AMBIENCE: Pastel hues, nature-inspired prints juxtapose alongside luxury details and gold accents. It is a classy and elegant, yet it doesn’t exude pomposity, making for a cosy and comfortable setting.
FOOD: The restaurant’s Valentine’s Day menu is priced at $280++ per person, for 8 courses and includes newly launched dishes like their White Cut Free-Range Organic Chicken, a homage to our favourite hawker dish, chicken rice, where the chicken is poached in a white master stock infused with white soy, Chinese cooking wine, ginger, star anise, cassia bark and orange, and then paired with a trio of artichokes. Also included in the course is the Australian Jade Tiger Abalone with Three Treasures, where the abalone is baked in a wakame and a salt crust then plated with shitake mushrooms, eggplant and green peppercorns.
30 Victoria St, #01-26/27 Chijmes, tel: 6837 0402
AMBIENCE: Dining at The Halia almost feels like you’re in an island resort. The hustle and bustle of city life seems very far away. The lush foliage that surrounds the restaurant creates a serene, intimate atmosphere perfect for evenings like these.
FOOD: Why restrict to course meals when you can enjoy an entire buffet? The Halia is having a special Valentine’s Day dinner buffet, priced at $220 per couple or $250 with free-flow white and red wines. Take your pick from a multitude of stations. The Cold station features a choice of salads, roasted vegetables, smoked duck and fresh seafood, while the Hot station comprises dishes like Crab and Tiger Prawns, Beef Goulash and Tomato and Olive Pignolina Pasta. You can also tuck into Slow Roast Beef Striploin and the Halia Chilli Crab Spaghetteni from the Action stations.
1 Cluny Road, Ginger Garden, Singapore Botanic Garden, Singapore Botanic Gardens, tel: 8444 1148
AMBIENCE: Set amidst verdant greenery with postcard views of cable cars in the background, the restaurant has both indoor and al fresco dining options. There’s also the option to enjoy a romantic post-dinner walk around Mount Faber.
FOOD: Spuds & Aprons offers a 4-course set dinner at $248++ per couple. Start with an appetiser of Smoked Duck Salad served with crispy yam dumpling, and Truffle Scented Silken Hen Consommé. Choose from a main of Roulade of Codfish and Shellfish Mousse or Pan Roasted Fillet Mignon with marrow crust. For afters, indulge in a rich Warm Mellow Xocoline Chocolate Cake with Caraibe Sorbet.
109 Mount Faber Rd, tel: 6377 9688
AMBIENCE: For a more casual spot that still feels special, this Australian restaurant by Unlisted Collection is it. Leather chairs, low lighting, rustic brick surfaces and a dark wood elements lend a warm and intimate air to the space.
FOOD: The 5-course Valentine’s Day set menu is priced at $98++ per person and is an epicurean treat consisting of dishes like Pickled Kingfish, paired with creamy charred avocado, and sherry dressing as well as a roasted Lamb Saddle with burnt eggplant, roasted salsify, and a mixture of puffed bulgar wheat, quinoa, and barley. You will want to save room for afters with the refreshing Coconut Sorbet that is with fermented cherries and coconut ash mousse, and garnished with a Szechuan and black pepper crumble as well as a selection of Petit Fours.
21 Boon Tat St, tel: 6221 1911
AMBIENCE: Located at the 19th floor of the OUE Bayfront Building, Me@OUE offers a spectacular view of the Marina Bay area thanks to its floor-to-ceiling windows. Visit just before sunset, when the light catches the surfaces of the neighbouring buildings and the amber hues cast a warm, romantic glow in the space.
FOOD: For Valentine’s Day, the restaurant is offering up a 4-course meal priced at $150++ per person and a 6-course meal priced at $220++ person. Both sets comprise a comforting warm Double Boiled Bamboo broth, a stunning seafood platter comprising unagi, Hokkaido scallop, lobster, tiger prawn, octopus, and baby sardine, a Castaing Duck Breast served with pan-seared foi gras and a dessert of raspberry and rose water consommé and coconut sorbet drizzled in a raspberry gelee sauce. If you choose the 6-course menu, you will be served an additional Gin & Tonic Salmon starter that comes with osceitra cavier, compressed cucumber and dill mayonnaise, and a Bee’s Knees cocktail, a concoction of gin, manuka honey syrup and lemon juice.
50 Collyer Quay, OUE Bayfront, tel: 6634 4555
AMBIENCE: You will feel completely at home at this restaurant which is designed to look like a typical trattoria in Italy. Rustic, unpolished surfaces, produce displayed loud and proud, and a flurry of activity happening in the open kitchen. There is a certain quaint charm in this busyness that you don’t get in the other restaurants on the list.
FOOD: Love Italian? You’ll love Jamie’s Italian’s Valentine’s Day Italian Feast, priced at $188++ per couple. Start the meal with an Antipasti Plank to share, comprising the finest cold cuts and cheeses, vegetables and roast pumpkin crostini. That is followed by a shared main course of a Double Tenderloin, chargrilled and served with mustard root vegetable slaw, Beranaise sauce and chips seasoned with rosemary and garlic. Finish your meal on a decadent note with a trio of desserts to share offered on a Sharing Dessert Plank, featuring a gooey Chocolate & Amaretto Torte served with fresh raspberries, a Passionfruit Tart with whipped mascarpone and a Strawberry Rippled Shortcake.
583 Orchard Rd, #01-01/04, Forum, tel: 6655 7676
AMBIENCE: Housed in a restored colonial architecture, 1919 Waterboat House retains a regal, old-worldly charm of the Art Deco era while infusing modern pieces in the décor. There are gilded trimmings, white tablecloths and elegant silverware that lend a posh air. There is no better place to dine with a view, as the European fine dining restaurant overlooks the skyline of Marina Bay and the Central Business District.
FOOD: Their Valentine’s Day 5-course menu is priced at $85++ per person and wine pairing will be at an optional $65++ per person. You and your loved one will get to savour home-cured salmon, a creamy brie embraced in prosciutto, and prime ribeye, aburi maguro. End the meal with a Mon Cheri, a chocolate ganache dessert.
3 Fullerton Rd, #03-01, The Waterboathouse, tel: 6538 9038
AMBIENCE: Waterfront views, visible from the full-length windows, immediately scream romantic. But it retains a chill, laidback air to it—great if you still want to keep things a bit casual. The décor leans towards the masculine and feels like a modern gentlemen’s den replete with dark colour scheme, leather banquette seating and warm lights.
FOOD: Feel completely at ease with their comforting Valentine’s Day menu, priced at $155 per person with 4 courses. Whet your appetite with a Chicken Liver Fois Gras Parfait and a Seared Scallops that come with carrot puree, cured bacon, apple bites and celery cress. For mains, you can have the option of Gordon Ramsey’s famous Beef Wellington will be served alongside mashed potatoes and glazed carrots or a Roasted Halibut served with lemon couscous, razor clams, samphire and champagne veloute. For desserts, choose between the Salted Caramel Praline or the Hazelnut Gianduja Chocolate Tart.
2 Bayfront Avenue, #01-81 Bay Level, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, The Shoppes At Marina Bay Sands, tel: 6688 5665
