What better way to spend a passionate and intimate evening with your partner than listening to some mellow, uplifting music and countless food options while taking in sights that the magnificent city of Singapore has to offer!
Be it your first date or your 5 year anniversary, these restaurants promise to offer you and your partner the most romantic time ever. Expat Choice looks at some of the most romantic restaurants in Singapore which should not be missed no matter what. - Image Credit: Zafferano Facebook Page
Caffe Fernet
It is appreciation for the aperitivo at Caffe Fernet! It doesn’t matter if safety protocols hold people back from having an all-nighter where they indulge in inebriation till the strike of dawn. The ever so appealing alfresco bar guarantees to offer you a delightful experience owing to its menu that reeks of the aperitivo culture.
Every hour is happy hour at Caffe Fernet. Right from when the doors open till 7 pm, you can tuck into some tantalising cocktails and bite sized treats before devouring the mains. Treat your taste buds with the savoury Sicilian Spritz ($17) containing Italicus, Aperol, prosecco, soda and a speck of olive brine.
The Bicicletta ($17) is another one which should not be missed, especially because of its unique spin with dry white wine and the Aperitivo Select instead of the Campari, thereby giving it a vanilla flavour for those with a sweet tooth.
There are as many as four different negronis made with a variety of gins and Camparis- another unique twist to a classic cocktail. Elegante ($23) with the No. 3 gin has a flowery taste whereas the Secco ($22) has a dry, almost crispy texture courtesy to Tanqueray gin.
All these work brilliantly as appetizers- they set up the stomach for some of the best seafood collection. The Squid ink tonnarelli is made of sleek noodles with locally caught shellfish sautéed with an aromatic sauce speckled with citrus butter. The tonnarelli vongole ($29) is another twist on the pasta with clams, while the pompano piccata ($42) doesn’t fail to tempt you with half a pomfret deboned with piccata sauce and trout roe.
To add to this feast, there’s the cacio e pepe ($26), the lush and creamy local burrata ($24) with green tomatoes which serves as a nice texture with the cream cheese and the mushroom agrodolce. What are you waiting for? Go indulge! - Image Credit: Caffe Fernet Facebook Page
Zafferano
Elevate your date at half past 8 at the one and only Zafferano, where digging into delicious delicacies by the Michelin starred chef Andrea De Paola while taking in astounding views of the Marina Bay from the 43rd floor is a regular affair.
Hailing from the Metropolitan City of Naples, he is exceptionally innovative and carries a mound of experience under his Chef’s hat. His knack for creativity is evident from the trio of snacks which involves the use of ingredients which would otherwise have met an unfortunate, stale end.
Salty crisps are sprinkled with cheese rind and accompanied with shredded ham to give the diners some good gourmet gratification. The only hearts that are going to be roasted on this date are ripe tomato hearts with fresh herbs and some yuzu gel. Not even leftover bread crumbs are cast aside- they are instead soaked in water and converted into tart shells.
The Scampi ($32) comes with par grilled shellfish toppled with white miso sauce blended with white sesame and some really old mirin. The classic spaghetti with the bottaraga comes with beautiful razor clams cooked in two different ways - one way is the sophisticated blend into a rich veloute whereas the second way is the bold and almost audacious sauté with herb oil in a charcoal oven. It is quite gracefully plated with lumps of lobsters, clumps of charcoal and dollops of dill oil to help cut through the creamy sauce.
While there is no dearth of innovation at Zafferano, some things are better left unchanged. We’re talking about some traditional dishes like the Branzino ($48) which is a seabass fillet with tarragon salmoriglio, which is an Italian dressing served with fish or meat.
Chef Andrea leaves no stone unturned in giving their diners an experience like no other. Be it classic dishes or innovative wonders, the Chef’s Menu ($118 for four courses and $148 for five courses) has it all. - Image Credit: Zafferano Facebook Page
a. 10 Collyer Quay, Level 43 Ocean Financial Centre, Singapore 049315
w. zafferano.sg
The Dragon Chamber
The Dragon Chamber is as mysterious as The Chamber of Secrets in Harry Potter. The reason: it is almost impossible to find. Believe it or not, it’ll seem like you’re stepping into a refrigerator, for that is the real entrance to the restaurant once you get past the innocuous kopitiam serving roasted meat and wonton noodles. However, the quest is still not done. Once you step inside, you will witness a vibe akin to hideouts of old gang members of Hong Kong.
No the adventure does not end there! The Chamber is infamous for using some of the most bizarre ingredients known to mankind. So this is the place to be if you want your Valentine’s Day to be memorable in more ways than one. The Dragon Claw ($55) tastes as menacing as it looks. A flaming crocodile paw marinated in herbal sauce is a treat for the eyes and the mouth.
The chef at The Dragon Chamber seems to have an affinity for pyrotechnics. The Theatrical Flaming Pineapple Beef ($30) comes with nicely chopped up pieces of beef inside a pineapple blazed with a flame torch, making it a sight for sore eyes. Double the crazy with the Dick soup ($30) if you’re feeling a little too adventurous, where herbs are simmered with the genital organs of a male crocodile for more than six hours.
That being said, there’s something for the less daring too. Delicious signature dishes like the Cheeseburger Firecracker Chicken ($16 and higher) and Wagyu Truffle Beef ($36 and higher) are readily available. Don’t miss out on the latest dish, Kueh pie tee ($25) where thinly sliced pieces of carrots and cucumbers come with a hefty helping of lobster loaded with some heavenly Kairos caviar.
Moreover, food items like baked garlic prawns ($48) have humongous Tiger prawns which come with dollops of garlic butter and crunchy garlic pieces. Another must-have is the Chamber Roasted Chicken ($38) which is accompanied by some zesty piquant lemon chilli sauce. But the Coconugget ($12) is definitely the showstopper. Creamy coconut pudding comes in the shells of the fruit, sprinkled with some brown sugar hazelnut, coconut flakes, lime zest and lime sorbet.
This was just the mains. There is an exhaustive variety of cocktails and the interiors of the place make the experience twice as intimate. Post of Aiden ($24) is like a warm hug, served with a puff of smoke over deep bourbon, amaro herbal liqueur, and Aperol. On the other hand, it is fruit fiesta with Compassion ($24) which is a gin based concoction with lychee liqueur, fresh strawberries, lemon and prosecco. - Image Credit: The Dragon Chamber Facebook Page
a. 2 Circular Rd, Singapore 049358
Preludio
Since this restaurant is helmed by Chef Fernando Arévalo, there is no dearth of abstract concepts here. In the first few months after the inauguration of Preludio, his team was challenged to put together theme based cuisines; the first of many was Monochrome.
This dichotomous wonder was followed by Time. It doesn’t matter if it’s lunch or dinner; Fernando is famous for brewing ideas in multiple, creative ways and those dishes can be found on the menu card ($58- 4 course meal; $188- 6 course meal; $118- 7 course meal; $238- 8 course meal)
It is said that time is the most valuable thing a man can spend- well, Preludio is a classic example of that. The concept of time is used to brew and stew some of the most unique dishes that one can ever imagine.
Flavourful rye bread with fermented mushrooms glazed with some thick gooey honey bacon topped with sweet umami is a real stunner. Wine connoisseur Chip Steel works almost like a history professor, documenting the lineage of grapes to make concoctions of a different age every time.
This is not even the show stopper though. The Time Machine (as it is rightly called) is a complex 5 course meal comprising bite sized treats which require different times to prepare. Scallop ceviche is prepared with fresh and zesty piquant Leche de Tigre (a citrusy spicy marinade used to cure fish) and corn water for an hour.
Garlic is fermented for almost a month and toppled with fresh basil pesto and some crunchy purple potato. Apart from these, week old amberjack fillets laced with foie gras and puffed quinoa are exquisite treats for the seafood lover. It is amazing how time is responsible for how the food tastes- little do we realise.
A few signature dishes are also happily reimagined in a monochrome theme. Iberico pork presa comes as a small bite arranged between delicious prawns and rich tomato sauce. Sweet meets sour with the agrodolce sauce and crispy pork poured over pasta filled with confit duck which was raised on a diet of corn and chia seeds.
However, time and monochrome aren’t the only two themes around which the menu of Preludio is based. Memories and stories are also used to create incredible dishes. Old Chimi is a dish reminiscent of the time the Chef grew up in Colombia whereas pastry Chef Elena Perez de Carrasco pays a tribute to her grandmother with a special take on her dessert recipe.
While the monochrome theme has an immediate striking effect on customers, the second theme is more abstract and literally takes time to grow on people. But once it does, you’re in for a treat of a lifetime. - Image Credit: Preludio Facebook Page
a. 182 Cecil St, #03-01/02 Frasers Tower, Singapore 069547
w. preludio.sg
The Alkaff Mansion
This mansion was first erected in the 1920s by Yemeni spice traders, and it was later reconstructed to host not one but three dining concepts at once. Whether you’re looking for a variety of appetizers coupled with drinks, some decadent pastries and cakes for the ultimate sugar rush, or some Basque inspired favourites like the Paella de Marisco ($52/$72), the restaurants at The Alkaff Mansion will not disappoint you.
Head over to the Txa Pintxo bar up the flight of stairs and beyond the fountain court, for some of the most appetizing tiny bites of food, or skip that and dive straight into the “dessert islands” at Wildseed Café where the weekend brunch can culminate into a romantic affair out in the yard with your partner.
Besides, the beautiful second-floor staircases will take you to Una where head Chef Tom Kung and his team won’t let you go hungry with some mouthwatering favourites from the menu. - Image Credit: Txa Gastrobar Website
a. 10 Telok Blangah Green, Singapore 109178
