Food trucks and pop-up dining ventures had become a "thing". Thinking outside the box to survive in a city on the move was a driving force. The CBD had been a construction site for much of the year - light rail, Supercars, lack of parking - and it created hurdles for businesses.

For some, the hurdles were insurmountable. Others diversified and hung on. Just.

New businesses have risen from the rubble.

So, what has defined the past 12 months?

Whether it's vegan or vegetarian, the idea of a plant-based diet or even a few meat-free meals a week has gained traction in households and among diners eating out.

Vego's just opened on the corner of Maitland Road and Beaumont Street in Islington. The Family Hotel in Newcastle's regular vegan lunches continue to sell out. The plant-based Pino's Italian restaurant opened. The city even has its very own Vegan Market.

Restaurants, cafes, supermarkets and even established fast-food chains like Dominos and Guzman y Gomez are catering specifically for vegans. Quality varies, of course, but it indicates acceptance.

If you haven't heard of jackfruit, you must be living under a rock. It's a pulled pork substitute and it's everywhere.

Bonta Vera blazed a plant-based trail when it opened at Minmi in 2016. It has since closed, but the message it sent was clear: stand-alone vegan and vegetarian restaurants will attract a crowd.

Chef Jamie Thomas held "plant-based menu" nights at Winnie's Jamaican, extending an open invitation for people to give it a go. Jared Phillips and Colin Greenwood, formerly of Organic Seed at The Junction, were only too happy to take over Winnie's when Thomas moved on. They have created an American diner-inspired menu that is entirely plant-based.

"Five years ago, when I first went vegan, the offerings were pretty slim pickings," Phillips tells Weekender.

"I think a lot of chefs and business owners viewed veganism as another trend not worth investing time and energy into. I mean, look what happened to paleo. People built entire businesses around that trend only to see it recede back into the sea of fad diets.

"Now you would be hard pressed to find a restaurant or cafe that doesn't have at least one vegan option. Even somewhere like MEET on Darby Street - that predominantly features animal protein on their menu - has vegan options and damn good ones from what I hear.

"My concern, though, is that in the rush to embrace the vegan food culture, a lot of the offerings are falling short of the mark. It is not enough to simply have the options these days; consumers want quality for their money."

Speaking of paleo, it was replaced by "keto" as the new diet trend.

More and more restaurants are using the words "Asian inspired" or "Asian fusion" to describe their menus. And there have been a lot of comings and goings when it comes to Asian cuisine. The Humble Thai opened; Screamin Veenis closed. Bao Brothers, Susuru, Kitami and the award-winning Nagisa continue to attract diners year-round.

Muse restaurant continues to hold on to its two-Chef's-Hat status for its modern Australian menu with Asian influences.

Leonie Young, of The Essential Ingredient in Newcastle, reckons "true Asian food has finally come to Newcastle". She's excited about it, too.

"The Asian influence has been strong for some time generally but in Newcastle and Hunter restaurants we have really only seen an 'Asian inspired' offer. After the closure of Sinofood, arguably the ugliest restaurant with sensational food, Screamin Veemis disappeared among others, and the Asian food scene in Newcastle was very limited. Yes we had Bao Brothers, Nagisa, Asa Don, Chinois and a few others but over the past six months we have seen Chinese restaurants finally open and flourish.

"Eight Buns, in the refurbished space where Sinofood was; Kia Fan on Darby Street with its authentic menu; and Mr Rice, also on Darby Street with a wonderful broth-based offering. It just gives another dimension to dining in Newcastle. One day we might even have a true Yum Cha in town."

Korean flavours are also becoming popular. Blooming Garden opened at Hamilton in August and chef/owner Sunny Chae, who was born and raised in South Korea, is fusing Korean flavours and techniques with Western techniques and plating.

"Korean flavours are very popular, as are Japanese - I think this has a lot to do with the clean, healthy flavours and the ongoing interest in gut health with fermented foods being heroed in Korean food and bone broths in Japanese food," Young says.

We still love our coffee and we take it very seriously. That hasn't changed. When I say "we", I don't mean "me". I am not a coffee drinker so I rely on friends and colleagues to keep me up-to-date.

Herald food writer Judith Whitfield says new kids on the block Besties on King Street, as well as Edmonds & Co on Pacific Street, and Minna Cafe and Estratto on Hunter Street, are ensuring the city's coffee scene remains fresh and diverse.

Existing main players are helping to not only set the standard, but keep that standard high.

Weekender editor and coffee tragic Jim Kellar says Alaric Daley at New Slang and Unison Roasters, Remedy Roasters and Glitch Roasters are all ahead of the curve.

Then there's Darks which won gold in the Single Origin (Filter Coffee) Class at the 2019 Australian International Coffee Awards in April.

"The growth of small local roasters and a continued competitive coffee scene has been great for coffee drinkers. Excellent coffee products are available," Kellar says.

"Kenn Blackman at Xtraction Espresso is an artist; he is so attentive to detail with his coffee.

"It's as good as anything going around."

Cafes must have good coffee in Newcastle. Those who don't are ignoring consumer demand - to their detriment.

We still love our burgers, too. Newy Burger Co; Rascal; Burgerfiend; Burger Urge; Milky Lane ... the list goes on.

Burger Urge started at Glendale and branched out to Greenhills. Another Burger Joint opened at Mount Hutton earlier this year and a second has opened at Westfield Kotara.

Interestingly, fried chicken is gaining a following. Newy Burger Co has just opened Chicken Cartel at The Cambridge Hotel. Newy Fried Chicken replaced Hotline Hoagies at the Newcastle Hotel. The preference is Nashville-inspired: buttermilk and spices.

Perhaps the venues themselves give the game away: fried chicken, chips and beer is a tempting late-night combination.

National chain restaurants are popping up, particularly at our major shopping centres. The Rockpool Group is investing heavily in the Hunter Region, bringing us The Bavarian (times two) and Beerhaus.

More care is being taken when it comes to desserts, too. It's not just an afterthought. Mayfield's Reece Hignell, of MasterChef Australia fame, loves his sweets and has kept a keen eye on Newcastle's final course.

"I feel most restaurants in and around Newcastle are finishing the dining experience with dessert in a much better or modern way," he tells Weekender.

"Flotilla's refined dessert menu boasts a modern miso caramel dessert or chocolate mousse with rhubarb and cocoa nibs. Or, you can finishing the night with gelato at Popolo. Merewether Surfhouse is taking things back with a classic lemon tart and a creme brulee; and then there's the Hunter Culinary Association Food Fight champion Thomas Boyd's milk parfait dessert."

Dessert has become a course to be reckoned with.

Cooking proteins and vegetables over wood and coals is a definite trend, working hand-in-hand with the low-and-slow approach to barbecuing. It's all about flavour rather than appearance.

Yellow Billy out at Pokolbin is a prime example. People travel for miles (perhaps following their noses) to devour food cooked over the impressive fire pit. Ironbark, maple and mahogany wood is used to roast meats and vegetables at a low temperature, whole and slow. They are then broken down to share.

Warners Bay 2019 MasterChef finalist Stephanie De Sousa fondly refers to the flavour-first practice as "dirty cooking". It's an extension of the "street food" theme that shows no signs of slowing down. She cites as flavour-first examples Franky's Lan Zhou Noodles, Antojitos and Masa Madra.

"It's food that isn't necessarily pretty, but it is really tasty. It's food cooked by people who are passionate about their thing and are doing it really well," she says.

This award-winning chef from Maitland, who owns Saint Peter and Fish Butchery in Sydney, deserves a category all of his own. It is no exaggeration to say that he is continuing to change the way seafood is cooked and eaten.

Niland's nose-to-tail seafood philosophy champions a sustainable approach to seafood and challenges over-fishing and food waste.

"Fish is an expensive commodity, so it is logical as a chef and business owner to squeeze every cent out of the fish we get," Niland told Weekender back in 2017.

"Most times when preparing fish the offal often outweighs the fillets.

"This philosophy is not to be trendy - it is absolutely necessary from a sustainability point of view that no fish is wasted. This is allowing us to create a new way of thinking about fish and its potential and we now have a method of cookery for every part of the fish except the gall bladder."

He first stepped foot in a commercial kitchen when doing work experience at the Sir Stamford Hotel in Newcastle.

This down-to-earth chef is not only trending, he is creating the trends.

The final word goes to Warners Bay High almuni and chef/owner of two-hatted restaurant Muse and the one-hatted Muse Kitchen. A desire for quality and consistency keeps him at the top of his game and his continuing success is well-deserved.

He has his finger firmly on the culinary pulse. Here is what he's noticed: