Still undecided on where to celebrate Valentine’s Day with that special someone? You are not alone. Fortunately, there’s still time to pull off the perfect date night. We’ve rounded up eight of the best restaurants in the city that will satiate your partner’s palate. All you need to worry about are the flowers, gift and perhaps the marriage proposal.
Spice it up at Rang Mahal
Indian food is complex, aromatic and sexy and Rang Mahal is one of the few Indian restaurants in Singapore that manages to put a modern spin on the cuisine without losing its authenticity. So if you are looking for an refreshing alternative to the tried-and-tested formula of French and Italian fare on Valentine’s Day, we say, pick this contemporary fine diner.
The award-winning dining destination’s five-course set dinner ($128/person) will awaken taste buds. Familiar classics are plated French style and executed with a twist, such as Tandoori Slipper Lobster with gunpowder sea sand and a saffron enhanced kampong chicken tikka with rose petal coulis. A vegetarian menu is also available, offering dishes like anjeer paneer tikki (fig and cottage cheese) as well as potato dumpling in beetroot and coconut curry served with saffron rice and assorted naan.
Level 3, Pan Pacific Singapore, 7 Raffles Boulevard. Tel: 6333 1788
Old-school charm at Lawry’s The Prime Rib
If you love your classics (and want your date night to be as fail-proof as possible), you won’t go wrong with a name like Lawry’s The Prime Ribs. The good old-fashioned steakhouse has been serving up countless plates of its Signature Roasted USDA Prime Rib of Beef and Yorkshire Pudding to satisfied diners for many years. Their Valentine’s Special ($188/person) is a six-course treat and starts couples off with a cheekily named First Base, which consists of a trio of amuse bouche: foie gras, grilled Spanish octopus and smoked salmon on toast. What follows next will please the seafood lover – Lobster Bisque and Dungeness Crab Salad. Main course options include Signature Roasted USDA Prime Rib of Beef or The Seafood Platter; the latter is a scrumptious offering of lobster tail, salmon and prawn. Can’t decide which one? Order one main course each to share.
End the meal with te amo (Spanish for my love), which features Manjari Chocolate, Banana and Hazelnut Praline Mousse Dome, Häagen-Dazs Tiramisu Mochi Ice-cream on a bed of Almond Crumble and Strawberry Mousse served with fresh Summer Berries and Raspberry Coulis.
#04 01/31, Mandarin Gallery, 33A Orchard Road. Tel: 6836 3333
Hidden dining oasis: Maggie Joan’s
There is a little gem of a hideaway tucked at the back alleys of Amoy Street and it’s called Maggie Joan’s. The tiny diner serves Mediterranean-inflected cuisine and is the brainchild of father-son duo of Glen and Daniel Ballis from Moosehead Kitchen-Bar. Now heading into its fourth year, Maggie Joan’s shows no signs of slowing down.
Your Valentine’s Day meal will be in the good hands of former Moosehead head chef Seumas Smith, who now helms the kitchen at Maggie Joan’s as group executive chef. You and your partner get a complimentary glass of bubbly each before the start of a five-course dinner ($90/person). Expect a parade of gorgeously plated dishes, beginning with three snacks, such as the hamachi crudo, beetroot with smoked creme fraiche and Hokkaido scallops. There is a main course choice of spiced lamb salmarejo or barramundi with mussels and kale. A vegetarian menu option is also available for the same price.
#01-01, 110 Amoy Street. 6221 5564
Music and Champagne at The Spot
A fine dinner is only as good as the ambience, and The Spot elevates both elements to the next level. Local musicians Iwee and Emmeline will set the mood as you and your partner dine on The Spot’s Call Me Cupid Valentine special ($108/person), a seven-course showing. Tap your feet to both the tunes and the endless stream of bubbles with the free-flow Champagne provided.
Your romantic dinner will begin with a serving of creative snacks that include sea urchin and caviar stuffed egg tarts; strawberry gazpacho with burrata and ham; and pan-seared scallop with yuzu and water chestnut. Premium ingredients such as Boston lobster and abalone rice risotto are paired with Southeast Asian sauces like tom yum emulsion and kombu roe butter sauce respectively before your meal ends with a 3 Shades of Chocolate dessert.
#01-26/27, Marina One, 5 Straits View. Tel: 6284 2637
English extravagance at JAAN
The crown jewel of Swissôtel The Stamford needs no introduction, owing to its acclaim, numerous accolades and a panoramic view of the cityscape. The food, as always, remains the star. JAAN will offer a ‘Reinventing British’ dinner ($399/person, inclusive of a glass of Krug Grand Cuvee), which will take diners through the whole of the British Isles over 10 elaborate courses. Chef Kirk Westaway delivers only the finest from the seas, like Irish oysters, Scottish scallops and lobster. Adding to the extravagance is the dessert special of caramel chocolate cheesecake. Wine paring is also available at $220 per diner.
The one Michelin-starred restaurant will extend this dinner across two days till 15 February.
Level 70, Equinox Complex, 2 Stamford Road. Tel: 6837 3322
Party through the night at Adrift
Indulge in a seafood buffet dinner ($98/person), where you can help yourself to Alaskan king crab, Hokkaido scallops, Japanese big eye tuna sashimi,fresh oysters as well as a sushi selection. After your appetites are satiated, the real party begins at 10pm, where live DJs wll spin late into the morning while both of you get your thirst quenched with the help of Adrift’s Traffic Lights Bar programme. At $18 per cocktail, the bar will hook you up with a coloured tipple corresponding with your relationship status – red cocktails if you are attached; amber cocktails for ‘complicated’; and green cocktails for singles.
Hotel Lobby Tower Two, Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Avenue. Tel: 6688 5657
Sky high dining at Salt Grill & Sky Bar
Talk about a swanky restaurant perched on the fifty-fifth floor of an upscale Orchard Road mall and there can only be place – Salt Grill & Sky Bar. Launched since 2010, the modern Australian restaurant and bar is accessible via a private elevator in the mall and offers a stunning view of the city’s skyline.
Trust its five-course set menu ($398/couple) to set the bar high for future Valentine’s Day dinners. There’s Sri Lankan Mud Crab with Almond, Grape Gazpacho and Basil; Sake and White Soy Cured Sustainable Blue Fin Tuna with Cucumber, Ikura and Shiso; as well as Mushroom Ravioli with French Winter Truffle, Hazelnuts and Beurre Noisette. For main course, choose between the Geraldton Kingfish, with Hokkaido Scallop, Jerusalem Artichoke, Caper and Raisin Puree, and Samphire, or the Westholme Wagyu Tenderloin topped with Black Garlic, Charred Onion and Bone Marrow Jus. Finish with the Mille Feuille, paired with dark chocolate-cherry-mascarpone.
#55-01, ION Orchard Mall, 2 Orchard Turn. Tel: 6592 5118
Paw-pose to the one at Capella Singapore
This one is recommended for those who are ready to take the next step with their other half (you know who you are). Enter Capella Singapore who will provide all you need for a romantic proposal. If you have a furry friend, even better; the hotel will make arrangements for your fur-kid to be the ring bearer. With either the Garden Villa ($1,399) or Palawan Villa ($1,699) staycation packages, pamper your future fiancée with the best perks this five-star hotel has to offer. Cap off your stay with a couple’s massage at award-winning Auriga Spa and a private pool-side dining experience (as part of the package), and you have the perfect recipe for the start of a beautiful, life-long commitment.
