For me, it doesn’t get much better than sitting down, having a nice chilled glass of bubbly/gin/wine and eating delicious food while catching up with your nearest and dearest.
I’m from a family of serious food lovers. Saturdays when I was younger were usually spent around my Gran’s dining table, with enough food to feed a small army (although, with the amount of cousins, aunts and uncles I have, it probably wasn’t far off a small army).
LOVE FOOD FEEL GOOD
I just so enjoy the social aspect of dining together so I was all about Lido in Troon’s new #LoveFoodFeelGood campaign and gladly accepted the invite for an evening of food and gin. I know, I know: it’s a hard life sometimes.
Lido is part of the Buzzworks Holdings group (which includes the also famous Scott’s restaurant, fyi) and as soon as we arrived, I already loved the gorge decor and contemporary but welcoming feel to restaurant. I’m all about the right interiors and those floor tiles + plush velvet are 100% my kinda vibe.
LET THE NIGHT BE-GIN
First thing’s first: a wee gin. Being besties with that of a somewhat gin connoisseur (seriously, don’t come between Victoria Martin and her gin), I knew we were on to a good thing when she approved of the garnishes and the actual gin itself. The Edinburgh Gin Company are Lido’s gin of choice and I opted first for the Pomegranate & Rose gin. Yum!
After some obligatory boomerangs of our gins, it was time for the food. Before we even started on courses, it was all about the canapes which included scallops wrapped in parma ham and mushroom and truffle arancini. Like a miracle little plate of all my favourites.
NUT A PROBLEM
Before my first bite, though, I knew I had to be sensible. You see, although I’m not a fussy eater in the slightest, my food allergies kinda make it hard to truly enjoy food when I’m out without worrying a nut based oil or lentil has sneaked in. A nut allergy is seen as fairly normal, but I’m also allergic to all legumes/pulses (that’s peas, green beans, lentils…I won’t bore you with any more).
As any allergy sufferer probably knows when they mention an allergy, you’re often given some rubbish alternative (fruit as a starter AND a dessert at a wedding, anyone?) or told they can’t be sure the ingredient that could, y’know, kill you hasn’t been used so you can imagine how delighted I was that the Lido team knew what was in every dish and even made me the exact same (seriously delish) tortellini as everyone else, just without the nuts. It made such a difference being able to enjoy each course with absolute peace of mind.
FOOD HEAVEN
Anyway, allergy support group vibes aside, the food itself was absolutely phenomenal. Usually, I’ll have one or two highlights, but I can honestly say each and every dish was a highlight in its own right. Meeting head chef on the night, his passion for food and creating the perfect menu.
Starters included beef carpaccio with pecorino shavings, truffle oil and fresh rocket, duck ragu and the most amazing pumpkin tortellini.
Then we indulged in some sharing planks, including antipasto platters and planks of mozzarella, basil and tomato. Perfect to share alongside some cocktails.
For mains, it really was a Mediterranean feast, with the likes of king prawn and crab spaghetti, butternut squash risotto and even a whole baked seabass with roasted red peppers, tomatoes and potatoes.
We also had a pasta making demo, with all of Lido’s pasta made on-site. Who knew pasta was such an art?
DESSERT ISLAND
Finishing the evening was a platter of the most indulgent desserts. Although I had to miss out on the Nutella cheesecake (critically acclaimed by the entire table as the best thing ever), everything else I tried was simply spectacular.
Before we left, I couldn’t resist getting one of the Buzzworks benefit cards too. You can sign up for your own card and, every time you enjoy some food or a (non alcoholic) drink at one of the venues, you’ll earn 4 points for every £1 spent. You also get invites to exclusive events and all the offers and promotions.
We’ve already planned our return visit for the sunnier months. A walk along the beach followed by a feast of food and gin at Lido? Hurry up please, summer!
WHAT I WORE
I was so excited to wear my new Zara cardigan – and even more pleased it gave me extra room to indulge in all the food. Not entirely sure that’s what the Zara gods created it for, but it’s a win all round.
This is not a sponsored post, but contains gifted meals/drinks in this review.