Lumiere

Address: Shop 3101-07, ifc mall, Central
Tel: 2393 3933

Inventively fusing Sichuan and Latin American cuisines, Lumiere’s unusual dishes never seem to disappoint. The gorgeously-decorated restaurant has dramatic high ceilings and modern touches, but it also has a romantic cosiness created by candlelight and its deep red and gold décor. In the backdrop is a sweeping view of the harbour.

The Valentine’s Day menu leans on the western side of fusion, as it is a western holiday. But the traditional Chinese version of Valentine’s Day happens to fall very close this year, on February 9, so this fusion dinner might be in order to celebrate both.

Executive chef Ronald Shao pays attention to presentation; every dish in the set has heart shapes, with a few roses thrown in for good measure. But it’s not all just about looks – the meal is delicious.

The first course is salmon cured in Sichuan flavours and twisted into the likeness of a rose, placed on top of tangy tuna ceviche with tomato and cilantro. Another exquisite lifelike rose made out of beet lies alongside. Cream of asparagus soup with crispy Parma ham and rice cracker pieces is crunchy and tasty but also has a hidden surprise inside: two heart-shaped pieces of carrot with a tiny asparagus spear running through them.

The seafood course consists of a large tomato stuffed with garoupa, egg white, crab meat and bird’s nest cooked in a very Chinese style. The skinned shell of a tomato is supposed to resemble a heart, which might be more accurate than we would like to imagine. The highlight of the dinner is braised wagyu beef cheek – extremely tender, generously portioned but quite spicy for those who can’t take the heat.

Dessert is a scrumptious mango napoleon -heart-shaped, of course - with chocolate truffles. Included in the Valentine’s Day menu is a cocktail named “First Love”, which is, appropriately, pink, creamy and slightly sweet. The set is priced at $580 per person (available only on February 14).

ToTT’s Address: 34th Floor, The Excelsior, 281 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay Tel: 2837 6786 The Excelsior’s top-floor restaurant ToTT’s – short for Talk of the Town – is a newly renovated dining spot that is perfect for those couples looking for a hip atmosphere in addition to an incredible city view. Its plush lounge, glitzy bar and spacious dining area are designed in a retro theme, complete with chain-link partitions and post-modern furniture. A live band gets the party started, playing on Monday to Saturday from 10pm.

Aqua

Address: 29th & 30th Floor, 1 Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: 3427 2288

Aqua is airy and elegant during the day, but at night time it transforms into a moody and romantic restaurant. The first thing you will notice is the front-row, top-floor view of Victoria Harbour and the Hong Kong Island skyline – there seems to be nothing but windows all around the two-storey restaurant and bar. The plush and dimly-lit dining areas offer an intimate atmosphere that is kept modern by the silver light fixtures and floorboards that glow red.

The restaurant is sectioned into Aqua Roma, which serves delectable Italian food, and Aqua Tokyo, offering Japanese cuisine, in particular a selection of innovative sushi creations. There are three private dining rooms that resemble glass boxes with large, flamboyant chandeliers hung low. The effect is incredibly chic.

The Valentine’s Day menu consists of both Italian and Japanese dishes. To start is grilled spicy sashimi that presses together giant prawn, scallop, octopus, abalone and sea urchin into one round piece of fresh seafood. The sashimi is placed atop a bed of salmon roe and wine jelly, creating a delicious mix of flavours and textures.

Next up is ricotta ravioli with asparagus, parmiggiano-reggiano cheese and crispy sage, followed by a plate of prawn and crab sushi. The taraba crab sushi with crab roe miso is one of Aqua’s specialities and exemplifies its contemporary style of sushi-making using sauces – no wasabi required.

The mains allow you to show your preference for one of the two cuisines: choose either extremely tender roast pigeon over red onion jam and spinach with spiced apple, or pan-fried halibut with cod fish roe and sea urchin. Dessert is moist chocolate terrine with a very smooth coffee sorbet that tastes strong enough to keep you awake for the rest of the night. This set is priced at $1,188 per person (available only on February 14).