Everyone has their own version of Valentine’s; whether it’s red roses or Cadbury’s Roses, candlelit dinners in high-end hotels or Cup-a-Soups by cosy firesides. As V-day approaches, and restaurants across the capital rearrange their furniture for tables-for-two, here are six we’ve selected, however you show your romantic side…
Classic Comfort Food at The Game Bird
One sure fire way to impress your paramour is to feel like you’ve found somewhere that’s just for them; an exclusive exclave that only you might know about. Tucked away in St James’s, The Stafford London has been a haven of elegance since 1912, and with its marble-top tables and eye-catching dining chairs, there’s a graceful luxury that makes its signature restaurant, The Game Bird, one of the definitive destinations for fine dining.
Short of there being a string quartet in the corner, the Valentine’s Day three-course sharing menu is a symphony of classics. Lock arms to slip down Maldon rock oysters with pickled cucumber and citrus crème fraiche, then tuck into a Stokes Marsh Farm beef & bone marrow pie made with aged beef fillet, sweet onion and horseradish. And, yes, pie does constitute romance. Take our word for it, if you want to win someone’s heart, go to the definitive comfort food. Not forgetting dessert, there’s a crispy, gooey tarte tatin with Madagascan vanilla ice cream to end their meal in the sweetest way possible.
Available from 13th-16th February, the 3-course Valentine’s sharing menu at The Game Bird is priced at £168 per couple, with bespoke wine pairing supplement for £45. For more information or to book, please visit www.thestaffordlondon.com.
Say it with Steak at Beast
If pie isn’t your way of saying ‘I love you’, how about steak? No, we’re not joking. Statistically, people are 14 times more likely to eat steak in February than any other month, and it tops lists of favourite meals across the board. So, if you want to treat your true love to the best steak money can buy this Valentine’s then here’s some insider information.
The coveted title of the World’s Best Steak was recently awarded to Australian beef producer Jack’s Creek for their Purebred Wagyu Sirloin, and it is available in the UK in only a handful of places. Of those, our choice is Beast, for the sheer head-turning, eye-popping, go-all-out hell of it.
Described as a ‘mysterious, provocative’ steak and crab restaurant housed in ‘a cavernous cellar somewhere, just off Oxford Street’, Beast has earnt a name for itself as one of London’s most decadent steakhouses. Talk about an enigmatic strapline to set the intrigue. This is candlelit dining with a difference. Where better then, to enjoy the World’s Best Steak if decadence is your romantic MO?
Beast, 3 Chapel Pl, London W1G 0BG. For more information, and for bookings, please visit www.beastrestaurant.com.
Get Playful at Home House
London’s most eccentric, inscrutable private members’ club has, as you can imagine, unveiled a scintillating array of offerings to delight the senses and kindle the spirit of romance this February. From an alluring showcase of Coco de Mer’s exquisite Valentine’s collection to the indulgence of a romantic Afternoon Tea in the gallery-esque drawing rooms, not to mention the decidedly unromantic ‘Heartbreak Karaoke: Because Love is Overrated’ for those eschewing this marketeer’s dream, every detail exudes elegance, charm – and intrigue.
When it comes to dinner, however, they’re going outdoors with a marquee set in the Winter Garden. In February? You may wonder, but that’s to push the cosy quotient. Beginning with a La Vie en Rose cocktail, a delightful blend of Home House gin, rose, raspberry and Moët, and rock oysters to set the pulses racing, there’s a choice of wild mushroom parfait or steak tartare to start, and mains of wild seabass with Champagne beurre blanc and Herdwick lamb with ‘seasonal accompaniments’. By the time you get to an indulgent chocolate fondant for dessert, you may well be ready to tackle that karaoke after all.
Home House, 20 Portman Square, London, W1H 6LW. Further information and details on membership can be found at www.homehouse.co.uk.
Keep it Cosy at Motcombs, St John’s Wood
No, that’s not an incorrect location listed. While the name Motcombs may be synonymous with perhaps the definitive neighbourhood restaurant since it opened in Belgravia in 1982, four decades on owner Ross Anderson opened the St John’s Wood outpost at the end of 2024 and it’s already become as much a part of the fixtures and fittings as its neighbours Abbey Road Studios and Lord’s Cricket Ground.
Maintaining its hallmark for quality contemporary British and European fare with the stalwart leadership of Chef Veronica Pestana for the last decade, St John’s Wood continues this reputation under Head Chef Rafal Novak – formerly of Gordon Ramsay and Salty Girl – with a Valentine’s menu that will surely raise a few eyebrows.
Over a Kir Royale or a seductive lychee martini, you can entice your love interest with a lobster bisque amuse bouche, followed by the likes of king prawns in kataifi pastry, duck breast with fig brûlée and sweet potato gnocchi, and conclude with dulce de leche cheesecake with clotted cream. Never mind red roses, this is a dinner that’s straight out of a Rose Tremain novel.
Of course, Valentine’s wouldn’t be Valentine’s without flowers and serenades, and Motcombs has partnered with local florist Blossom Atelier to adorn the restaurant windows with exquisite floral displays, whilst a live band will perform throughout dinner, creating that perfect setting for an intimate, memorable meal.
Running from 13th to 15th February, the three-course menu at Motcomb’s is priced at £65pp. For more information, and for bookings, please visit www.motcombsrestaurants.co.uk.
Get Poetic at The Coral Room
If the setting is what sets your pulse racing, then there’s probably no better location for a romantic tryst than the sunset-hued walls and Murano glass chandeliers of The Coral Room at The Bloomsbury Hotel.
Okay, so this is less about dinner, more where to get an aperitif or two with a playful twist, most notably with their new cocktail menu, Mr Crosbie’s Aeronautic Adventure. If the inspiration of Marie Antoinette’s favourite chocolate ‘pistoles’ dissolved in a tot of Champagne don’t provide the definite ice-breaker, then their throwback to Bloomsbury’s literary and bohemian credentials certainly will.
If there’s one thing Valentine’s brings out in nearly everyone, it’s the poet. And on V-day this February, The Coral Room has a pop-up with acclaimed typewriter-tapping wordsmith, Luke Davis, providing complimentary personalised poems for guests on his retro Brother. And once Mr Crosbie has conjured up some Dutch courage and you’ve commissioned an ode to your inamorata, then your evening can always continue with some delectable bites such as seared tuna with wasabi mayo and lobster and crayfish mac ‘n’ cheese. I ask you, what could be more romantic, eh?
The Poetry Pop-up at The Coral Room is available on 14th February from 11.30am-7.30pm. For more information, and for bookings, please visit thecoralroom.co.uk.
Go Big, or Go Home at The Northall, Corinthia London
We opened with something traditional, elegant, classic, and like any track listing on the definitive album from your favourite band, we must close this recommendation with an anthem. That comes in the form of The Northall at The Corinthia, under the masterful guidance of Executive Chef André Garrett.
Start with the setting; you’re in the Georgian opulence of one of London’s grand dames, The Corinthia. As you step in, The Northall greets you in a space bathed in natural light from its wraparound triple-height sash windows where imposing Tuscan columns dominate a room dressed with gilded touches and subtle nods to Art Deco. Put it this way, if you’re not wearing white tie and a Downton Abbey ballgown, you’re underdressed.
For Valentine’s Day only, Garrett, a maestro of precision and flair, has curated a menu that reads like a Downton Abbey dinner party, to boot. While you sip on Laurent-Perrier Alexandra Grande Cuvee Rose 2012, consider the likes of terrine of Norfolk chicken with chestnut mushroom and pickled radish, or a chalk stream trout Ballotine with crème fraiche caviar. There’s a middle course of Orkney scallop with Jerusalem artichoke and pancetta before mains of Lake District farm beef with Flamed Hen of The Woods mushroom and crisp Pommes Anna, or Cornish turbot with potato cockles, freekeh and Dashi broth. And, if you can muster it, a passion fruit (of course) caramel gâteau or orange rhubarb meringue will make your loved one’s heart sing.
To say Garrett and his team are showcasing a menu for Valentine’s Day is something of an understatement. Think of this as less a date night, as it says on the website this is ‘love at first bite’.
The Valentine’s Day four-course dinner menu at The Northall is priced at £125pp and is available on 14th February. For more information, and for bookings, please visit www.corinthia.com.
Header image: The Garden at Home House
