposed to the buffet which now seems a bit old-fashioned. If you look at any of the major restaurants, they’re now offering a big variety of share-style entrees so customers can choose up to three, four or five dishes and share them around the table. But again, it’s all about ‘less is more’ – the trend has gone away from big portions of chicken wings to smaller presentation.

“I do think there is an understanding now among customers that quality doesn’t come cheap. So in fact if your menu is priced too cheap, customers will question whether it is good quality. People are more educated about food today and they’re looking not only for something which is satisfying but which is also nutritious – it’s not just about filling their stomach, it’s about health as well as enjoyment. And I think people are more willing to spend when they dine out, because they aren’t dining out as often. That means when they do go out they make it an occasion and they’re looking for a great experience.  So it’s up to us to deliver that and in snacking terms that means serving up something which is memorable and flavoursome and great quality.”

Take a simplistic, organic approach

Trippas White Group Executive Chef George Diamond describes today’s snacking and share dishes as “a new vogue in eating – I think the days of set entrees, mains and desserts are gone and people want to enjoy smaller dishes because they make dining out a little more casual and fun. As a result it’s a more enjoyable experience for the customer because they’re experiencing so many small taste sensations, so the overall food experience is a lot more satisfying.”

He adds that for the chef, this trend means you can do things in a more simplistic, organic manner – “For example we have two venues at the QVB Sydney, Reign and Esq, and both really lend themselves to a lot of sharing dishes. Instead of that entrée, main, dessert concept you’ll see a whole range of dishes that aren’t really classifiable except by pricepoint – from beautiful Sydney rock oysters with mignonette dressing and lemon, to taramasalata served with bottarga and carrot crackers, to fried potato with n’duja and cheddar. It’s about showcasing the organic nature of the dish – you don’t need to go over the top with presentation, though you can if you want to, but most of the time we find it’s best to keep it relatively unadorned – we’ll do very little to it, but whatever we do is in an innovative and creative way. For example in Esq at the moment we have a wonderful southern calamari which we cook on the fire – we take all the skin off and coat it in a little olive oil and pepper, then serve with rouille and XO butter. If you order that along with some Hiramasa kingfish and taramasalata you’re able to enjoy these beautiful dishes and simplicity of presentation is a big part of that.”

George says, “So people will come in, sit down and instead of an entree each they’ll order four to five dishes and place them all around the table so they can enjoy a wider variety of flavour profiles. Then they might order a couple of larger plates, such as sharing a beautiful piece of fish on the plate or a gorgeous presentation of high quality protein such as duck. From the chef’s point of view, it’s wonderful because it allows us to really start demonstrating what we’re capable of doing and putting that creativity and innovation onto the plate.”

He emphasises that when offering share plates and snacking options it’s imperative to ensure the customer feels they’re getting their money’s worth. “In a traditional restaurant you might have an entree at $35 or $40, but when you have all these $15-$18 share plates and snacking options you’re more likely to get a higher average check per head, because customers will order a few more dishes here and there and before you know it they’ve spent more than they would have otherwise. This makes it important to always offer the customer great value for money and the experience they deserve. At the end of the day we need to make sure we look after our patrons as much as possible so they want to come back because they’ve had such a great experience.”

Focus on lighter, tapas-style food

Chef Adam Moore says, “With sustainability and food waste coming to the forefront of people’s concerns, the fact that we’re seeing more share plates in shacking is great because it’s taking pressure off the kitchens. Operators are calling out snacks on menus and focusing on lighter, tapas-style food.

“Since Covid we’ve seen some really creative things in this space – bringing out really flavourful food in smaller portions that everyone can share. As an example I recently saw fried chicken skin topped with a quail egg. What I really like about a lot of the share plates is they’re not just sides, they are hearty food – for example a lot of pubs are roasting a whole chicken, cutting it up and serving it for four to eight people who order sides like roasted greens, barbecued lettuce and so on. So they might lose a little on the share plate but they make it back with the sides – baked pumpkin with halloumi, simple things like that.

“We’re also seeing some exciting use of sauces with these meals, you might serve an apple cider gravy or a truffle or black garlic jus. Another element is that in place of the old fashioned bread roll with butter, we’re seeing options such as warmed olives coming to the table, which are great for pubs because they’re salty so your customers will drink more. We’re even seeing fresh takes on old favourites like garlic bread, where butter is served on the side and when you open up the bread the garlic flavour has been infused through it.”

Other snacking options Adam cites include potato chips with “really cool savoury chicken and herb flavour on top: it’s quite simple but the idea is to save time in the kitchen with staffing, minimise food wastage and get customers more engaged with the sharing occasion and more adventurous with the flavours they’re savouring. I did a dish the other week for an event which was potato fondue with truffle cream – very simply, elegant but very tasty. So I think it’s a great opportunity to get creative with your dishes – like serving Hasselback potatoes as a hero, or even smashed potatoes with brussels spouts and have lots of inclusions throughout. It’s about combining bold flavours with simple crafted product and presentation.”