Venue: Infiniti Restaurant Intercontinental Pattaya Resort with Full Moon Brewworks, Phuket’s original craft beer.
It’s no secret that the craft beer industry is booming, and here in Thailand Full Moon Brewworks are leading the way with their unique approach to producing flavorful beer and here in Pattaya they recently teamed up with the Intercontinental Pattaya Resort in Pratumnak for a Summer Craft Beer Dinner.
Infiniti Restaurant was the venue for the dinner and this stunning restaurant located on a cliff headland, overlooking the Gulf of Thailand was the perfect showcase.
Alfresco dining, watching the sunset over the bay whilst sipping an amber brew; you getting the picture?
This exciting new trend ‘beer pairing dinner’ taking advantage of craft beer’s popularity is a fantastic way not only to showcase the restaurant’s menu but also show off beer’s versatility as a pairing beverage giving you the opportunity to try and taste a beer you may previously not ordered.
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The culinary journey started with Alaskan King Crab Panna Cotta, which was a delightful sweet corn panna cotta with Alaskan king crab served with rich dill-cream cheese, salmon roe, and a pistachio cracker; a perfect start to the evening and one that wetted one’s appetite for what lay ahead.
This was paired with Busaba ex-weisse.
The fruity and floral craft beer once again was the perfect intro with a rich aroma and tropical taste this beer takes its name from a ‘beautifully scented woman.’
Master brewer Khun Sukij Thipatima was on hand to guide all who attended respectfully going from table to table sharing his knowledge on craft beer and each beverage.
Our second dish was Fresh Smoked Duck and Foie Gras paired with Full Moon Brewworks best-selling Chalawan Pale Ale. Bolder in its flavor Chalawan was named after a Thai folklore tale and with Pilsner & Munich malts blended the hoppy taste is very smooth leaving you with slight notes of lychee and citrus.
The citrus flavours of the ale twinned perfectly with the pan-seared foie gras and ducks breast with the grand mariner-orange reduction topping it off.
Continuing the citrus theme next up was a Sherbert of cinnamon-rum and orange sherbert.
Duo Meat Lover was our next delight:
Braised Australian Angus short rib beef, roasted lamb loin with garlic, kaffir lime leaves, crispy barley rice-coriander crust, and Mediterranean couscous salad.
The soft Angus beef could off have been eaten with a spoon and its rich flavor was complimented with the light and airy Mediterranean couscous salad.
Chatri IPA was beer paired with the Duo Meat Lover. The strong flavoured IPA with grapefruit hints and manly undertones was strong, sharp but elegant in taste, initially grabbing your attention but in a gentlemanly like way.
The Cheese Platter that followed was a braised oven-baked brie cheese – gorgonzola with berries and apple compote, walnuts and roasted jasmine honey paired with Andaman Dark Ale.
The British style bitter was mild and refreshing with a rich malty caramel flavor and was the perfect choice as the after-dinner beer.
Caramel Pecan Blondies Cake was how we ended things with passion and mango ice cream… heaven!
The complementary and contrasting flavors produced a perfectly balanced interplay with Infiniti Restaurant being the perfect haven, all of this with stunning panoramic ocean views as the backdrop.
By Paul Johnson
