KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 — So what were the fads/trends that shaped the 2024 food and drinks scene here?
With the highest per capita chicken meat consumption in South-east Asia at 50.5 kilogram per person per year, Malaysians truly love their poultry.
This is based on data from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations in 2020, as reported on Seasia Stats.
Maybe that is why fried chicken brands have seen a major consumer behaviour shift from those brands in the pro-Palestine boycott list to locally grown brands.
It doesn't stop at fried chicken as coffee chains also saw an upheaval.
Driven by more cautious spending, drinkers looking for their daily jolt of java lapped up cheaper choices offered by homegrown brands.
The coffee industry also saw the rise of micro roasters.
With wine, rather than court only the well heeled, a new movement saw more wine bars opening to target the younger generation.
These wine bars not only offered more accessible bottles of wine, they enticed customers with a menu of innovative eats that saw more diners seeking out these places for an enjoyable night out.
The alluring crunch of fried chicken
After years of complaining about the shrinking size of fried chicken pieces from various international franchises, consumers had the last laugh.
With the boycott of brands linked to the Israel-Gaza conflict that started late last year, there came an emergence of new brands by locals.
At places like Pretty's Hot Chicken, Hot Bird and even Borenos from Sabah, the fried chicken stands out for its freshness and of course, the crispy factor is off the charts.
In the case of Borenos, which opened their first shop outside of Sabah this year, the sides like mash potatoes drenched in their Borenos sauce and coleslaw are thoughtfully prepared, heightening your whole dining experience.
Our love for fried chicken remains unwavering, so much so that every corner of Damansara Utama (Uptown) has become "fried chicken central", where one can hop around to savour Korean fried chicken, fried chicken with artisan beer, or burn-your-tongue super hot Nashville style fried chicken.
Maybe it's time to bid adieu to the Colonel. — LEE KHANG YI
Cheaper coffee for all
Who doesn't love a cup of java that doesn't hurt your wallet.
This year, we've seen the rise of homegrown coffee chains like Zus Coffee, HWC Coffee and Richiamo Coffee.
Thanks to the boycott, coffee lovers who were pushed to these local brands have now discovered they like the cheaper alternatives.
The one to watch out for next is the US-listed Chinese coffeehouse chain Luckin Coffee Inc., which is brought in by Hektar Industries Berhad (Hektar).
In a press release, Hektar promises, "We have ambitious plans for Luckin Coffee in Malaysia, inspired by the brand's tremendous growth. We aim to replicate this success by expanding aggressively across the country."
Luckin Coffee's hoarding has been spotted in Sunway Pyramid and Bangsar South's The Sphere.
So let the coffee chain wars start. Clearly, the real winners in this will be the coffee drinkers. — LEE KHANG YI
The rise of micro coffee roasters perks up the coffee community
Home baristas had much to celebrate in 2024 as it has never been easier to obtain single origin specialty coffee beans, thanks to a growing number of boutique or micro coffee roasters in Malaysia.
Some are old stalwarts that have predominantly operated as cafés over the years. Many have now started their own micro roasting operations, such as Ground Coffee and Red Beanbag, both in PJ.
Winning competitions increases visibility. Multi-time Malaysian Barista Champions Keith Koay and Jason Loo have both launched their own micro-roasting endeavours One Half Coffee Roastery and Contour, respectively.
Nor are such micro roasters limited to the Klang Valley. I have brewed decent coffee from beans roasted by Coffeebar125+ in Melaka, 2f+ Coffee Roastery in Penang and Brewsmith Coffee Roaster in JB, to name but a few.
To stand out, some have reframed their offerings to be more customer friendly, such as Afloat Coffee Roaster’s approach in categorising their beans as a catchy trio of Macro, Micro and Unique labels.
Others, like YiLuDou Roastery in Cheras, differentiate themselves by their roasting technique; in this case direct fire roasted coffee beans.
Obviously with the sudden surge of micro roasters, quality wouldn’t be the same across the board.
It can be a bit of trial and error for customers to try and test these beans at home, a practice made easier with online purchase and delivery. — KENNY MAH
A pastry shop in every neighbourhood
This year also saw an explosion of bakeries, pâtisseries and pastry shops. There is one in nearly every taman, to sate our ravenous sweet tooth.
Sometimes there are several shops in a single area, perhaps to serve different customer segments.
Take, for instance, Bandar Sri Damansara where you can find Á Paris Bakehouse in the tree-lined Damansara Avenue down south and The Dough Factory in the more industrial Jalan Gangsa further north.
The idea here is a pastry shop in every neighbourhood, each targeting its own niche community.
Some bakeries are even named after the neighbourhoods they’re located in, such as Magnificent Park Bakery — the shop’s name takes after its location in Taman Megah.
Beyond the usual suspects of croissants and danishes, Malaysian inspired pastries such as apam balik croissant and ham chim pain are popular. Such local adaptations also help differentiate a pastry shop from its competitors.
(Global sensations such as crookies, despite their ubiquitous social media presence this year, haven't made as much of a splash here. Perhaps there is a limit to wanton gluttony after all.)
It’s clear these pastry shops and bakery-cafés are here to stay.
If there isn’t one in your neighbourhood yet, chances are there will be one next year! — KENNY MAH
Wine bars are more inclusive with good food too
Gone are the days when the only place one could get a nice glass of vino was a stuffy wine bar with even stuffier decor, where only the well-heeled could afford the pricy Burgundies and even pricier bottles of Bordeaux, while the rest of us plebeians made do with Jacob’s Creek.
Today, wine bars are popping up faster than consumers can visit them all, and even the wine offerings in most restaurants have changed considerably.
The food programs at some of these bars rival that of proper restaurants too, even in neighbourhood spots like Mellow.
Most notably, 2024 was the year that the natural wine movement really broke through in Malaysia.
It captured the minds of a younger, more laid-back generation of wine enthusiasts who shunned the elitist and snobbish perception of wine in favour of something more inviting and inclusive.
Today, it’s more fun to sit on a patio in shorts and sneakers and pop open the minimal intervention Pét-Nat, the short form for pétillant naturel, a sparkling wine, which sports a funky label and even funkier body.
That said, not all bars embraced this ethos in moderation — some took it to extremes, offering exclusively natural wines with almost a Luddite-like hostility toward sulphites in wines.
Thankfully, that fervour seems to be subsiding now.
Simply put, wine bars in Malaysia have become more accessible to a broader audience than ever before — and the food can actually be pretty exciting. — ETHAN LAU
