A few Fridays back, the 5pm Dining blog went to the Tron Bar and Kitchen next to the Tron Theatre.
We were in the Merchant City venue for the first of a series of special tasting menu nights the restaurant is running in conjunction with their drinks suppliers.
For the first night, Executive Head Chef Mark McKenzie had created a five course tasting menu to match with Peroni.
Sociable night out
It was a fun, sociable evening with Peroni’s ambassador filling us in with plenty of facts about the Italian beer.
If you have never considered pairing beer with food then you could do a lot worse than matching Peroni with pan-seared scallops and a celeriac and citrus foam.
The residual sweetness of the beer matches the sweetness of the shellfish but it also has a crisp finish which acts as an effective palate cleanser.
For me, the highlight of the meal was the fourth course: Dornoch lamb shank with parnsip purée, minted broad beans and a sticky red wine and honey demi-glace.
It was paired with a rich, deep, double malted Peroni Grande Reserve which complimented rather than contrasted with the earthy lamb and root veg purée.
Five course dinner with paired drinks
If that sounds like your idea of a cracking night out then you may want to take a look at this Big Deal for the next tasting evening.
On Friday 25th November, it will be the turn of the good people from Belhaven Brewery to host a five course dinner with each course matched with one of their drinks.
Tickets are £40 per person for the five course menu with paired drinks.
This is the menu:
First course
Confit rabbit & spinach terrine, celeriac & apple remoulade
Second course
Hickory-smoked Scottish salmon fillet, beetroot glaze, leek, mascarpone & lemon bon bons
Third course
Roast breast & leg of partridge, pea purée, parsnip-infused cream, glazed shallot
Fourth course
Pan-seared fillet of Aberdeen Angus, black truffle butter, wild mushrooms, Puy lentils, honey-roast turnip & thyme
Fifth course
Deconstructed blueberry & vodka cheesecake, honey oat & biscuit crumb, lavender ice cream