Why Is ‘Fusion’ Food So Controversial?
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2 days ago
London's food scene has evolved fusion food into a mature cuisine - without the gimmicks
‘I don’t use the word ‘fusion’’, says restaurant PR Lucy Golding (Caper Comms). ‘The word has dated connotations and is just a bit naff. Overused in the noughties, it evokes the idea of crudely conceptualised dishes, without consideration for how ingredients actually go together, or created just for Instagram or click-bait.’
It increasingly seems that the fusion plate might be dead. Diners have lost their appetite for sushi pizzas and ramen burgers; they have abandoned their cronuts. And, indeed, food critic Jimi Famurewa recently said in an interview that ‘almost every other launch is basically some sort of French bistro’. Côte, the quintessential French chain, now owns up to 77 restaurants in the UK alone.
But there’s a raft of chefs still combining global flavours. It’s just in a more sophisticated way – and they’re using different language to talk about it.
This is the case for Dinings SW3 in Chelsea, which frames its Exec Chef’s Masaki Sugisaki’s dishes as a ‘marriage of Japanese techniques with western influences.’
Golding opts for messaging such as ‘the bringing together of, or marriage’ of influences as opposed to the word fusion. Because, to her, it’s almost tautological as chefs fuse all the time as part of their creative process. ‘Chefs are always drawing influence from their travels, what they’ve experienced at other restaurants and from other places that they’ve worked [around the world].’
This latter point is pertinent. Perhaps fusion should be considered the inevitable result of globalisation: as we globalise, so too do our cultural reference points – including food. Millie Gorman, a restaurant PR for Eighty-Four agency, identifies that a large part of the cliché of 90s fusion food was global ignorance. ‘Chefs would combine ingredients without much understanding of the place the food came from,’ she says. Whereas now? ‘They typically draw from cultures they’re personally connected to – with far more technical skill and respect for those cultures.’
Dom Fernando, the chef behind Sri Lankan restaurant Paradise, Soho, does exactly this, as he draws from his heritage. But this summer, he has launched a six-week pop-up that explores the intersection between the food of his childhood and food from a place he loves to travel, Mexico.
‘We want to make a menu that’s bold – and even funny,’ says Fernando. ‘It’s a fine line between gimmick and innovation – but for us it has to be about authenticity and representing the best of each cuisine. We’ve visited Mexico, spent as much time as we can reading about ingredients and technique, marrying it up to what we do with Sri-Lankan food at Paradise. So, it’s playful, but considered, and avoiding the confusion of the 90s and noughties era fusion.’ Mira y Maíz will feature dishes like a 12-hour coconut braised Jaffna beef brisket, served with mole and calamansi, and tacos filled with devilled buffalo milk paneer. It hits upon the initial draw of fusion food – joy.
So perhaps it’s not the death knell yet for the fusion menu – irrespective of the number of Cote Brasseries on your local high street. Globally-facing, adventurous chefs are evolving the idea of fusion by focusing on mindful, cultural collaborations. Here are the best fusion menus in London right now to whet your appetite (and don’t worry – none of them have ramen burgers on the menu).
The Best ‘Fusion’ Menus In London
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Miris y Maíz, Soho
Miris y Maíz is a six-week summer residency which combines Sri Lankan and Mexican flavours using British produce. Expect an a la carte taco and paratha menu until Thursday 30 August. paradisesoho.com
Los Mochis, Notting Hill
Mexico meets Japan at the original Los Mochis site in Notting Hill. Think sashimi meets ceviche, or miso cactus tacos. There is now a second site in London Liverpool Street. To boot, the menu is entirely gluten-, nut- and celery-free. losmochis.co.uk
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Calong, Stoke Newington
Calong is a ‘cosy neighbourhood restaurant’ serving up Korean-European dishes using high-quality British seasonal produce. The current menu comprises vegetable pancakes, fried chicken, roast lamb and spicy seafood jjamppong. calonglondon.com
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Osteria Angelina, Spitalfields
A pasta lab and open-kitchen where you can watch the team produce mouthwatering Italian-Japanese food – what’s not to love? The restaurant prides itself though on keeping firmly Italian where it comes to hospitality: generous, generous, generous. angelina.london/osteria
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Dinings SW3, Chelsea
Dinings SW3 is Masaki Sugisaki’s brainchild which folds Japanese flavours into European dishes (and vice versa). You’ll eat anything from sake-kasu marinated chicken breast to smoked eel tamaki (mini hand-rolls). diningssw3.co.uk
