By Flavor & The Menu
March 4, 2020
Innovation continues in the bowls space and the Aussies offer great inspiration here. Their all-day café culture paired with a sensibility that values good-for-you ingredients has brought fresh ideas. Flavor building is as important as ever, but look to Aussie influence for a more eclectic combination of global flavors, perhaps inflected with a touch of California cuisine. The Great White, in Venice, Calif., serves a Harvest Bowl, with an ancient grain medley, turmeric-roasted cauliflower, sweet potato, avocado, cherry tomatoes, crispy rice and a miso vinaigrette. Seared salmon and chicken are among protein options. Banter, with two locations in New York, menus the Banter Bowl with pickled carrot, cabbage, shaved radish, cucumber, edamame, avocado and quinoa, served with a miso-ponzu dressing, also served with protein choices.
Of particular interest with the Aussie approach here is the flexibility of where the bowl succeeds on menus—it’s served in all-day cafés as breakfast or lunch options without changing out any ingredients. That demonstrates both a clever approach to ingredient combination, and points to a consumer ready to enjoy a well-built bowl any time of day. Of course, adding breakfast heroes, such as the almighty egg or the fan-favorite bacon, never hurts as effort toward that cause.
HIGH-IMPACT INGREDIENTS FOR AUSSIE-STYLE BOWL BUILDS
Flavor layering is the strategy that has secured the bowl category’s status as a menu mainstay. Looking to the bowls featured in Aussie-inspired cafés offers fresh inspiration. Here are a few favorites that help develop both flavor and distinction:
charred broccolini
chile-lime dressing
chive vinaigrette
char siu pork
grilled halloumi
hazelnut dukkah
pickled shallot
pulled curried chicken thighs
roasted beet relish
romesco vinaigrette
skordalia
soft greens
soft-boiled egg
FEATURED RECIPE
Hearty, wholesome and flavorful, this all-day bowl build features roasted sweet potatoes and breakfast sausage with red cabbage tossed in a chile-lime dressing. Charred-scallion yogurt and pepitas round out the profile.
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