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Eating Out
Eating Out
A meal in a good restaurant ought to be the perfect Valentine's evening. But too often it's a disappointing experience. 14th February is payday for every restaurant in the Western world, which means prices are usually high, staff overworked and your food arrives late. Below, we've listed (in price order) the places that will definitely stay special even on this busiest of evenings.
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Skylon
Level 3, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XXWe miss 'The People's Palace', but we must admit that its replacement, the Skylon restaurant and brasserie, is a good deal more romantic. The brutalist lines of the room have been softened, while the stupendous views of the Thames remain a great draw for lovers. The brasserie menu is simple and impressive, with an emphasis on seasonality, while the restaurant offers more elaborate fare. Prices are verging on the excessive, but with such an amazing view this is hardly surprising. Pop into the bar if you want to enjoy a date at this evocative spot without breaking the bank.
Portal
88 St John Street, Clerkenwell, EC1M 4EHIf the Valentine's weather is as bad as usual, then the City's gourmet Portuguese restaurant is an ideal venue. Hidden behind the narrow tapas bar, the brick and glass of the conservatory, dimly underlit, is both cosy and excitingly eerie on a rainy evening. The set menus are seriously pricy, but the superb cava selection means you can cut back on your bubbly spending a little, and the consistent quality and innovation of Portal's kitchen ensures that you won't be disappointed by your meal. Expect fish, fruits de mer, and their signature salt cod, all exquisitely presented, and prepared with flair and imagination.
Le Cercle
1 Wilbraham Place, SW1X 9AE
Le Pigalle
215-217 Piccadilly, W1J 9HNThe food at Le Pigalle isn't particularly brilliant, but if you fancy a few thrills on your Valentine's date, this immaculately recreated 1940s supper club is the place to go. The building (where legendary soft-porn movie Emmanuelle was first screened) is a palace of gilt and velvet, with exquisitely uniformed staff and a louche anything-goes atmosphere. Their celebrated Thursday-nighter Kitsch Lounge Riot will be going ahead as usual, but with a special 'Music for Swinging Lovers' theme. Expect to hear the very best of crooning jazz and easy-listening sounds played out to an exquisitely-dressed crowd (think smoking jackets and pearly chokers), with plenty of opportunities for a boogie once your meal's finished.
Yauatcha
15 Broadwick Street, W1F 0DLOn this night when even the grottiest curry house has trebled its prices, London's most spectacular gourmet experiences suddenly seem to be quite affordable. Alan Yau's glittering Dim Sum restaurant is offering its normal menu at normal prices, but this doesn't mean that your meal will be in any way ordinary. Appearance is all at Yauatcha, from the sweep of lights in the ceiling to the spectacular detail with which each perfect morsel of Dim Sum has been created. The interior cost £4.5 million pounds, but - for all its sprays of cherry-blossom, tanks of fish, and carefully rippled slate tables - it fades into insignificance beside the exquisite beauty of each miniscule dish. The food flows at a steady rate from the kitchen, and this helps the conversation to flow as well, punctuated as it is by gasps of awe at each immaculate creation. Unless you were born entirely without irony, this is quite the silliest meal you will ever eat (the prawn dumplings have even been stamped with a little gold leaf), but it is also hugely enjoyable and - for this one night of the year - not ridiculously expensive. Be specific when booking, or you may end up seated on an unromantic shared table, rubbing elbows with other couples.
Bibendum
Michelin House, 81 Fulham Road, London, SW3 6RDBibendum is located in Michelin House, former London home of the company that created the world's snootiest restaurant guide. Fortunately, they don't take themselves excessively seriously, and the downstairs oyster bar is a pleasant informal spot to slurp down some Valentine's fruits de mer and crustacea. Upstairs, there's a charming dining room, overlooked by a jolly stained glass Michelin man, and offering Michelin-star worthy food. Both venues are sticking to their normal prices and menus for Valentine's Day, which makes this pretty good value, though there will be two sittings so you may find yourself a little rushed.
Bleeding Heart Restaurant
Bleeding Heart Yard, off Greville Street, EC1N 8SJThe legend of Bleeding Heart Yard tells of Elizabethan aristocrat Lady Hatton, who took a dance with her jilted lover on a January night in 1626, and whose torn body was found the next morning, blood still pumping from her heart. If you aren't put off by this gory tale (and if you can tolerate a room full of bankers and lawyers, splurging Christmas bonuses on their wives and mistresses) then this is a restaurant tailor-made for Valentine's. The cobbled backstreet is a lovely and ancient corner of London, concealed amidst the towering modernity of The City. The dining room and cuisine are cosy and not too formal, without ever skimping on luxury. Cheaper and simpler fare is on offer across the yard at the Bleeding Heart Bistro, run by the same team, but for full French gourmet luxury, the restaurant is the place to go.
Cafe des Amis
11 Hanover Place, WC2E 9JPThough the decor and prices are a good deal grander than in a typical Parisian bistro, and the service considerably better, the food makes few concessions to bland British palates, and Cafe des Amis is one of the most authentic French dining experiences in the Capital. While most British restaurants leave you feeling stuffed and sleepy (not what you need on Valentine's night), this has the opposite effect, and reminds you why Paris is an all-night city. Oil, vinegar, and raw garlic are the signature flavours, and much of the menu is served cold, or just barely cooked. It's food to bring your senses to life, and matched by an excellent wine list - there is also a cosy wine bar beneath the restaurant. Cafe des Amis is open from 5pm until 1am (last food orders at 11:30pm), so this is an ideal place to start or end a West End night out.
Bentley's Oyster Bar and Grill
11-15 Swallow Street, W1B 4DEThe oyster's reputation as an aphrodisiac and the sheer joy of the Tabasco, onion and slurp ritual that attaches itself to these molluscs is the main reason for a Valentine's trip to Bentley's, but this grand Irish restaurant offers plenty of other incentives. Richard Corrigan has achieved that rare trick of combining spectacular luxury with cheery informality in the Oyster and Champagne Bar downstairs. Upstairs, the Grill Restaurant offers more stately Edwardian grandeur. It's all housed in a spectacular 19th century building, full of weighty marble fixtures, twisted ironwork, and red leather chairs. If you have any space left after your oysters, there's an excellent menu of hearty British and Irish fare, beautifully presented - and sold for normal prices instead of the usual Valentine's rip-off. The oyster bar is open until 1am, so it's also ideal if you need a spot for post-theatre Guinness, champagne or platters of shellfish.
Bincho Yakitori
Bincho Yakitori, 2nd Floor, Oxo Tower Wharf, Bargehouse Street, London, SE1 9PHThough you won't perhaps get the same kudos if you only take your partner part of the way up the OXO tower, you will have a far better time in this easygoing spot than if you go to the more famous place at the top. The speciality here is Yakitori, little mini kebabs, little more than a mouthful each, arriving at your table still sizzling hot from the charcoal grill, with dipping sauces, soups and rice dishes to provide reality. It's fun, informal dining (in Japan, the Yakitoria is the equivalent of the English pub) and prepared with great flair by the uniformed staff, and skilled chef. And even though this place is only on the second floor, the view is still fantastic, making you feel that you're just floating a few metres above the river.
The Well
180 St John Street, EC1V 4JYLit by candles, this appealingly ramshackle gastropub, with its smoothed wooden floors and non-matching furniture is a thoroughly cosy spot. The downstairs bar - all deep leather sofas and giant fish tanks - is a great place for a cocktail before dinner or a late-night digestif. But what really appeals is that owners Tom and Ed Martin have promised that there will be no pointless Valentine's gestures. Horrible little men selling limp roses will be banned, the stereo won't be playing Barry White, and the food won't arrive late, cold or overpriced. Instead, the three-course menu is based around the kind of warming, original brasserie fare that this restaurant does so well week-in week-out. An authentic antidote to the nonsense that can make Valentine's dining such a chore.
The Anchor & Hope
36 The Cut, London, SE1 8LPThis miraculous gastropub is sticking firmly to its policy of not taking any bookings, and that probably means you'll be facing a very serious wait - and shared tables - if you arrive any time after 6pm on Valentine's Day. On the plus side, the waiting area is a convivial pub, with a wonderful selection of beers, sherries and wines, as well as some of London's finest nibbles to support you. The food is superb value, stunning quality, and at its best in the magnificent sharing plates: whole roasts, steaming hot pies and the like. The long and boozy wait will also ensure that fellow diners will be making plenty of noise which, in its own way, gives you rather more privacy than the usual whispering-couples Valentine atmosphere. It's not a traditional romantic experience by any means, but if you and your partner might enjoy getting steaming drunk on top-notch plonk, sharing a superb meal, and then heading out for a stroll by the river, then this is absolutely the place to do it.
Dragon Castle
100 Walworth Road, London, SE17 1JLThis impressive Cantonese restaurant is one of the first symbols of the glacially slow regeneration of Elephant & Castle. Occupying the attractive ground floor of one of the area's newest buildings, and done up in a pleasingly glitzy style, it offers some seriously authentic Hong Kong flavours (though the normal Chinatown staple dishes are also present on the menu, and very well done). The evening menu is full of smoky, garlicky flavours, and powerful, highly-spiced sauces, but we've really included it as a Valentine's option for the lunchtime Dim Sum, which are among the best in London, and make an ideal sharing meal.
Menier Chocolate Factory
51-53 Southwark Street, London, SE1 1RUEven if you haven't managed to get tickets for the Menier Theatre's jolly revival of La Cage aux Folles, the restaurant in this former chocolate factory is well worth considering for Valentine's. The wood and exposed brickwork of the small dining room make it a lovely spot in the evening, when it is lit by dimly flickering candles and populated by an artsy, sophisticated crowd. The sensible British menu is well-priced and lovingly prepared, and of course the puddings are magnificently chocolatey. The only downside is that the restaurant does fill up with audience members on their way to the loo during the 15-minute interval, so if you're planning to pop the question, make sure you time it right.
Effortless Eating
Your HouseIf you don't fancy the stress of going out on Valentine's Day, but want to show your loved one you still care, then you might consider letting this top class catering company bring you some restaurant-quality food for the evening. On the night when every restaurant in the world is understaffed and overpriced, you'll have a three-course gourmet meal prepared for you, and delivered to your door at precisely the moment you need it. There are meat and vegetarian options for each course, and it all ends with a chocolate fondue for two in a heart-shaped fondue dish. They're thoroughly discreet as well, so you can make this into a genuine Valentine surprise for your partner. Orders must be placed by 5pm on 11th February.
Hot Stuff
19 Wilcox Road, London, SW8 2XAYou need to book seriously early if you want a Valentine's table at Hot Stuff, because this unusual - and unbelievably cheap - restaurant is no longer a local secret, but a destination for bargain-hunting gourmands throughout South London. The cuisine comes from India by way of West Africa, which means lots of fish and subtle Asian spices, with none of the dense, gloopy sauces that curry-houses specialise in. Portions are fairly small, but with prices around £2.50 for starters and £4 for mains, you can order lavishly and make a little shared Indian tapas of it, which is a thoroughly romantic way to dine. It's also bring-your-own booze, so the money you've saved on food can be invested in some seriously good fizz. Though the room is cramped and unattractive, charming service more than makes up for this, helped by the smug feeling you get when you know that your friends are spending two hundred pounds on past-their-best shellfish and Lanson Champagne in some crowded West End hellhole.
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