Stylish Valentine’s wining and dining
THE GREENHOUSE
Chic but inviting, with a rustic touch and no expense spared on either the food or the opulent interior, and there’s an impressive wine selection – the owner has been collecting since he was a teenager. An ideal destination for the hardest-to-impress lover, and the Valentine’s menu cannot fail to thrill, either. Canapes are followed by Cornish crab and squid cannelloni, Scottish scallop and Perigord truffle, Saint-Vincent asparagus, wild turbot with a crust of toasted sesame seeds, roast Cevennes lamb, Amalfi lemon tart and dark chocolate parfait with tonka bean tuile and Guinness and honey ice cream. Ah, the sweet taste of love. £120 for tasting menu. 27a Hay’s Mews, W1J 5NY, tel: 020 7499 3331.
BABBO
This is a sultry, old-fashioned Italian with a smart but homely atmosphere and therefore perfect for a relaxed but special dinner a deux. The lasagne is made according to the chef’s grandmother’s recipe. Ask to be seated in the back corner of the restaurant where you can be extra private. On Valentine’s, the special menu includes tuna carpaccio, tagliolini with mushrooms, seabass with pistachio butter and prawns, beef fillet with potato gratin and – for the ultimate sweet ending – double chocolate cake with passion fruit. £50 for four courses and one cocktail. 39 Albemarle Street, W1S 4JQ, tel: 020 3205 1099.
WALLACE RESTAURANT
Surely the prettiest restaurant of any museum in London, this intimate gallery is bright and airy, with sculpture, flowers and camellia and maple trees, all under a glass roof. Follow a good look around the museum’s French art collection with an aphrodisiac menu of fine de Claire oysters or seared foie gras, confit of sea trout or roast rack of Pyrenees lamb, then chocolate marquise with girrotine cherries. £40 for a set or sharing menu. Hertford House, Manchester Square, W1U 3BN, tel: 020 7563 9505.
CAFÉ ANGLAIS
From critics to cooks, close friends of chef Rowley Leigh are fixtures at this stylish French restaurant, with its austere chic – think mile high ceilings and white tables. On Valentine’s Day, the knockout food takes a turn for the romantic, with a special dinner, accompanied by a Kir Royale and live 1930s music from Le Hot Club de Londres. Food includes options from crab linguine to griddled scallops, roast duck, and a grand finale of roast pineapple with coconut sorbet or panna cotta with rhubarb. £45 for three courses, including Kir Royale. 13 and 14 Feb. 8 Porchester Gardens, W2 4DB, tel: 020 7221 1415.
SKETCH
Easily London’s most intoxicating restaurant due to its truly original, creative design (the white toilet pods are particularly famous), with multiple rooms, each with their own take on Bohemian and futuristic luxury – no wonder a parade of celebrities passes through. There’s a lunch and dinner V Day menu – if you opt for dinner, you’ll start the evening with a glass of Pommery, and then it’s on to nibbles (think shiso and sharon fruit truffle-scented béchamel with toast), foie gras, crab, roast beef, wild sea bass, cheese, dessert (pink champagne jelly anyone?) and petits fours. £165 for the dinner tasting menu. 9 Conduit Street, W1S 2XG, tel: 020 7659 4500.
THE LANDAU
One of the most stunning dining rooms in London, the Landau is pure opulence – and certainly says you’re serious about the whole love thing. The special menu is brimming with rich, rare dishes, such as Landes foie gras and smoked duck terrine, fallow deer carpaccio and Alaskan crab. The seven-course V-day menu – featuring seared foie gras and black leg chicken breast with white pudding – comes with a red rose, and we guarantee it’ll be a night to remember. £85 for seven courses, on 13 and 14 Feb. The Langam, 1c Portland Place, W1B 1JA, tel: 020 7965 0165.