Haloumi chips
Just quietly, here’s a hot tip – haloumi chips are almost here already. Before I give you the goss, let me give you the low down on this gift from the cheesy heavens. It’s pretty simple – haloumi is sliced into thick-cut chips and fried, creating a crispy outer texture while leaving a gooey, cheesy centre in the middle. Sounds amazing, right? We agree. You can get your hands on some haloumi chips at The Yiros Shop from September 24 onwards, but it’s a safe bet to think that haloumi chips will be a staple on many menus next year. 

Blackened food
Bear with us, this one is a little bit weird. We are noticing a trend of blackening food to create a change in taste and texture, often creating a savoury quality that can be a bit of an acquired taste. Blackening food is done in a variety of different ways depending on the kitchen and food type, but it seems that the trend has moved beyond the grill, with a range of foods incorporating the likes of activated charcoal to create unique flavours. Burgers, ice-cream, pasta, lemonade – there doesn’t seem to be a limit on what can be blackened. Burned bread sauce, charred coconut husks, scorched veggies, squid ink – the end result is always a dark hue. A quick word of wisdom – this isn’t the same as burning your toast (sorry, you aren’t an accidental culinary mastermind), there is a difference between blackening and burning. We’ll reserve judgement on whether this trend is a winner, but expect it to pick up steam next year.
Image: Popsugar

Filipino cuisine
The Australian food scene is growing in terms of its appreciation for cuisines from a multitude of cultures, and the one we are excited to see catch on is Filipino cuisine. Sweet, spicy and tart flavours are common throughout Filipino cooking, with influences drawn from Spanish, Malaysian and Polynesian cooking. One key ingredient of Filipino cuisine that we are particularly intrigued by is ube (pronounced oo-bay) – a purple yam and sweet potato hybrid that is common throughout the Philippines. Ube is turned into a powder or jam that is often used in baked goods – giving them a distinct deep purple colouring. Filipino cuisine has made a big splash in New York City thanks to the work done at Manila Social Club in Brooklyn, and ube-infused treats are already causing a stir on Instagram. We reckon bring on the ube, baby!
Image: Ploi Eats

Congee
Here’s something to put into your schedule to hunt down next winter – congee. This rice porridge is super popular across Asia, with several countries creating unique variants on the original formula. Flavourings and additional ingredients are often added to spice things up a bit, making congee an intriguing addition to the breakfast scene. Congee has already caught on a bit down south (and if you look around Sunnybank you can find a few spots serving it up), but we reckon the heyday of congee is not far off.

Cheese desserts
Many restaurants offer a cheese selection as an alternative to a sweet dessert, but what if I told you that the line between courses is being blurred? We’re not talking about cheesecake (although it is a favourite of ours) – cheesy desserts are a thing, and what we wouldn’t give to get our hands on some right now. Cheese ice-cream has been popping up in different countries across the world in addition to some absolutely insane concoctions, but this craze is great for those that like to experiment in their own kitchens, with thousands of recipes online for the likes of honey-roasted fig and goat’s cheese popsicles, peach maple mascarpone dessert pizzas, cheddar cheese choux fritters and apple and cream cheese hand pies. As self-confessed cheese freaks, this is one of our personal favourite food-trend predictions.
Image: Snixy Kitchen