As restaurants continue to battle the labor shortage and ingredient crisis, a twist to comfort has been gaining ground in restaurant kitchens. According to top chefs, with staff crunch and unavailability of ingredients what is working best is a shorter menu, comfort foods getting a new face, and playing with local ingredients at large.

Not only small restaurants but restaurants at 5-star hotels are also going through menu innovation and changes at large. Moringa, aloe vera, sattu, avocado, quinoa, and millets have taken a special place on the restaurant menu. Also, the year 2022-23 has been announced and is celebrated as the ‘Year of Millets’ not just in India but across the globe.

This all began when people stuck in lockdown looked out for comfort food options like Rajam Chawal, parathe meals, and biryani boxes to name a few which were quick to make and can be eaten as home-style food.

“Comfort food has always been a part of every menu, regardless of the fact that the items necessarily need to be pocket friendly. Many chefs, including me, are infusing superfoods like moringa, tempeh, avocado, quinoa, and other millets in comfort food to add more value to the dish and justify the price hike. Serving comfort foods with a twist of taste and flavor is the new success mantra especially at Gadda Da Vida, our beach facing lounge bar,” shared Jerson Fernandes, Executive Chef, Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach who has items like pizza, pasta, and sandwiches as top ordered comfort food on the menu.

However, according to chef Sheriyar Rustom Dotivala, Executive chef, Della Resorts, with comfort food guests like their own part. He has introduced several changes at his restaurant including ingredients like chia seeds, tofu, quinoa, and hemp seeds to name a few. Also, vegan food items and nutritional yeast have become popular amongst diners in the last 2-3 years.

Playing with the Flavors

The inclusion and infusion of superfoods to comfort food make it a more wholesome meal and adds value to the dish, by pairing it with the right condiments and accompaniments, etc. “I am working on the calorific value of my comfort food by reducing the carbohydrate content and replacing it with healthier options of millets and plant-based locally sourced ingredients to promote Accor’s Planet 21 initiative bearing in mind the sustainability best practices. Comfort plant-based drinks like chia-wild berry shakes, potato milkshakes, faux meats, Swiss chard chips, Kefir, etc are also being experimented with,” added Fernandes.

Commenting on the same Dotivala pointed out, “During the Pandemic, many people switched their self to comfort food. Examples of such comfort food are foods that are rich in cheese, butter, oil, chocolates, and flour.

Why a Sudden Rise?

With low availability of key ingredients during the pandemic gave rise to comfort food. Comfort food can be any type of food that has an emotional, regional connection to one’s own diet and eating preferences. They can be termed as food that provides a sentimental value or makes you feel nostalgic, basically food that connects you to something sentimental of the past.

“Everyone has fond memories and rekindling them only improves dining experiences for many. The choice of comfort food varies but most guests prefer comfort food as it takes them down memory lane and rekindles better experiences. Comfort food is more common when there are groups dining, over individuals dining by themselves,” commented Fernandes who is trying to make comfort foods like pizza, pasta, and fried rice healthier by adding more nutritional value to the dish. A root vegetable sandwich, a cauliflower fried rice, gluten-free pizzas, oat pancakes and pasta, vegan omelets, etc are being worked on at The Square, the all-day dining restaurant at Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach to meet the growing demand of customers who are well-versed with what they eat and where it comes from.

“Few people are so addicted towards these foods as whenever they go out to a restaurant they order the same type of food. Hence there is a sudden hike in these food products,” Dotivala further mentioned by adding that items such as Choco Chip Belgian Waffles with Maple Syrup, Mac N Cheese, and Deep Dish Pizza Chicago style are some of the tops ordered comfort food from his kitchen.

Catching the Delivery Game

During the pandemic, many consumers turned to comfort foods more often, resulting in not just restaurants innovating with their menus but also delivery brands and restaurants delivering to adapt to such changes. Also, if we look at trends it shows no sign of going anywhere anytime soon. Research and reports also showed that items such as biryani boxes, pizza, pasta, sandwiches, and burgers were some of the top-ordered items during 2020-2022 while placing orders online via delivery channels or restaurant partners.

“Few comfort food like pizzas and pasta would always continue to be on our best sellers list,” concluded Fernandes who has seen an uptake in the delivery during these periods.