Beijing                                                                                                                         Shanghai

Valentine's Day dinner is a big deal for those in love. But there are so many options, choosing the right place can be a task in itself. Whether it's eating course after course in a western eatery or hiding away in a quiet eatery, romance is the order of the day. Here comes a list of ten restaurants that pour on the romance for this special day.

Riverside Cafe: a date with Tiramisu and red wine

Delicate dessert and fragrant red wine are always necessary elements of a true Valentine's Day dinner. Located in the heart of the embassy area, Riverside Cafe promises you an authentic western dinner including tempting desserts and a wide selection of red wine. It has two floors, with a cafeteria selling coffee, desserts and sandwiches on the ground floor and a traditional western restaurant on the second floor.

Customers can indulge in homemade Black Forest Cake, Cheese Cake, salty beef pie or natural imported yogurt. The house specialty is Tiramisu. With it's mixed fragrance of cacao powder, cream, orange jam and chocolate juice, it is as colorful and elusive as love itself.

There is an open kitchen on the second floor where diners can watch chefs preparing dishes through a glass wall as they enjoy their meals with complimentary red wine.

Location: No.10 Sanlitun Beixiaojie, Chaoyang
Tel: 010-64661241/84541031

Yunmantang (clouds abound in the hall): quietly romantic

Love doesn't necessarily mean dazzling chandeliers and big dinners featuring course after course. Love can also be expressed with a pair of chopsticks and several simple dishes, as long as you can feel the emotions of the one sitting opposite you.

Hiding in an old department building, Yunmantang can always promise you a quiet dining environment even on the weekends.

Yunmantang features simple unique Yunnan-style dishes and specialize in fried pig skin and home-brewed pawpaw wine.

Location: Building No.4, Zuojiazhuang Beili, Chaoyang
Tel: 010-64622945

Buffal: romance beyond the menu

Located on Shishahai bar street, Buffal's dining environment is perfect for a date with many green plants with red petals and a unique, moody atmosphere.

Buffal serves southeastern Asian dishes with romantic names like 'Stomach Full of Love', and 'Silver Codfish on the Aegean Sea'. A restaurant-cum-bar, Buffal also has a rich store of various wines and cocktails.

Location: No.6, Lotus Market, Shishahai, Xicheng
Tel: 010-66172146

Xiyuan Hotel: revolving romance

A classic venue for lovers' date, this quiet revolving restaurant offers diners a panoramic view of the city's nightscape.

The Xiyuan Hotel revolving restaurant features a western style buffet. Lunch is priced at RMB 118 per person and dinner RMB 138 per person. Its salmon is highly recommended.

This revolving restaurant is the first of its kind in Beijing, and even though there is a buffet, the restaurant is often quiet.

Location: F26, Xiyuan Hotel, Jia No.1, Sanlihelu, Haidian
Tel: 010-68313388

Cabo Cafe and Bar: skylight

It looks exactly like a sand castle from the outside and is decorated with a splash of Mexican flavor on the inside. Cabo is one of the few Mexican restaurants in Beijing and girls like it too. The house specialty is seafood fried rice.

Cabo also has an indoor swing underneath a skylight so when visitors sit down for a swing, they can look up and see the sky.

Location: inside Overseas Chinese Village, No.24 Jianguomen Waidajie, Chaoyang
Tel: 010-65156826

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