Share
Pin
Tweet
Share

So here we are, love is truly in the air and Valentine’s Day 2023 is on the horizon. Whether you’ve been married for decades or treating a new date, one thing is for certain; a cheeky Nandos will not do. Luckily, we’re here to show you the best V-Day menus in the capital this year, so get the roses in and get booking.

1. For Home-Style Cooking: Jikoni 

What: Jikoni by award-winning chef and restaurateur, Ravinder Bhogal, is the ultimate central London spot, with its shades of pastel pink, creams and brightly patterned tablecloths.

Eat: Ask for one of the corner tables, order a glass of champagne and indulge in Ravinder’s Valentine’s menu, priced at £75 per person. Highlights include Shetland mussels, fennel, and saffron sauce; Smoked pomegranate quail, Beiruti rice, scorched figs; and Orange blossom creme caramel, citrus and rhubarb salad.

Where: 19-21 Blandford St, London W1U 3DJ

2. For British Classics: The Chelsea Pig 

What: A long-time destination spot for locals in the know, The Chelsea Pig is a unique neighbourhood pub, serving elevated British fare just a stone’s throw from the iconic King’s Road.

Eat: To celebrate Valentine’s Day, the pub will offer a three-course menu including: Beef tartare with smoked creme fraiche; Halibut with parsnip puree and caviar; and Molten white chocolate Biscoff pudding with almond crumb.

Where: 35 Old Church St, London SW3 5BS

3. For a Blowout Meal: The Colony Grill Room at The Beaumont, Mayfair

What: This February 14th, The Beaumont hotel will serve a special Valentine’s Day menu (£98 per person) expertly curated by Head Chef Ben Boeynaems in their glamorous resident restaurant, The Colony Grill Room.

Eat: Citrus-cured Orkney scallops served alongside a Champagne cocktail, before moving on to enjoy Jerusalem artichoke velouté; Roast dry-aged duck with glazed endive tart and caramelised quince; Almond and pineapple with cubeb pepper; and White chocolate, rhubarb and blood orange for dessert.

Where: 8 Balderton St, Brown Hart Gardens, London W1K 6TF

Photo credit: Ola O.Smit

4. For a Fine-Dining Menu: Oxeye

What: This Valentine’s Day, chef Sven-Hanson Britt will be opening Oxeye on a Tuesday, especially for the occasion.

Eat: The fine dining restaurant in Nine Elms will offer a tasting menu priced at £145, with dishes on the menu including Scottish langoustines, Cornish brill and rib of longhorn beef, as well as Yorkshire rhubarb and its signature London honey canele among the dessert courses.

Where: Embassy Gardens, 14 New Union Square, Nine Elms, London SW11 7AX

5. For Six Courses: The Tent (at the end of the Universe)

What: The Tent (at the end of the universe) is the newest venture from Chef John Javier – a chef known for his irreverent take on Chinese food at the helm of acclaimed restaurants MASTER in Sydney and Happy Paradise in Hong Kong.

Eat: For Valentine’s Day, The Tent will be serving a 6-course menu (£100 per person) including oysters and caviar, croque madame with black truffle and peach melba, complete with champagne on arrival.

Where: 17 Little Portland St, London W1W 8BP

Photo Credit: Bronia Stewart 

6. For Live Music: 116 Pall Mall

What: Enjoy dinner on Valentine’s Day in the Georgian surroundings of 116 Pall Mall as it opens its doors for an exclusive dinner service (£95 per person) in the Carlton Brasserie with a special performance by professional jazz and soul singer Maxyne Ryan.

Eat: The evening will start with a glass of Moët & Chandon and oysters before a dinner featuring the likes of Poached native lobster with veal sweetbread, grapefruit and vanilla, followed by Highland venison roasted loin with braised haunch, beetroot and chocolate jus, and a Passion fruit with raspberry and lime curd pavlova for two to conclude.

Where: 116 Pall Mall, St. James’s, London SW1Y 5ED

7. For Dinner With a View: City Social 

What: City Social’s team have put together a beautifully devised tasting menu for two, allowing guests to take in London’s iconic skyline whilst being whipped away on a journey through modern-British cuisine from a Michelin-starred kitchen.

Eat: The menu is a total of 6 courses for £125 per person, starting off with a selection of chef’s canapes, which can be enjoyed with a glass of champagne, wine or one of the restaurant’s signature cocktails. Dishes include: Devon crab with nashi pear, pickled mooli, ponzu, dill oil, celery and samphire foam; Scottish Orkney Scallops; and Lake District beef fillet, braised roscoff onion, truffle mash and a red wine sauce.

Where: Tower 42, 25 Old Broad St, London EC2N 1HQ

8. For Small Plates: SushiSamba

What: This Valentine’s Day SUSHISAMBA will be offering a curated special menu for two (£150 per person), paired with cocktails or a bottle of bubbly.

Eat: Highlights include Jersey Rock Oysters dressed in Japanese chilli vinegar; Lobster ceviche with truffle leche di tigre; Beso Maki salmon with avocado tempura and sauced in champagne-yuzu vinaigrette; and Robata grilled filet mignon served with asparagus tempura and chimichurri.

Where: 110 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AY

9. For an Indulgent Dinner: Duck & Waffle

What: Famous for its spectacular panoramic views of the London skyline, Duck & Waffle is ready to welcome you this Valentine’s Day to celebrate with a specially curated menu (£140 per head), for one day only.

Eat: Starting with a glass of Champagne, guests can expect some of Duck & Waffle’s most-loved dishes including Crab and lobster tots with ranch dressing and Sriracha; Seared duck breast with black truffle butter and chimichurri; and the classic Vanilla baked cheesecake with winter fruit compote and apricot sauce, finishing with Champagne truffles, of course.

Where: 110 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AY

10. For Dinner and Jazz: The Rooftop at The Trafalgar St. James

What: The Rooftop – the seventh-floor bar and restaurant at The Trafalgar St. James – will be serving a three-course set menu (£75 per person) and live music from The Leon Garner Jazz Band.

Eat: Sharing starters include: Marinated prawns, brandy sauce, shaved fennel, grapefruit, samphire; Vegan crab cakes, mango, chilli and coriander salad; and Duck liver mousse ballotine, apple, frisée salad, calvados sauce, toast. Choose between Slow smoked brisket, truffle potato purée, crispy cavolo nero or Langoustine and seafood risotto, pea purée, bisque, toasted pine nuts for main, and finish with a dessert for two (White chocolate and strawberry mousse filled sphere with warm chocolate hazelnuts sauce, praline hazelnuts, green strawberries, chocolate soil and red vein sorrel).

Where: 7th Floor, 2 Spring Gardens, St. James’s, London SW1A 2TS

11. For a Sharing Menu: Savage Garden 

What: London’s wildest sky-high destination, Savage Garden, brings decadent décor, jaw-dropping views, dramatic cocktails and exciting menus to Tower Hill.

Eat: Available from 10th-14th February, Savage Garden Valentine’s Set Menu (£50 per person), includes a Bottle of Ayala Brut Champagne plus a sharing patter – choose from the Meat Platter (beef sliders, chicken sliders and goat’s cheese, pea and tarragon croquettes); Fish Platter (crispy squid sticks, prawn toasts and goat’s cheese, pea and tarragon croquettes); or the Vegan Platter (cauliflower with cashew nut labneh, plantain chips with avocado hummus, charred radishes with firecracker sauce, potato croquettes with vegan cheese).

Where: Floor 12, 7 Pepys St, London EC3N 4AF

12. For Fusion Dishes: Rika Moon

What: Japanese-fusion restaurant Rika Moon will be introducing a dedicated set menu priced at £65 per person including a glass of Champagne upon arrival.

Eat: The curated menu includes starters of Wagyu Japanese Beef Tataki and a selection of sashimi and sushi; there will also be a range of premium main courses such as Chilean sea bass, Wagyu rib eye with red nam jim dressing and Japanese truffle teriyaki sauce and Seasonal vegetable tempura. And finally, Japanese Forest Floor dessert to share.

Where: 120 Kensington Park Rd, London W11 2PW

13.For a Decadent Affair: Wild Honey St James 

What: Wild Honey St James, the Michelin-starred restaurant from chef Anthony Demetre, will be serving up a one-off Valentine’s Day menu for 2023: 3 courses, à la carte for £95.

Eat: Seasonal wintertime dishes include the likes of salsify cooked in salted butter with Vacherin Mont d’Or, pears and thyme, and fallow venison with Violino pumpkin, roasted cauliflower and filled Medjool dates. Wild Honey staples will also make an appearance including crisp Sutton Hoo chicken, hand-cut macaroni with winter truffles, and Anthony’s renowned ice cream using fresh Bermondsey raw honeycomb, warm honey and served with lemon Madeleines

Where: 8 Pall Mall, St. James’s, London SW1Y 4AN

14. For an Italian Feast: Il Borro Tuscan Bistro

What: This year, Il Borro Tuscan Bistro, London, will be celebrating Valentine’s Day with a Week of Love: a week-long celebration of Italianate romance (9th – 14th February).

Eat: The menu (£12o per person for three courses) will begin with scallop carpaccio with wasabi peas and black truffle; foie gras terrine, marinated rhubarb and aged balsamic vinegar jelly. Opulent dishes such as Risotto con mosaico di pesce, and pan-fried cod, Jerusalem artichoke puree with grapes and rose petals; or Breaded venison loin with cranberry. Sweet-toothed sweethearts can finish their evening with puddings including Pink Rosetterole: a choux, Chantilly cream and rose mousse.

Where: 15 Berkeley St, London W1J 8DY

15. For a Romantic Meal: Galvin Bar & Grill

What: Transforming into a romantic oasis on the corner of Russell Square, guests will be welcomed into the glamorous dining room of the Galvin Bar & Grill in the Kimpton Fitzroy Hotel to be served a carefully crafted menu by Michelin-starred brothers Chris & Jeff Galvin.

Eat: Available on 15th February (priced at £78 per person), the menu will showcase the finest seasonal ingredients. The menu will commence with delicacies including Tortelli, black truffle and Parmesan broth, followed by mains such as poached breast of Guinea fowl, herb crumb and salsify and Roast fillet & slow cooked short rib of Torre Meadow beef with whipped potatoes and truffle. For dessert, couples with a sweet-t00th can split a Baked Alaska for two, or tuck into a gateau of dark and white chocolate, with blood orange ice cream.

Where: 1-8 Russell Square Corner of Guilford Street and, Russel Square, London WC1B 5BE