Valentine’s Day is an occasion for romance, red roses – and refined dining. One of the best ways of sealing a relationship is by sharing the pleasure of exquisite food. As a couple, few things beat the delight of enjoying a gourmet experience together. Our expert team of Epicureans have selected five of the best Valentine’s Day culinary options from across the globe.
NIJŪ, LONDON
Lovers of Japanese food have a Valentine’s Day treat awaiting them at the prestigious Mayfair restaurant, NIJŪ. At both lunch and dinner on Friday, 14th and Saturday, 15th February, the chef is serving a special Valentine’s Day menu which pairs sublime dishes with delectable wines.
At NIJŪ London, guests will experience authentic Japanese homecooked food elevated to fine dining.
The highlight promises to be the main course. Guests can tuck into the Japanese A4 Wagyu sirloin, with an optional winter truffle supplement, combined with De Toren Edition Z 2018, a soft red from Stellenbosch, South Africa. Alternatively, they can try the roasted turbot with shiso salsa verde, tender-stem broccoli, and goma dressing, accompanied by a beautiful red from the Rhône Valley, Crozes-Hermitage Blanc 2022.
Don’t leave without tasting the dessert, a delicious matcha and strawberry parfait, covered in hot dark chocolate sauce, teamed with Umeshu Junmai, a scrumptious Japanese plum wine.
An evening of Japanese joy beckons. Book your table, HERE.
RABOT HOTEL FROM HOTEL CHOCOLAT, ST LUCIA
Chocolate is synonymous with the most marvellous sense of self-indulgence. Relishing it as a couple is a tremendous way of celebrating love. So the restaurant at the Rabot Hotel from Hotel Chocolat in Saint Lucia is the ideal Valentine’s Day destination.
Guests at the Rabot Hotel restaurant will enjoy stunning views of the Pitons and all kinds of chocolate delights by Hotel Chocolat. Photos © Matt Wild Media.
The clue is in the name. At the restaurant, which has spectacular views over the twin peaks of the Pitons, a UNESCO World Heritage site, every dish is infused with the unforgettable flavour of chocolate. Even better, the hotel, which houses a 140-acre cacao estate, makes its own chocolate on site, so it couldn’t taste any fresher.
Amongst the mains, the 12-hour “Bois Bande” chicken, which is braised with local spices and comes with white chocolate mash and cacao-infused rum, is highly recommended.
And for dessert, whatever you do, please don’t pass up the opportunity to have the divine melting chocolate pudding with coconut milk sorbet.
I can guarantee you won’t regret it! More information, offers and bookings, HERE.
THE GRILL BY TOM BOOTON AT THE DORCHESTER, LONDON
Who needs a night out at the theatre to mark Valentines’ Day when you can dine at The Grill by Tom Booton at The Dorchester in London?
With its open cooking stations, famed gilded interiors, and an interactive four-seater Chef’s Counter, the Mayfair restaurant always serves up a dramatic and memorable experience.
The St Valentine’s menu at The Grill by Tom Booton include star dishes such as lobster ravioli and beef Wellington.
One of the country’s most lauded chefs, Booton has crafted a special Valentines Day menu. Guests start by sampling the excellent lobster ravioli with delica pumpkin and bisque. Afterwards, they are treated to turbot with caramelised artichoke and hen of the woods, followed by beef Wellington with stuffed cabbage, truffle mash and creamed cavolo nero.
To top it off, a desert of blood orange, yoghurt and tarragon precedes a first-rate white chocolate tart with Yorkshire rhubarb and custard.
When a man is tired of this storied London restaurant, he is tired of life. Secure your table, HERE.
MARTIN GÖSCHEL AT ALPINA GSTAAD, SWITZERLAND
In a gorgeous location on a Swiss slope clothed with snow-laden pine trees, The Alpina Gstaad has stunning mountaintop views. It Is a very suitable, “get-away-from-it-all” destination for Valentine’s Day.
In his eponymous restaurant, the hotel’s acclaimed chef, Martin Göschel, is presenting a menu especially created for the evening.
Those lucky enough to spend St Valentine’s at The Alpina Gstaad will enjoy a truly hedonistic evening with Martin Göeschl’s Michelin-starred cuisine.
The enticing meal begins with an amuse-bouche of scallop tartare with truffle and herb sauce. It is followed by a monkfish medallion accompanied by a saffron clam broth and artichoke risotto with dried tomatoes and Belper tuber.
For the main course, diners can relish a duo of chicken breast and pigeon breast, with glazed vegetables, topped with Albufeira sauce. To finish, Göschel is offering strawberries and white chocolate.
Guests are then invited to try the Japanese Whiskey Bar or the Cigar Lounge. The perfect places to relax after such a sumptuous meal. For further details and bookings, HERE.
ARCHIVE & MYTH, LONDON
Cocktails are as much a part of Valentine’s Day as bunches of flowers and boxes of chocolates. Archive & Myth, an exciting new central London cocktail bar, is a splendid place to spend the most romantic night of the year.
This luxurious establishment is the creation of the highly regarded mixologist Jack Sotti. He has worked his magic to conjure up an alluring, heady ambience in this cocktail den beneath the fabled Hippodrome in Leicester Square.
Start or finish your Valentine’s evening with a cocktail at Archive & Myth by international mixologist, Jack Sotti.
You know you’re going somewhere out of the ordinary the moment you approach the entrance, a huge, decorative, password-protected doorway off Cranbourn Street. You are sent the entry code when you book.
Once inside, among the many attractive cocktails that Sotti has been shaking up are the Mizuwari, which contains young fir tip, Japanese whisky, Yuzushu, magnesium, and cold bubbles, and the Soixante-Quinze, which mixes elderflower, gentian, and dry Torrontes with white chocolate, gin, and lemon oils.
Love should burn even more brightly after you have sipped one of these captivating libations. Reserve your table, HERE.
Author: James Rampton
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