With just under a month left to Valentine’s Day, panic seeps in. Burnt Ends is booked til when? Maybe you should’ve started last week – no – last month. Has it always been right after Chinese New Year? Before you make a desperate reservation to the same restaurant as last year (and the year before), check out what some restaurants have to offer this February that’ll stoke the flames of passion anew.
Six Senses Brasserie
Why not go green this Valentine’s with Six Senses Brasserie? The ‘Sustain Your Love’ dinner at Six Senses not only uses locally-sourced ingredients, but even features elements harvested from their onsite garden. Farm-to-table and seasonal dining aren’t just great for sustainability: Six Senses’ philosophy ensures that you’re eating ingredients when they’re at their very best. Bewitch your companion with Love Potion #520, before moving on to heart (and stomach) warming mugs of sweet pumpkin soup & creamed farm mushroom chowder. End the meal with Romeo & Juliet: an acerbic dark chocolate dome paired with ruby grapefruit and raspberry mint sauce served alongside the feisty tanginess of yoghurt raspberry mousse, lychee sorbet and a macerated strawberry rose. This Valentine’s Day sensory delight is available as part of the Sustain Your Love package on either Feb 14 – 15, 2020, which includes a one-night stay at either Six Senses Duxton or Maxwell, turndown service and a 15% discount on a la carte spa treatments.
2 Cook Street, Six Senses Maxwell. Tel: 6914-1400
Stellar at 1-Altitude
Show your date you’re a match made in heaven (or, well, as close as you can possibly get) with Stellar at 1-Altitude’s indulgent six-course menu. Helmed by chef Isaac Henry, Stellar at 1-Altitude combines breathtaking views and the finest in seasonal produce to create an experience that is sure to get your date’s heart aflutter. Available only on Feb 14, 2020, highlights include The Ocean, with Brittany blue lobster under a crown of Sturia caviar for a burst of briny goodness. It is cooked in shellfish cream and finished with piquant red currant gel. Next, apple wood smoked oyster blade steak served alongside baby beetroot and Jerusalem artichoke puree on a bed of hay. The exquisite meal ends off with a rhubarb compote, dressed with lychee confit and candied rosemary – aptly christened Get a Rhu-mmm.
1 Raffles Place, Level 62. Tel: 3138-8453
Tablescape Restaurant & Bar
For contemporary European dining, Tablescape Restaurant & Bar offers a romantic Valentine’s Day degustation menu. The luxurious treat is available from Feb 8 – 16, and can even be extended into a full-on staycation at Grand Park City Hall complete with a basket of strawberries, a bottle of prosecco and breakfast in bed for two. Start off with cold-smoked oysters – long thought of as an aphrodisiac – spiked with a locally-inspired Singapore Sling granita and layered with cucumber tartare. This is followed by ‘Risotto’ without rice, an original creation by executive chef Armando that challenges the oft austere Italian gastronomia. Riso di semola, a rare pasta made that resembles rice, is simmered in a housemade octopus stock, enriched with celeriac puree and balanced with the zest of Amalfi lemons. Finally, the classic Italian dessert tiramisu is served deconstructed to one of the pair: it is then up to the diner to reconstruct the mascarpone mousse, ladyfinger biscuits and a coffee syrup laced with Baileys before presenting it to his date – hopefully, says chef Armando, for a kiss in return.
10 Coleman St, Level 3, Grand Park City Hall. Tel: 6432-5566
Marriott Cafe
For a belt-tightening Valentine’s Day extravaganza – calories be damned – Marriott Cafe’s sumptuous Valentine’s Day buffet dinner is guaranteed to give even the most voracious eaters a run for their money. From fresh Boston lobsters to slow-roasted Australian beef prime ribs, you and your date will be wowed by the medley of premium culinary delights on offer. Seafood lovers can look forward to lobster thermidor or oyster florentine. Those with a sweet tooth should leave room for salted caramel cupcakes, praline chocolate gateau and yuzu lime Tarts. For everyone else, the buffet also comes with an array of sparkling wines, red and white wines, beer, juices and soft drinks. Available only on Feb 14, 2020.
320 Orchard Road, Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel. Tel: 6831-4605
Una
Una at The Alkaff Mansion promises you and your date a night in the lap of quintessential Spanish luxury. Spanish is referred to as the language of love – and Una is here to prove it with highly-curated Basque cuisine that balances the abundant seafood off the coasts of Northern Spain and the fresh and cured meats from the rich Ebro valley. Situated on the second level of the 101-year-old colonial mansion, Una offers a five-course set menu that promises to give you a reason to smile (other than your date, of course). The coup de maitre, without a doubt, is the intensely oceanic carpaccio featuring the highly coveted carabineros prawn, enhanced with a housemade wasabi aioli and lime. After, cleanse your palate with a refreshing gazpacho consomme finished with confit tomatoes and basil. For mains, you can look forward to either bacalao confitado (confit salted cod) or angus a La Parilla (grilled Wagyu ribeye). Oh, and just in case you forget: a complimetary bouquet of flowers will be offered to every pair that partake of the Valentine Day’s special at Una, only available on Feb 14, 2020.
10 Telok Blangah Green, Level 2, The Alkaff Mansion. Tel: 8126-8844
The Knolls
For an intimate tete-a-tete far removed from the cacophony of our bustling city-state, opt for a Valentine’s Day meal at The Knolls, a charming four-course affair that isn’t afraid to spoil you a little. Offered only on Valentine’s Day itself, the meal features a carpaccio of Hokkaido scallop served alongside porcini mushroom ragout and sustainable Avruga caviar – made from herring, it has all of the smoky, exquisite brininess of caviar without the guilt. Thereafter, you have an option of an Atlantic black cod confit, accompanied by creamy fennel compote, crispy leek and finished with champagne sauce, or Tajima wagyu beef striploin served along with seared foie gras, potato mousseline and beetroot sauce. Wine pairings for individual courses are also offered at additional cost.
1 The Knolls, Capella Singapore. Tel: 6591-5046
Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant
Diners who are partial to Oriental cuisine might prefer celebrating their romance at Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant, replete with ornate black and gold decor that will leave your better half feeling like royalty. Heralded as one of Singapore’s best and brightest, executive Chinese chef Brian Wong has arranged a magnificent six-course meal that balances time-honoured Chinese culinary tradition with contemporary Western ingredients. Wan Hao’s BBQ Combination Platter features a trio of bites truly unlike any other: roast duck perched atop foie gras, mango and a charcoal bun; pan-fried scallop stuffed with shrimp paste; and roast Hhney Iberico pork, a haute twist on the perennial favourite char siew. This is followed by stewed American beef short rib finished with a heady, intensely savoury sha-cha sauce and marinated sour plum pear for some tangy contrast. Available on Feb 13 and 14, 2020.
320 Orchard Road, Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel. Tel: 6831-4605
Wolfgang’s Steakhouse
If the deliciously meaty aroma of sizzling dry-aged steaks doesn’t awaken something primal in you, I’m not sure what will. This Valentine’s Day, the world-renowned Wolfgang’s offers up a sultry set menu designed for sharing alongside classic steakhouse hospitality and timeworn tradition. Wolfgang’s steaks are dry-aged onsite for 28 days in a proprietary dry ageing room that both tenderises and deepens the natural flavours of the USDA Prime black angus beef. The highlight of the meal is an elevated surf-and-turf that is sure to bring out your inner carnivore. A richly marbled bone-in ribeye is served alongside a jumbo lobster, accompanied by steakhouse classics such as creamed spinach and cream of corn. Our only concern: who’s going to get that last slice of steak?
1 Nanson Road, #02-01, Intercontinental Singapore Robertson Quay. Tel: 6887-5885
Shangri-la Hotel
For a truly inimitable Valentine’s Day experience, Shangri-la Hotel offers an exclusive look into their secret wine cellar within the hotel for one couple only. Relish a magnificent five-course dinner with wine pairings: highlights include champagne-infused foie gras terrine with seasonal fruit; Alaskan king crab chawanmushi topped with Hokkaido sea urchin; and Japanese Saga beef. The evening comes complete with a personal server, bouquet of roses and premium Shangri-la chocolate truffles. If you prefer al fresco dining, Shangri-la Hotel also offers a romantic five-course menu in The Orchid – a ribbed timber structure covered in orchids – that promises budding lovers an intimate dining experience surrounded by greenery. The wine cellar experience is only available on Feb 14 – dining at the Orchid is available from Feb 14 – 16, 2020.
22 Orange Grove Road. Tel: 6213-4398
The Guild
A joint project by star independent craft brewery Young Master Ales from Hong Kong and chef Vincent Lauria brings us the Guild, combining artisanal craft beers, cocktails and wine with contemporary bar bites. Celebrate Valentine’s Day at the Guild with two complimentary glasses of Weingutt Pittnauer – Pitt Nat Rose 2018 (for couples dining on Feb 14 only). With notes of strawberry, raspberry and sage, you can sip the salmon-pink Austrian wine while supping on amative locally farmed oysters. What’s more, the Guild offers boilermakers (a pint chased with a shot of spirit) at $16 all throughout February. Try Brewer’s Penicillin, New York bartender Sam Ross’ take on the now classic-cocktail, which pairs the tangy Cha Chaan Teng Gose (from Young Master Ales) with Port Charlotte, a smoky scotch accentuated by the salty sea breeze on the Isle of Islay.
55 Keong Saik Road. Tel: 9042-3900
Open Farm Community
Farm-to-table is the name of the game at Open Farm Community, a sprawling urban farmland concept tucked away in Minden Road (right next to Dempsey Hill). #Supportlocal this Valentine’s Day by celebrating the rustic restaurant’s love for local ingredients, seasonal dining and nature-first philosophy. The restaurant offers so much more than romantic al fresco seating and an open concept kitchen: drop by earlier to examine the edible garden, or thrash your loved one at lawn bowling. Come dinner time, begin with a selection of bites including Impassioned, a self-declared ‘prawanmushi’ that also features passion fruit and shiso; and Getting a bit Corny, a mini-corn dog with mustard pudding. You won’t leave with only your heart full: mains include Nothing Cheesy, an earthy mushroom tortellini that uses some of the finest organic fungi courtesy of Kin Yan Agrotech; as well as Nice and Slow, a savoury and tender slow-braised beef brisket. You can even opt for pricier options for more tipple, a polaroid and a keepsake from the farm. And if you haven’t had enough greenery, the Botanic Gardens are minutes away – perfect for a romantic post-feast stroll. Available only on 14 Feb.
130E Minden Road. Tel: 6471-0306
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