Don’t wait until Valentine’s Day to plan a date to remember. Being in love is an occasion for dining all year round, whether you’re planning your first or tenth date, a special anniversary and other romantic occasions. It can get stressful when the pressure is on to find the right restaurant to impress, so we’ve singled out eight options to help you plan a great night out.
If food be the language of love, then let these MICHELIN Star, MICHELIN Plate and Bib Gourmand restaurants do the speaking.
(Banner image: Madame Fan)
Garibaldi
One MICHELIN Star, MICHELIN Guide Singapore 2019
Located in a shophouse on Purvis Street, Garibaldi has been a stalwart of Singapore’s Italian fine dining scene since 2003, leading to its first Michelin star in 2017. While the dining room is understated, chef-owner Roberto Galetti’s sizable menu and wine list that features around 7,000 labels is anything but. Diners have the option of going a la carte or choose between a 3- to 6-course set menu featuring top Italian ingredients and artfully plated dishes. If you’re planning a day-time weekend date, there’s also a weekend brunch featuring free-flow dishes and drinks as optional add-ons. Smaller private rooms are available should you need privacy for a special proposal or anniversary meal.
Akira Back
MICHELIN Plate, MICHELIN Guide Singapore 2019
Sharp and sleek, Akira Back at the JW Marriott Hotel Singapore serves Japanese-inspired fare like sushi, maki rolls and a wide variety of hot and cold plates. The menu is accented by dishes such as Yellowtail Jalapeno with Yuzu Soy, which reflects the cross-cultural influences of its eponymous Japanese-trained Korean-American professional snowboarder-turned-chef. The cosy sofa seats along the floor-to-ceiling windows offer the most comfortable ambience. Inform the restaurant of special occasions and receive a celebratory dessert. Need inspiration? It’s all around you, and one groom-to-be was so impressed by the restaurant’s showcase of seasonal produce that he requested for a stunning vegetable bouquet to be presented to his bride-to-be.
Bar-Roque Grill
Bib Gourmand, MICHELIN Guide Singapore 2019
If your partner is a meat lover, then this French grill with an ornate setting will tick all the boxes. Named after the baroque era, when celebratory tables were filled with food and wine – think the Palace of Versailles – the restaurant has held a Bib Gourmand distinction since 2017. Chef-owner Stephane Istel is well known for his artisanal charcuterie, rillettes and terrines, which he and his team make in-house from scratch. The Alsatian chef also dry-ages his own steaks. The bar specialises in rum-based cocktails that are inspired by Istel’s years working in the Caribbean. The coveted red booth seats on the lower level of the restaurant offer some privacy.
FOC (Clarke Quay)
MICHELIN Plate, MICHELIN Guide Singapore 2019
Add some sizzle to your hot date with some literal high-octane flames, courtesy of the lively action at FOC’s busy open kitchen. Meaning fire in Catalan, FOC was founded by lauded Spanish chef Nandu Jubany of one-MICHELIN-star Can Jubany, whose classic spanish fare – from patatas bravas and croquetas to paellas and Josper-grilled meats – is fantastico. Seating-wise, you can choose between bar counter seats, where avid foodies can watch the chefs and bartenders up close to the action, or low seats at regular tables opposite the bar counter and in the rest of the dining room.
Madame Fan
MICHELIN Plate, MICHELIN Guide Singapore 2019
Want to cosy up in a sultry, low-light ambience over dim sum, Cantonese dishes and inventive cocktails? You’ll find all these at glamorous Madame Fan, the brainchild of British-Chinese restaurateur Alan Yau, who founded the original Hakkasan Hanway Place (London) in 2001. Check out their new "In the Mood for Love" set menu for anniversaries. Each dish is served course by course, signifying different anniversary gemstones. The restaurant has a track record for successfully serving up romance: they once aided a diner to hide an engagement ring in their dim sum basket, which was then presented to his wife-to-be for the proposal. The couple later held their wedding reception at the Stag's Room at the NCO Club next door.
L'Angelus
MICHELIN Plate, MICHELIN Guide Singapore 2019
Is your date hopeless romantic? Even if travel is off the cards for now, you can still sweep your loved one off to a charmingly nostalgic and homey French bistro, while remaining right in the middle of the Singapore Central Business District. Adorned with framed vintage French posters and an antique carved stone centrepiece in the main dining room, 22-year-old L’Angelus has the honour of being one of Singapore’s oldest traditional French restaurants and it has stayed in its original address since Day One — an impressive feat in Singapore’s fickle dining scene. No fussy, tiny dishes here: instead, treat your l’amour to hearty, classic French fare including cassoulet, duck confit and Burgundy snails. For the cosiest seats in the house, ask for the table set by the restaurant’s centrepiece or for tables 7 and 8 with velveteen banquettes.
The Clifford Pier
MICHELIN Plate, MICHELIN Guide Singapore 2019
If you want to celebrate your relationship in style in a stunning historic landmark, this former pier with its floor-to-ceiling concrete arched trusses fits the bill perfectly. Built in 1933, the elegant space is now part of The Fullerton Bay Hotel, and serves up classic local and hawker specialties such as laksa, chilli crab pau and Nyonya popiah and kueh pie tee. Under Phase 2 of Circuit Breaker, the restaurant is currently only open on weekends and public holidays for Heritage Dim Sum Brunch, while the al fresco water-facing Gin Parlour is open nightly for tipples and nibbles. Book early as seating is limited, or you can book out the whole venue — as many often do — for weddings and other special gatherings.
Dolce Vita
MICHELIN Plate, MICHELIN Guide Singapore 2019
Dolce Vita (Italian for 'the good life') at the Mandarin Oriental gets bonus points for its poolside al fresco setting and panoramic views of the Marina Bay skyline. (Tip: if you prefer dining indoors, reserve a table by the floor-to-ceiling glass windows to enjoy similar views.) To suit its Mediterranean resort feel, the day time menu features pool cafe staples like pizzas, simple pastas and sandwiches. And when the sun does down, expect delicacies like handmade buffalo mozzarella from Naples, sea urchin spaghetti and Australian Wagyu tenderloin with black winter truffle, paired with the extensive wine by glass selection.
