Food for thought

“That was amazing,” a wide-eyed diner exclaims to the table in a whisper. She is not referring to the penne amatriciana, which all agree is outstanding; rather, it was the five-minute violin performance (an interpretation of “fury”) that was paired with the slightly spicy dish that has us nodding in approval.

In a twist on private kitchen culture – which over the past decade has given Hong Kong unconventional settings and imaginative meals to eat in them – tonight’s five courses have not only been matched with brief violin pieces, but are also being served in the centre of a stark, spacious art gallery. And the dinner is not primarily about the taste of top-class food, it is also about the sound of modern, original music and the beauty of the Marc Chagall-like paintings on the walls. The extras are intended to help diners explore something within themselves.

“We’re basically bringing together art and food, and I think there is something in common between the two: emotions,” says Andrea Oschetti, tonight’s chef and host.

“So we are exploring using emotions as a way to connect food and music.”

Call it the art of eating, if you like. Foodies and health gurus have long touted the physical and environmental benefits of consuming organic, locally grown, line-caught, free-range produce. Some restaurants, on the other hand, take pride in their use of ingredients from far afield. But if you know where to look, you will find those in the business who want to take guests on another kind of journey – where the focus is not on what you are eating, but how you are eating it.

In the Rossi & Rossi gallery, on the third floor of an industrial building in Aberdeen, the 20 diners sit close together at two tables, surrounded by oil paintings produced by Syrian artists. The violin interludes – composed and performed by New York-trained Erica Ye Byeol Lee – are powerful, but are presented in digestibly small portions. The Italian food is served by a team of waiters and the wine and Fiji water do not stop flowing.

“I’m not sure we’re concentrating in the way they’re asking us to concentrate on the music and the art,” says Steve Randall, whose party of six are celebrating the arrival of the out-of-town friends among their number.