Spoons and Tunes: the Pairing Potential of Food and Music

Searching for a harmonious balance between musical and culinary tastes

Picking an exciting restaurant for date night is never easy. Not only do you have to find a place that serves flavourful meals and well-priced drinks, you also have to consider the location, the intimacy of the venue, the atmosphere, and many other equally crucial factors. Choosing an exciting restaurant for Valentine’s Day is another matter entirely. 

For this special occasion, I settled with Chez Max, a French bistro just off Dame Street. Upon arrival, we were immersed in a cosy rustic space, surrounded by shelves of French wine and red-checked tablecloths: the whole Parisian affair.

As I sat down across from my partner, examining the menu, I subconsciously started mouthing “You are my fire // The one desire”... Looking up at my date, I realised he was doing the same thing. A rustic French bistro on Valentine’s Day of all days and they decided to play a Spotify boy band playlist. Quelle surprise!

Don’t get me wrong, the mismatch did not ruin the experience; if anything, my shameless familiarity with all of the restaurant’s cheesy pop songs took the edge off of how nervous I felt. Surrounded by unsuspecting older couples, the image of me interrupting my sips of red wine to quietly sing along to Harry Styles’ solo in “What Makes You Beautiful” wasn’t my idea of a perfect Valentine’s Day, but the comedic food and music combination helped make the experience just that little bit more memorable.

Beyond the crunch and crackles, restaurants are increasingly investigating the role of background noise in enriching a culinary experience”

Restaurant culture is becoming increasingly complex: the food and the chefs naturally form the core of our culinary experiences, but the overall atmosphere created by the interior decor, hospitality, and, more subtly, the music, is what keeps us coming back to a particular place. From a sensory perspective, cooks and customers alike often overlook the role of sound in consuming food. Imagine the sizzle of a stir fry or the fizz of a fresh pint. Beyond the crunch and crackles, restaurants are increasingly investigating the role of background noise in enriching a culinary experience, and in the competitive industry that is the Dublin food scene, atmosphere is everything. 

What defines the perfect restaurant ambience is, of course, subjective and based on your personal dining preferences, but music within this context plays a pivotal role. Restaurants can use music as a tool to enrich their customers’ overall experience, often carefully creating playlists for the occasion. Through genre, pitch, and tempo, songs can accentuate certain flavours, encourage customers to speed up or slow down their eating/drinking, accompany them from table to dancefloor, or generally immerse them into the restaurant’s theme. Bass can emphasise the bitterness of coffee for example, while higher pitches are best paired with sweet flavours. 

“Music researchers recently studied the history and effects of drinking songs on the behaviour of customers at pubs. Overall, people tend to drink faster, order more food, and stay longer at a place that plays upbeat music.”

Picture yourself at a pub. What type of music is playing over the speakers? Hearing familiar classic tunes or beats that make you nod your head can make you feel more at ease. The familiarity creates a sense of belonging and comfort, and your desire to dance heightens your general mood. Music researchers recently studied the history and effects of drinking songs on the behaviour of customers at pubs. Overall, people tend to drink faster, order more food, and stay longer at a place that plays upbeat music. Music can also enhance a restaurant’s theme consider the role that rock music plays in the burger scene or traditional music in an Irish pub. Here, music and food both share the spotlight in enhancing these culinary experiences an Eddie Rocket’s burger wouldn’t be as enjoyable without a side of Chuck Berry, right? 

Likewise, classic cafes, for example, typically rely on jazz to set the standard scene as a relaxed, laid-back space where people can slow down, engage in light conversation, and sip their coffee at a leisurely pace. There are few external distractionsapart from other people chatting and maybe a quiet but noticeable Bossa Nova an excellent environment for enjoying good coffee with good company. A Dublin favourite when I need to wind down is the Vintage Teapot on Cathedral Street. Customers are spoiled for choice when it comes to tea and dumplings, but I always catch myself drifting off with the classical piano music playing in the background. It’s very soothing and slows me down, reminding me to savour every sip and morsel.

While I don’t believe background music is necessary all the time, generally, it still forms a crucial part of any culinary experience. Next time you’re enjoying yourself at a restaurant or even eating a meal at home consider the music that’s currently playing and how it’s affecting your experience. Maybe music isn’t even present at all, and the chatter of other customers is enough. My favourite time to listen to music is when I’m cooking; dance breaks are a good way to pass time while waiting for your water to boil and it’s a great opportunity to discover new tracks and relieve yourself from the stresses of the outside world. 

Here are a couple of tracks that the TN Food & Drink Team love to pair with their meals.

Maïlé Monteiro

Maïlé Monteiro is a Junior Sophister student of Computer Science & Business. She is currently a Food & Drink Deputy Editor.