Header photo: rose lychee mousse at NOBU Hong Kong
Whether it be a degustation menu at a Michelin-starred temple to haute cuisine or a cheap and cheerful meal at our noodle bar of choice, we all know the best way to a man (or woman’s) heart. So if you’re looking to impress your SO with a fab Valentine’s Day meal but don’t know where to start, we’ve narrowed it down for you with our carefully curated list of the top restaurants featuring the best V-Day menus for memorable dining à deux, with a group of friends or even solo – from supremely high end to cosy and casual.
Over $1,000 per person
ÉCRITURE
Two-Michelin-starred French-Japanese ÉCRITURE at H Queen’s in Central dresses to impress with its eight-course Valentine’s Day set menu ($2,888/person, to include a glass of Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque Rosé 2006), crafted to precision by Chef Maxime Gilbert. Feast on luxurious delicacies the likes of caviar and uni tart, prized kinmedai (alfonsino) fish and sweeter-than-sweet Otani San Amaou strawberries.
26/F, H Queen’s, 80 Queen’s Road Central, Central, 2795 5996
book online
ÉPURE
Always at the top of our list for favourite French fine dining, we love the sound of the lavish six-course Valentine’s Day dinner menu ($2,188/person) at Michelin-starred ÉPURE. Chef Nicolas Boutin’s menu features heady premium ingredients including top-grade duck foie gras, winter black truffle, Wagyu beef, lobster, caviar and more – all that AND a view.
Shop 403, 4/F, Ocean Centre, Harbour City, 3–27 Canton Road, TST, 3185 8338
NOBU
You can’t go wrong with a meal at celeb chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s restaurant on any day of the year, but NOBU’s eight-course omakase Valentine’s Day dinner ($3,288 for 2) makes us go weak at the knees. The deluxe sushi assortment, A5 Miyazaki Wagyu and rose lychee mousse are highlights for us.
2/F, InterContinental Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, TST, 2313 2323
The Pool at The Peninsula
Sure, The Pen’s got its share of stellar spots for wining and dining (think Felix and Gaddi’s), but on Valentine’s Day, The Pool is where it’s at for us – especially because it’s only open once a year, for V Day itself. The indoor Roman-inspired swimming pool is a magical setting for the five-course dinner menu ($3,688 for 2) on the 14th.
8/F, The Peninsula Hong Kong, Salisbury Road, TST, 2696 6616
Tate Dining Room & Bar
Chef Vicky Lau’s gorgeous (and Michelin-starred) Tate would make for an extra-romantic V-Day treat. The eight-course French-Chinese menu ($1,980/person; wine pairings available) features dishes that are each an ode to an exquisite seasonal creation – from Ode to Oyster to Ode to Red Fruit. The edible poetry concludes with a visit to Poem Patisserie downstairs for a special surprise.
210 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, 2555 2172
$500–$1,000 per person
Blue – Butcher & Meat Specialist
Meat maestro Blue and single-malt Scotch whisky specialist The Balvenie have joined forces to craft a four-course Valentine’s Day whisky-pairing menu ($520/person) that uses Balvenie-infused ingredients in dishes like Balvenie and Earl Grey smoked salmon and 35-day Balvenie-aged grass-fed Australian sirloin. Each dish is paired with a Balvenie single malt or whisky cocktail.
108 Hollywood Road, Central, 2898 3798, reservations@bluebutcher.com
Chilli Fagara
We think Sichuan cuisine is just perfect for getting a bit hot under the collar on V Day, and Chilli Fagara’s three-course Valentine’s Day menu ($1,388 for 2, to include 2 glasses of bubbly), available from 9–16 February for lunch and dinner, will certainly fire up your SO’s taste buds. The fresh crabmeat stuffed with crispy rice and deep-fried bean curd with salted egg and Sichuan chilli are high on our list of spicy contenders.
7 Old Bailey Street, SoHo, Central, 2796 6866/2796 6766,
FUMI
What better way to commemorate a special occasion than with an exclusive, one-off menu? An eight-course Valentine’s Day menu ($1,402 for 2, to include 2 glasses of Jozen Mizuno Gotoshi sparkling sake) focusing on contemporary Japanese fare and sophisticated flavours will be offered at FUMI, featuring freshly imported ingredients from Aomori Prefecture and Hokkaido. Highlights of the menu include lobster and sea urchin salad, Wagyu beef cheek in red wine and steamed Kichiji rockfish with Chinese cabbage, garland chrysanthemum, Japanese leek and tofu.
6/F, California Tower, 30–32 D’Aguilar Street, LKF, Central, 2328 3302,
KITCHEN
If the idea of an all-you-can-eat buffet makes you go all starry-eyed, check out KITCHEN at W Hong Kong. The restaurant’s Valentine’s Day dinner buffet ($888/person) will be chock-full of signature KITCHEN faves like dim sum, sushi, fresh seafood and seemingly endless sweets, all alongside sweeping harbour views. The price is inclusive of a glass of rosé champagne and an Instagrammable V-Day dessert for each couple.
6/F, W Hong Kong, 1 Austin Road West, TST, 3717 2299
Under $500 per person
Bathers
Put your feet in the sand at recently renovated beachfront restaurant Bathers. The three-course Valentine’s Day dinner menu ($320/person) includes dishes like sautéed squid and chorizo, whole baked Boston lobster and passion fruit cheesecake. This is a relaxed option both for lovebirds or those more platonically inclined.
32 Lower Cheung Sha Village, Lantau Island, 2504 4788
Catch Concepts (Catch, Elementary and Mama Malouf)
Cool and casual Catch in Kennedy Town
Make a booking at Aussie-inspired Catch, friendly neighbourhood eatery Elementary or Middle Eastern spot Mama Malouf for dinner on Valentine’s Day and tuck into a “great value for a great cause” three-course or sharing menu ($350–400/person, to include a glass of Prosecco or special cocktail) showcasing the restaurants’ most popular dishes, with Catch donating 10 per cent of all the takings on the 14th to the Children’s Heart Foundation. We heart you, Catch.
Catch: 95 Catchick Street, Kennedy Town, 2855 1289
Elementary: 15–16 School Street, Tai Hang, 2362 2812
Mama Malouf: 93 Catchick Street, Kennedy Town, 2817 3828
Fini’s SoHo
Get those school uniforms and varsity jackets out for recently transformed Linguini Fini’s – now known as Fini’s – Back to School Valentine’s special, where you can wine and dine on free-flow oysters and champers ($488/person) from 6–10:30pm on the 14th. With the Italian-American restaurant decked out from front to back with thousands of roses, live music and a magician doing his thing, plus a heart-shaped pizza or two, Fini’s sounds like just the ticket for both the loved up and those going solo.
49 Elgin Street, SoHo, Central, 2387 6338
Ham & Sherry/Back Bar
There’s something about sharing tapas à deux that’s mighty romantic. At Ham & Sherry, you and your plus one can settle down to enjoy the eatery’s Spanish tasting menu ($888 for 2), which includes two drinks at the restaurant’s moody Back Bar to cap off the evening. Truffle croquettes, duck with chorizo and raspberry and churros with chocolate sauce sound sexy to us – get those hands dirty… But if you’re running solo on V Day, Back Bar’s Slinky Singles Party on the 14th from 6pm will get you in the mood for some self-love. Cocktails ($70) + “love bites” to snack on, on the house.
1–7 Ship Street, Wanchai, 2555 0628
Meraki Hospitality Group (BEDU and Uma Nota)
BEDU’s Valentine’s Day menu
More Valentine’s Day menus with a good cause ($400/person, to include a glass of Prosecco) can be found at modern Middle Eastern restaurant BEDU and Brazilian boteca Uma Nota. Each menu is packed with varied flavourful dishes – from beet and mint labneh, slow-baked salmon and charred cauliflower at BEDU to chicken and okra dumplings, octopus skewers and grilled steak at Uma Nota – and Meraki will donate $25 from each menu sold to local LGBTI charity Pink Alliance.
BEDU: 40 Gough Street, Central, 2320 4450
Uma Nota: 38 Peel Street, SoHo, Central, 2889 7576
Palm Court
From 11–17 February, afternoon tea lovers will be treated to a Valentine’s Afternoon Tea with Wedgwood ($368 for 1/$628 for 2; $548 for 1/$918 for 2, to include a glass of Perrier-Jouët NV Brut) at The Langham’s elegant Palm Court. Expect heart-shaped and red- and pink-hued sweet treats aplenty, including pink cranberry scones, and the dulcet sounds of a live harpist or pianist to accompany your tea drinking.
Lobby, The Langham, Hong Kong, 8 Peking Road, TST, 2132 7898
Te Quiero Mucho
If you’re single and ready to mingle (we know, we know – groan), check out the Cupido Rapido speed-dating sesh on the 14th from 7–10pm ($288/person) at cool-cat Mexican bar and restaurant Te Quiero Mucho. Open to up to 40 singles, the Valentine’s Day event includes free-flow wine, beer, cava, margaritas, tacos, chips and salsa and rounds of tequila shots.
G/F and 1/F, Mojo Nomad, 286 Queen’s Road Central, Sheung Wan, 3423 3290
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