You’re on a Valentine’s day date with your other half. Big decisions lie ahead. Do you trust your heart, or your gut? Well if the decision is what to order in one of these restaurants, you certainly choose your gut because it’s going to be right. As for your heart? Well, who cares about love when you’ve got dry-aged Ayrshire beef tartare?
Sky Garden
Love is in the air – quite literally – as this Valentine’s Day, Sky Garden are inviting guests tot ravel 35-floors skyward to enjoy divine offerings in Fenchurch Restaurant and Darwin Brasserie. Whilst sitting on cloud nine, you can delve into a luxe five-course lunchtime tasting menu with beau or a seven-course dinner menu, both curated by Head Chef Daniel Fletcher. Swigging champers on arrival you’ll sit down to offerings such as Roast Isle of Mull king scallop, Dry-aged Ayrshire beef tartare and dark chocolate caramel truffles to finish. Or, if brunching is more your style, enjoy a Valentine’s weekend brunch with a three-course menu priced at £55 per person at Darwin Brasserie! Dishes will exude a really ooo, la, la, with a menu featuring dill-cured salmon with caviar crème fraiche and soda bread; Darwin duck benedict with caramelised onion hash and slow roast tomatoes; or roast sea trout with honey glazed pumpkin and spiced yoghurt.
Where: Sky Garden, 20 Fenchurch Street, London EC3M 8AF, UK
Nearest station: Monument (0.2 miles)
Website: skygarden.london
Sexy Fish
Now this menu is designed to be shared which, we know all too well, is pretty tricky for you food lovers. However, hear us out because we think this decadent, indulgent and creative menu will have you full to the rafters post-munch with all of its generous offerings. Perhaps one of the sexiest restaurants to be seen at this Valentine’s Day is Sexy Fish and knowing this they’ve created the moreish Sekushi Amour menu, featuring highlights of pepper crusted beef tataki & perigord truffle; grilled scallop, osietra caviar; and black cod miso & harrisa miso. To wash it all down nicely you can keep it classy with Perrier-Jouët Brut or Blanc de blanc, and finish the night with a cheeky Monkey 47 cocktail with peach, oregano and chamomile, yuzu and Champagne.
Where: Berkeley Square House, Berkeley Square, London W1J 6BR, UK
Nearest station: Green Park (0.3 miles)
Website: www.sexyfish.com
Ivory Vaults
Ivory Vaults know how to throw a party, especially a Valentine’s Day one. Picture this: the year is 1923 and prohibition means we have to swig gin from tea cups and take this party to a more hush-hush location. So, next thing you know, we’re experiencing Embargo speakeasy and all of its Gatsby-esqueness (if that’s a word?). Valentine’s gets super sexy with this experience, with booze, garters and jazz galore. You’ll get gin on arrival followed by smoked salmon rolls with avo and mascarpone and Aberdeen Angus rib eye beef for main. To end on a sweet note, you’ll delve into a Valentine cheesecake with fresh strawberry compote. So, if a dinner with drinks just doesn’t cut it and you’re cooing after a bit of roaring twenties rambunctiousness then this one’s for you!
Where: Ivory Vaults Ivory House St Katharine Docks London, E1W 1BP
Nearest station: Tower Hill (0.4 miles)
Website: www.ivoryvaults.com
Mews of Mayfair
As the Nolans one sang: “I’m in the mood for dancing, romancing…,” but what they left out was being the mood for Mews of Mayfair’s Valentine’s Day offer. Mews Brasserie has new, decadent dishes on the menu alongside a large selection of cocktails and Champagne. It’s a romantic setting and when Champers is mentioned let’s face it, you can go far wrong.
Where: 10 Lancashire Court New Bond Street W1S 1EY
Nearest station: Bond Street (0.3 miles)
Website: www.mewsofmayfair.com
Boyds Grill & Wine Bar
When a resto is voted one of London’s most romantic it’s probably wise to speak the language of love there on Valentine’s Day! Boyd’s Grill & Wine Bar is equipped with vintage chandeliers and marble clad walls, creating an idyllic landscape for a little romance. And, because sharing is caring, there’ll be a sharing board and bottle of wine on hand laden with sumptuous British cured meats and cheeses and a choice between Rhanleigh Merlot or the Marterey Chardonnay. If you’re in even more of a mood to sweep your date off their feet then why not grab a slice of the pre-theatre menu before immersing yourself in some of London’s finest.
Where: 8 Northumberland Avenue, London WC2N 5BY, UK
Nearest station: London Charing Cross (0.1 miles)
Website: www.boydsgrillandwinebar.co.uk
Blind Spot
We’re certainly not blind to how yummy this Valentine’s offering is at quirky, luxe hotel bar Blind Spot. Available between the 14-16th of February, you’ll visit Cupid’s Paradise and sip on Chambord cocktails which, as Blind Spot humorously describe, are bursting with flavours of romance, lemon and orange. Well, if cocktails be the food of love – play on!
Where: 45 St. Martin's Lane, Covent Garden, WC2N 4HX
Website: www.morganshotelgroup.com
The Milestone Hotel and Residences
This hotel realises how much of a milestone Valentine’s Day can be in a relationship and so they’re inviting you to spoil the better half rotten with a lovey-dovey meal in Cheneston’s restaurant or The Oratory, housed in The Milestone’s original chapel. The Milestone Hotel’s evening of love will involve a six-course meal and a welcome glass of Lanson Pere Fils champagne and, we think, after that tipple (or two) you’ll want to topple into a bed. Staying at the venue will see your bed getting a romantic turndown and the two of you enjoying some delicious pink Champagne. Just perfect!
Where: 1 Kensington Court, London W8 5DL, UK
Nearest station: High Street Kensington (0.4 miles)
Website: www.milestonehotel.com
J Sheekey Atlantic Bar
We’re definitely on the sea food and eat it diet this Valentine’s Day, especially as J Sheekey Atlantic Bar is putting on a total feast for the big day. Guests will enjoy a platter featuring roasted lobster, tiger prawns, tempura oysters, langoustine, razor clams and Isle of Mull scallops, (to name a few). And, whilst you eat, you’ll be lulled into a food coma by a quirky guitar and saxophonist duo, a Love Bowl dessert and, of course, cocktails!
Where: 33-35 St Martin's Ct, London WC2N 4AL, UK
Nearest station: Leicester Square (0.1 miles)
Website: www.jsheekeyatlanticbar.co.uk
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
The Mandarin Oriental has got us wishing it could be Valentine’s Day every day with their adorable afternoon tea offer. The menu, available from 14 to 17 February in the Rosebery bar, includes something for the gents and ladies with a beer afternoon tea on offer (say what!) and an Alsatian wine afternoon tea for the females. Alcohol-based afternoon teas, yes please! Executive Pastry Chef Paul Thieblemont will be creating hand-made pastries specifically for V Day itself, including Raspberry Roulade, Cherry Blossom and even Cupid’s Love Heart. We’re counting down the hours!
Where: 66 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7LA
Website: www.mandarinoriental.com
Hyatt Regency London - The Churchill
A Valentine’s Day with a twist awaits you at the The Churchill this year as the venue plays up to its namesake, inviting guests to follow in the footsteps of Winston Churchill himself. They’ve partnered up with Treufitt & Hill (Churchill’s barber for over 40 years) to provide guests with a hot towel wet shave, beard or moustache trim. But, not ones to do things in half measures, guests can also grab an overnight stay with bed and brekky included, a The Water of Life Churchill-inspired cocktail book and dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, The Montagu Kitchen. This delectable offering boasts way more than just a romantic meal, that’s for sure.
Where: 30 Portman Square, London, W1H 7BH, United Kingdom
Nearest station: Marble Arch (0.2 miles)
Website: www.londonchurchill.regency.hyatt.com
The Arch London
We love The Arch! It’s a Marble Arch staple with a general vibe that shouts all things quintessentially British. Now eight years old, the hotel may not be brand-spanking, but the interiors and one third of the suites have just undergone a snazzy refurb. The rooms still hold dear the recognised style and characteristics loyal guests know and love, whilst implementing a bolder colour palette and unique wallpapers by Thibaut. This Valentine’s Day immerse yourself in the hustle and bustle of a romantic London as the much-adored Georgian townhouse puts on a delightful dinner in Hunter 486 and an afternoon tea of dreams in the Martini Library, both of which sound equally as marvellous!
The tea includes chocolate and blood red orange hearts, passion fruit and raspberry meringues and, of course, scones! For dinner, the intimate dining space that is Hunter 486 will provide a five-course extravaganza of dishes including pan fried fillet of sea bass, Dedham Vale beef with truffle mash and desserts such as Champers chiboust and chilli chocolate fondue.
Where: 50 Great Cumberland Place, Marble Arch, London, W1H 7FD, United Kingdom
Nearest station: Marble Arch (0.3 miles)
Website: www.thearchlondon.com
M Victoria ST
All we need is love, and M Victoria Street are ready to provide that this Valentine’s Day. Their menu is one that subverts the norm, with the ability to generate funds and awareness for ‘Not For Sale’, a global organisation that seeks to end human trafficking and exploitation in six continents. Pledging to give love on a wider scale, M Restaurants will give every penny spent on the menu to the charity, so you’ll be eating ethically this Valentine’s Day. The menu is five courses and, if M’s usual lavishness is anything to go by, it’s going to be delicious!
Where: Zig Zag Building, 74 Victoria Street, Westminster, SW1E 6SQ
Nearest station: St. James's Park (0.3 miles)
Website: www.mrestaurants.co.uk
Aqua Shard
Pretty desserts are part and parcel of Valentine’s Day and this one exceeds expectations that’s for sure. Aqua shard is serving up the sweetest cocktail going, with made with Cîroc vodka, lychee liqueur, white chocolate liqueur, lime and garnished with a strawberry and rose parfait heart. And, if that hasn’t satisfied your sweeter side, delve into the accompanying dessert; a treat made with dark chocolate, raspberry mousse, lychee and passionfruit, served with raspberry and rose sorbet and a rose macaron. There are a lot of flavours flying around and we’re loving it!
Available from 11-17th of February
Where: Level 31, The Shard, 31 St Thomas Street, London, SE1 9RY, United Kingdom
Nearest station: London Bridge (0.1 miles)
Website: www.aquashard.co.uk
The Rubens at the Palace
There’s a whole lot going on at The Rubens this Valentine’s Day, but we say the more the merrier! Wander into The Leopard Bar, The English Grill and The New York Bar for Champagne starters and dinner in the flagship English Grill restaurant. There’ll be live music to accompany your dinner and ruffle up the atmosphere, alongside sumptuous food and the option to cosy up over a shared dessert. Still hungry and eager to catch a glimpse of Megan and Harry being all romantic? Grab yourself a seat in The Palace Lounge overlooking the Royal Mews of Buckingham Palace and enjoy a V Day afternoon tea, equipped with shots of Aphrodisiac Cocktail… well, well, well! And, if we’ve still not caught your attention, how does a romantic curry sound?! You can feast on a four-courser at The Rubens Curry Room with a choice of three curries and champagne sorbet and chocolates to finish. Our tummies are rumbling!
Where: 39 Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria, SW1W 0PS
Nearest station: London Victoria (0.2 miles)
Website: www.rubenshotel.com
Blakes Hotel
Blakes is a very, very sexy hotel, making it an apt choice for a spot to spend Valentine’s Day. This year, they’re introducing their Aphrodisiac Menu which will feature food fit for any amorous evening! There’ll be tempura oyster with caviar, saffron risotto with red prawns and burrata followed by a milk chocolate mousse served with passion fruit, yuzu and mango. And, if the romance is rather tepid, why not add in a Love Potion cocktail to spruce things up prepared with gin, Disaronno, cranberry juice, grenadine, honey and lemon juice. And if things really do heat up after that well then opt for the Naughty or Nice packages which include an overnight stay in one of Blakes luxury rooms.
Where: Blakes Hotel, 33 Roland Gardens, SW7 3PF
Website: www.blakeshotel.com
Aviary
If your date sat across from you isn’t giving you butterflies, at least the height at which you’ll be dining will! Aviary’s rooftop restaurant will be the place to be this V day, as you indulge in a huge four-course dinner offering of butter poached lobster with saffron, sirloin steak with hand cut chips and pink champagne jelly. You can nestle under faux-fur to get things hitting boiling point date side whilst looking down at city views below. Sign us up!
Where: 22 - 25 Finsbury Square, EC2A 1DX
Website: www.aviarylondon.com
Sea Containers London
Not only does Sea Containers have darn good views of London in its catalogue but some of the best food going too! This Valentine’s they’re offering up 12th Knot complimentary cocktails, which are two words everyone loves to hear next to each other, a special set menu at Sea Containers Restaurant and Wyld Tea cocktails at Dandelyan which you should definitely get your hands on before it closes. Food at Sea Containers includes highlights of Baked Scallops, Beef Carpaccio or Heritage Beetroot Salad. Followed by a choice of succulent Pan Roasted Halibut, Seared Duck Breast or a delicate Saffron Risotto. For dessert it’s an almond Love Hearts mousse – delicious!
Where: 20 Upper Ground, London, UK
Nearest station: London Waterloo East (0.3 miles)
Website: www.seacontainerslondon.com
Asia de Cuba
We’re off to Asia de Cuba next for a menu that is sweeping us off our feet with flavour. The St Martins Lane eatery, famed for being so darn good, has offerings such as fire and ice shrimp to coffee-crusted ribeye (say what!). Although we suspect you’ll be snapping photos of the interiors of Asia de Cuba as opposed to your date, we still recommend coming for the 4-course offering which will include a Bellini.
The menu will be available between 5pm -10.30pm
Where: 45 St Martins's Lane, Covent Garden, WC2N 4HX
Website: www.asiadecuba.com
The Athenaeum Hotel & Residences
The Romance & Elegance package at The Athenaeum Hotel & Residences does just what it says on the tin. It romances you with chocolate dipped strawberries, full English brekkies and provides the elegance with a rose petal turndown, bottle of Champagne and as a late checkout at 2pm… cheeky! There’s also the option to book in dinner which includes canapés on arrival, three courses plus a glass of champagne. Hurry up Valentine’s!
Where: 116 Piccadilly, Mayfair, London W1J 7BJ, United Kingdom
Nearest station: Hyde Park Corner (0.4 miles)
Website: www.athenaeumhotel.com
Pergola Olympia
We love a bit of cat and mouse, especially around Valentine’s Day. So how about Pergola Olympia’s offering of a love game? Singletons arrive and are provided with either a lock or a key and the rest is easy! Guests will chat and mingle to their hearts content to find out if they’re perfect matches. The night will be a circus, quite literally, with acts and entertainment, glitter stations and DJs playing sweet, sweet music. So, grab yourself a cocktail for a bit of Dutch courage and get locking down a lad or lady.
Where: Level Five Rooftop, Olympia Car Park, Olympia Way, W14 8UX
Website: www.designmynight.com
Swingers
Get yourself that hole in one at Swingers City and West End this Valentine’s Day! Their dreamy package includes a round of crazy golf for two, Bottle of Perrier Jouët Champagne and super cute heart shaped pizza from Pizza Pilgrims or Made of Dough.
Where: 8 Brown’s Buildings, Aldgate, EC3A 8AL
Website: www.swingersldn.com
The Connaught
The Connaught are concocting something rather special for V Day in the form of a rouge cocktail with flavours galore. The championing ingredient is Patrón coupled with Martini Rubino, Galliano L’Aperitivo, Cacao Cascara light cream and Galiano L’autnetico. If that listicle just sounds like a bunch of words from a foreign language, well… it’s because it is! But, the main thing is that it takes deeeelicious, and coming from Ago Perrone, Giorgio Bargiani and the team at The Connaught we’re hardly surprised!
Where: Carlos Place, Mayfair, London, W1K 2AL, United Kingdom
Nearest station: Bond Street (0.5 miles)
Website: www.the-connaught.co.uk
27 Restaurant & Bar
As one of London’s most decadent venues it’s only to be expected that an equally as sleek menu will be available for Valentine’s Day. 27 Restaurant & Bar has pulled out all the stops for the love birds this month with a bespoke menu offering appetisers of yellowfin tuna sashimi with black truffle, main courses brimming with Champagne risotto and roast pumpkin dishes and sweet treat desserts including passion fruit cheesecake. The Mayfair eatery seeks to cater to every palette with a diverse menu that’ll see your night getting off to a delicious start.
Where: 27 Restaurant & Bar at Crown London Aspinalls, 27 Curzon Street, Mayfair W1J 7TJ
Nearest station: Hyde Park Corner (0.4 miles)
Website: www.crownlondonaspinalls.com
Sanderson Hotel
A night of passion is on the cards at Sanderson with a menu of boujee offerings in the form of tender beef fillet or melt-in-the-mouth burrata. The West End boutique hotel is ideally located steps from bustling Oxford Street shopping and Soho district so you’ll be dosed in the London atmosphere, (as well as great food)!
Where: 50 Berners Street, London, W1T 3NG, United Kingdom
Nearest station: Goodge Street (0.4 miles)
Website: www.sandersonlondon.com
Glass Room
Londoners are always on a quest to make dining more of an experience. We’ve mastered excellent restaurants and now we need more. We can dine 100 feet above London, we can immerse ourselves in different worlds, we can eat underground in former WCs (better than it sounds) and now we can ditch dry land and eat whilst floating down the Thames in a glass boat aptly named Glass Room. Now, the restaurant that is making waves in London is putting on quite the Valentine’s treat. Taking in the views of London, you’ll glide down the River Thames prosecco in hand with British dishes being served up, including highlights of Severn and Wye smoked salmon and cheesecake with Seville oranges. There’s the option of a five-course extravaganza to be enjoyed under the stars, featuring spiced cauliflower velouté or Isle of Wight heritage tomatoes. With a back-lit mirrored bottle display, porthole-style lighting and handblown Murano glass lamps, the bar is the ideal place for a pre-dinner drink. And for a date, the views will give you something to talk about if conversation slows up.
Where: Bateaux London, Embankment Pier, Victoria Embankment WC2M 6NU
Nearest station: Embankment (0.1 miles)
Website: www.bateauxlondon.com
Jin Bo Law
Jin Bo Law is all about turning unique ingredients into unexpected treasures, so we’re pretty sure they’ll have rustled up a love potions of sorts this V Day. There’ll be panoramic views and a live saxophonist on offer, providing movie moments gazing over bright lights drink in hand, alongside Champagne galore which will put a smile on 99.9% of faces. You’ll elevate not only your relationship status, but up 14 floors to reach a terrific Valentine’s experience.
Where: 14th Floor Dorsett City, 9 Aldgate High Street, London EC3N 1AH
Nearest station: Aldgate (0.1 miles)
Website: www.jinbolaw.co.uk
The LaLiT London
#PureLove is the hashtag of the hour at LaLiT London as the luxury boutique hotel puts on a package and a half for its Val Day celebration. Inviting guests to stay in style, you’ll devour a five-course menu with a Kama Sutra cocktail, 15% off at their spa Rejuve, and breakfast included. You’ll be fully immersed in London with the bustle of the city and Tower Bridge just a romantic gaze away, and with dishes such as spiced lobster soup, tandoori monkfish with coriander and coconut chutney and more on the menu, we think this is a hard deal to refuse.
Where: 181 Tooley Street, London SE1 2JR, UK
Nearest station: London Bridge (0.4 miles)
Website: www.thelalit.com
Aqua Kyoto
Bespoke Val Day menus are rife at aqua nueva and aqua kyoto with oodles of Champagne at the helm. You can either pick from Japanese cuisine at Kyoto, with six-courses to be enjoyed including highlights of Rock shrimp tempura with kimchee sauce and seaweed, and Beluga bass with tomato miso zuma salad and bonito. Or, salsa your way to a more Spanish Valentine’s at neuva with a five-course menu blending dishes like hand dived scallops with “txangurro” crab & cauliflower, and Fillet of Galician beef with potato gratin and bone marrow sauce. You’ll feast on a complimentary glass of fizz before sitting back and indulging in a polyamorous relationship with the aqua’s divine food offerings.
Where: 30 Argyll Street, London W1F 7EB, United Kingdom
Nearest station: Oxford Circus (0.1 miles)
Website: www.aquakyoto.co.uk
Indian Accent
Things are getting hot, hot hot this Valentine’s Day, as Indian Accent invite you to spice things up on the romance front (also curry combined with Valentine’s Day just asks for puns galore). Bringing added heat to date night, the Mayfair resto will serve a seven-course tasting menu, available for lunch and dinner. The menu will feature seasonal ingredients, weaved through its V Day offerings which include duck khurchan cornettes, winter vegetables, sarson ka saag, fenugreek tart and baked seabass, chettinad masala, coconut curry. And just for a little added sparkle, you’ll get even more in the mood with Accent’s elegant interiors of brass and emerald greens.
Where: 16 Albemarle Street, Mayfair, W1S 4HW
Website: www.indianaccent.com
Ham Yard Hotel
Billecart Brut Rosé NV will whet the appetite at Ham Yard Hotel as they offer up seriously tasty seasonal dishes including lobster Thermidor ‘vol-au-vent’ on their V Day menu. After indulging in offerings such as lemon and thyme butter poached halibut with golden beets, sea fennel and spinach purée or glazed guinea fowl with celeriac, lemon tarragon and white wine, you’ll end the evening on a sweet note with Baked Alaska or chocolate mousse.
Where: One Ham Yard, Soho, W1D 7DT
Website: www.designmynight.com
The Boundary Project
Scoot on down to Shoreditch this Valentine’s Day for an evening with canapés and cocktails with an aphrodisiac twist. Getting you in the mood for love you’ll experience low lit subterranean space The Vault in all of its seductive elegance. Following on from this, sit down for a four-course candlelit dinner on the winter rooftop where you can get cosy under sheepskin rugs and heat up with hot cocktails all whilst taking in the city’s panoramic views.
Where: 2-4 Boundary Street, E2 7DD
Website: www.boundary.london
Pergola Paddington
Ain’t no party like a Pergola Paddington party! This year they’re throwing a Valentine’s Masquerade to invite singleton’s to mingle in masks. You’ll receive complimentary prosecco and bop away to DJs whilst keeping a beady eye out for love. There’ll also be acts and dance shows, an Oyster Bar serving up aphrodisiac’s left, right and centre and four onsite restaurants to feast at.
Where: 5 Kingdom Street, W2 6PY
Website: www.designmynight.com
Brown's Hotel
Browns Hotel has got a naughty corner and we love it! Come on down to the Mayfair institution this Valentine’s Day and immerse yourselves in an atmosphere of risqué works by 60’s photographer Terence Donovan and cocktails including Remy Martin 1738 with Disaronno, fig marmalade, kumquat and egg white. Beck at Brown’s resto illuminates the best of British with a five-course tasting menu on offer this V Day with wine pairing. It’s sexy, it’s decadent and it’s Browns and we think it’ll insert that extra va, va voom into the big day!
Where: Albemarle Street, Mayfair, London, W1S 4BP, United Kingdom
Nearest station: Green Park (0.2 miles)
Website: www.roccofortehotels.com
The London Cabaret Club
Get shaking your Valentine’s Day tail feather at The London Cabaret Club. In true Gatsby style, the club will relive the F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic, turning back time to the roaring twenties. The love story will unfold before you eyes as you indulge in quintessentially British cocktails whilst watching various llusionists, distinguished singers, cunning magicians and skillful acrobats. If Fitzgerald magic can’t make a room come alive with love then we’re not quite sure what will!
Where: The Bloomsbury Ballroom, Victoria House, Bloomsbury Square, WC1B 4DA
Website: www.thelondoncabaretclub.com
The Game Bird
Are you game for a bit of fine dining this Val Day? If so, waltz on down to The Game Bird resto for a culinary experience that’ll see you throwing back pickled oysters and feasting on sharing dishes of glazed dark chocolate and honeycomb mousse. The menu runs from the 14th-17th of February and you’re licking your lips much like we are then get booking now!
Where: 16-18 St James’s Place, St. James’s, SW1A 1NJ
Website: www.thestaffordlondon.com
South Place Hotel
Angler at South Place Hotel is delivering a Michelin starred V-day with their signature fishy fare. Start odd with a glass of rosé champagne to accompany aged Beaufort and truffle gougeres, followed by various plates of squid ink cracker, taramasalata, Esplette pepper and Dorset crab, avocado, wasabi, nashi pear. Turbot charge your mains with roast Cornish turbot, parsley root, smoked bacon, Scottish langoustines, and chase it all down with a pudding of pink Yorkshire rhubarb, Sable Breton, stem ginger and Greek basil.
Where: 3 South Place, London, EC2M 2AF, United Kingdom
Nearest station: Moorgate (Great Northern) (0.2 miles)
Website: www.southplacehotel.com
Bocconcino Restaurant
Italy, the home of romance, and the home of comfort food (think pasta, pizza, and so on). So no surprise that Mayfair’s Bocconcino are bringing their best Italian comfort food menu to celebrate Valentine’s. Enjoy hand rolled pasta, spun in their famous giant hot Grana Padano wheel and add black truffle shavings for a delectable delight of a meal.
Where: 19 Berkeley St, London W1J 8ED, UK
Nearest station: Green Park (0.2 miles)
Website: www.bocconcinorestaurant.co.uk
Jumeirah Carlton Tower
Hankering after a Valentine’s Day afternoon tea? You’ve come to the right place! The tea at Jumeirah Carlton Tower is available from the 1s until the 28thof February featuring Amuse Coeur such as savoury tomato cones with creamed Sussex goat’s cheese, and cupid savouries of mini focaccia with heritage tomato and more. Of course, it wouldn’t be a cream tea without the mention of plain and fruit scones which will be available in abundance with Cornish clotted cream and strawberry preserve. There are also little added extras thrown in to keep things sweet like white choc and pomegranate macaroons and lemon meringue sorbet. Oh and we can assure you it’s going to be good seeing as it comes from the award-winning team behind the 2018 Afternoon Tea of the Year, just saying!
Where: 1 Cadogan Place, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 9PY, United Kingdom
Nearest station: Knightsbridge (0.4 miles)
Website: www.jumeirahcarltontower.com
Sofitel London St James
Five-course elegance is on the table at The Balcon this Valentine’s Day. Head Chef Simon Woodrow has weaved through many a local ingredient to offer guests dishes such as wild mushroom ravioli with a mushroom and hay broth, saddle of rabbit with shoulder cottage pie and rose and raspberry white chocolate ganache. The evening will end the way most should – with drinks! You can go to St James Bar for a perfectly instagrammable pink cocktail ‘la vie en rose’ with Belvedere vodka, St Germain liqueur, Peychaud’s bitters, rose water, white tea syrup and raspberry eau de vie.
Where: Sofitel London St James, Waterloo Place, London, United Kingdom
Nearest station: Piccadilly Circus (0.3 miles)
Website: www.sofitelstjames.com
aqua nueva and aqua kyoto
Heart shaped churros? Oh go on then! These splendid looking V Day treats come courtesy of aqua nueva and aqua kyoto; the London staples have got some tasty stuff going on courtesy of bar manager Gianluca Capilungo. You’ll have a cocktail made with all sorts of rambunctious flavours – Brugal rum 1888, Serravinci Cocomerino watermelon liqueur, apricot, a of dash Peychaud bitter, all topped with cava. Alongside churros to dip at your hearts content, with flavours toffee, spiced chocolate – made with cinnamon and cardamom, or mango and passion fruit on offer. We’ll take it all!
Where: 240 Regent Street, Soho, W1B 3BR
Website: www.aquakyoto.co.uk/menu
Ella Canta
A menu brimming with Mexican Seduction is on the table at Ella Canta this Valentine’s Day. Oozing with sex appeal, the five-course tasting menu excites guests with a tour of Mexico’s enchanting stories of love and beauty. Find yourself in Mayfair surrounded by decadent cocktails including the Flower Prince, a fresh and citrusy blend of Cazcabel, 1800 Reposado infused pink peppercorn, lemon, cantaloupe and egg whites and food highlights of devilled shrimps and mezcal mayonnaise, lamb mixiote with aphrodisiac spices and bubbling hot chocolate with Xtabentún ice cream for dessert. Happy El Día de San Valentín!
Where: 1 Hamilton Place, Park Lane, Mayfair, W1J 7QY
Website: www.ellacanta.com
Smith & Wollensky
We thought we were the greedy ones but Smith & Wollensky have created not one but two Valentine’s offerings so they’re pretty high up on the food-lovers list! Both menu options look divine with one for sharing and one a la carte (so it depends how willing you are to share your food, really). Food includes USDA Prime Dry-Aged steaks and a selection of their finest seafoods, coupled with a glass of Perrier-Jouët Blason Rosé Champagne as it is V Day after all! To finish, you can enjoy a pistachio and cherry baked Alaska – now that’s something we’re not willing to share!
Where: The Adelphi, 1-11 John Adam Street, Covent Garden Riverside, London WC2N 6HT, United Kingdom
Nearest station: London Charing Cross (0.1 miles)
Website: www.smithandwollensky.co.uk
Searcys at The Gherkin
Fun fact, The Gherkin cleared up the nickname rumours, it wasn’t actually named after a pickled vegetable, instead, the restaurant is named after the helix shape and Iris comes from the fact that architect, Norman Foster actually built it to look like an iris when viewed from above to reflect its place as the eye over the city. Now we’ve got that cleared up, onto the Valentine’s menu which, we expect, will be an experience hard to beat coupled with the Instagrammable 360 degree views. Enjoy a four-course dinner at Helix and Iris complete with a glass of Searcys Cuvée Champagne and a small gift for each table – who can refuse a free gift?! On the food front highlights will include sherry smoked salmon and fillet of beef, and a pre-dessert of Nyetimber sparkling wine sorbet coupled with live acoustic music.
The Gherkin is now sold out for Valentine’s dinner, but there still availability for a V-Day lunch or bookings for the Iris bar at the evening.
Where: 30 St Mary Axe (The Gherkin), Saint Mary Axe, London, United Kingdom
Nearest station: London Fenchurch Street (0.2 miles)
Website: www.searcysatthegherkin.co.uk
Balthazar
If the date is falling short of good conversation then sweeten things up with an afternoon tea Charlie and the Chocolate Factory would be envious of! Balthazar restaurant and the Balthazar Boulangerie are adding to the FLOWERBX Afternoon Tea, introducing tantalising and totally tasty treats such as the ‘Love Apple’ and ‘Kiss’ cakes and a table helping of a red choc heart within a heart. We’re en route Balthazar!
Where: 4-6 Russell Street, Covent Garden, WC2B 5HZ
Website: www.balthazarlondon.com
