Delicacies

Not just for couples

By Donna Mah (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-02-13 08:24

Dining room at Isola with the famous harbor view in the background. Provided to China Daily

Not just for couples

Hong Kong

As Valentine's Day approaches, I realize none of my friends have mentioned plans with their partners. Could it be that I hang with a rather unromantic crowd? Or perhaps, it has more to do with the fact that most of us are still recuperating from the Lunar New Year festivities. But a quick check around reveals that romance is not dead in Hong Kong.

There is certainly a plethora of romantic dining options to choose from. And, even if you're single, you won't be left out. That is, if you are open to the idea of a Valentine's Day group blind date.

For a taste of romance Italian-style, Domani in Pacific Place is serving a six-course set dinner for HK$980 ($125) per person. Feast on roasted langoustine salad, foie gras with raspberry vinaigrette, cucumber velout, Italian caviar and sprouts, homemade tagliolini with lobster and asparagus, wild sea bass steak with vanilla-flavored potato puree and butter sauce, veal fillet with glazed vegetables and black truffle sauce, and finish the meal with a strawberry tart with tropical fruit salad.

Over by the harbor, Isola is offering a five-course Valentine's menu at HK$808 per person with sumptuous offerings including a duo of goose liver terrine, blue-fin Mediterranean tuna tartare with olives and Italian crunchy bitter-chicory tomato salad, homemade chestnut flour pappardelle with sausage, mushroom and black-truffle sauce, fillet of sea bass braised with baby green peas, asparagus on pea sprout leaves, roasted king prawns wrapped in colonata ham. For a sweet end to your meal, choose from Amedei chocolate hot pudding with hazelnut ice cream or crepes filled with lavender and ginger yogurt served with fruit and berry salad.

For a slightly industrial vibe, Bloom, of Lily & Bloom, takes us to New York in the 1900s. Enjoy a drink before or after dinner at the bar, Lily, for a complete experience. Bloom is serving a special four-course menu for couples for HK$1,180: a shellfish appetizer sampler, followed by a homemade pasta, and then a choice of filet mignon, fresh-baked barramundi or organic chicken - plus dessert. For an additional HK$700, you get a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Brut Imperial.

For the fancy-free singles who would like to go out and enjoy a Valentine's meal but avoid the couples-only menus, the Commune Lab, a private kitchen in SoHo, is serving nine men and nine women (reservations essential) for a three-course degustation dinner.

Guests will be greeted with a glass of champagne upon arrival and enjoy a glass of specially paired wine with each course. Commune Lab's Valentine's Day dinner is priced at HK$1,088.

Commune Lab creator and executive chef AJ Bellarosa says, "Valentine's Day is so couples focused, but what about those not in a relationship? We want to provide a comfortable and private environment in which people can meet other like-minded single people who enjoy a nice meal, without the terrifying expectation of a blind one-to-one date."

For a non-traditional bouquet that will surely put a smile on the face of the recipient, Edible Arrangements has an assortment of bouquets available that are perfect for gift-giving. A box of 12 Edible Arrangements Berry Chocolate Roses - chocolate-dipped strawberries in dark, white, or a combination of chocolate - starts from HK$558. The Hearts and Berries bouquet (also starting from HK$588) is available with or without chocolate-dipped fruit. Pineapple-shaped hearts, the freshest strawberries and grape sticks are arranged in a heart-motif vase. Deliveries can be made on the same day.

So there you have it. Valentine's Day is not only a day to celebrate love, but it's also a day to have a good time and do something special to make someone smile.

for China Daily

(China Daily 02/13/2011 page13)