Valentine’s Day at home: The best fine-dining deliveries in London
Plan an evening to remember with the capital’s best at-home dining options
Let’s be honest, when it comes to doing Valentine’s Day at home, recreating the romance of a favourite restaurant or dimly-lit bar isn’t going to be easy. And, while we’d usually be all for digging out the recipe books and attempting to whip up something special in the kitchen, we’ve all had enough home-cooked meals in the past two years to know special occasions are best left to the experts.
Which is where London’s top restaurants come in. From Mayfair’s Michelin-starred dining rooms to centuries-old culinary institutions, many of the capital’s savvy chefs have adapted their usual Valentine’s offerings into simple finish-at-home kits that promise restaurant-worthy dining in lockdown.
The Cinnamon Collection
Unlike Christmas and Easter, Valentine’s Day comes with no set menu so you’re free to roam the globe in search of decadent dining options. Vivek Singh’s Cinnamon Collection restaurant group has long been a go-to for Londoners looking for a more refined Indian dining experience and this Valentine’s Day some of the chef’s signature dishes can be delivered directly to your door. The multi-course meal starts with salmon carpaccio jhalmuri, grilled aubergine with sesame peanut crumble, and tandoori spiced grilled king prawn; followed by slow-braised leg of lamb and a side of rice, lentils and sheermal bread. For dessert, there’s Singh’s famed garam masala sticky toffee pudding with saffron custard, plus petit fours. A bottle of champagne can be also be added to your order to add some sparkle to the occasion.
£150 for two, thecinnamoncollection.com
Simon Rogan at Home
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After the success of his Valentine’s at home offering during last year’s lockdown, Simon Rogan is reprising his sumptuous date night menu for 2022 – and throwing in some wine for good measure. One of the few meal kits on this list available to order for one (because why should singles miss out on all the fun?), kick things off with a glass of Exton Park English Sparkling Wine before tucking into a lavish seven-course meal featuring dishes such as buttermilk pancakes with whipped cod’s roe, confit duck with spice lentils, aubergine and kale and Berkswell pudding with stout vinegar. There’s baked rice pudding with rhubarb for afters, plus some pretty-as-a-picture white chocolate and rose petit fours. Truffle, cheese, sommelier-selected wines and paired beers are also available at a supplement.
From £85 for one or £170 for two, homebysimonrogan.co.uk
One Fine Dine
Not technically a restaurant, One Fine Dine launched in early 2020 as a response to the closure of hospitality venues and has amassed a wealth of experience in helping Londoners mark special moments at home. Its winter date-night offering is a sumptuous three-course meal with all the trimmings needed to create a romantic night in – and, unlike most meal kits, each person can choose their own menu. There are three starters, mains and desserts to choose from, including seaweed-wrapped salmon with radish and avocado, Gressingham duck breast with crispy leg bonbon and glazed carrots, and dark chocolate fondant, served alongside petit fours and a bottle of specially-paired wine. Bon appetit.
Gymkhana
Created in partnership with fine-dining delivery specialists Restokit, Michelin-starred Indian restaurant Gymkhana will have four options available for a romantic night in this Valentine’s Day. Choose from house favourites butter chicken or chicken tandoori – both of which are served with a bevy of sides, including popadoms, pilau rice, dal makhani, garlic naan, kachumber salad, cucumber raita and mint chutney – or up the ante with the gold leaf-garnished lamb raan fest, complete with no less than seven sides, including samosa chaat, makai palak, dal maharani and lacha paratha. There’s also a vegetarian street food kit featuring treats such as pao bhaji, bhel mix and gol gappa. Each can be delivered with wine as an optional extra.
From £55 for two, restokit.co.uk
Jean-Georges at The Connaught
Want to make Valentine’s Day that extra bit special? May we recommend ordering Michelin-magnet Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s exceptional cuisine to enjoy in your own dining room. Fresh from the kitchens of his eponymous restaurant at The Connaught, dishes are carefully crafted using fresh-from-the-market ingredients and farm-to-table produce, including his signature black truffle pizza – reworked in a heart shape for Valentine’s Day – and bluefin tuna tartare. Alongside the a la carte menu, which includes cocktails and wine, there’s also a five-course Valentine’s set menu featuring caviar, wagyu beef with crackling potatoes, passion fruit macarons and much more.
Bocca di Lupo
Undisputedly one of the best Italian restaurants in Soho, Bocca di Lupo has put together a greatest-hits Valentine’s Menu with which to spoil your partner. Its San Valentino meal for two is designed to take diners on a culinary tour of Italy, kicking off with a Tuscan pomegranate martini as an aperitivo. The meal starts in Puglia with burrata, cicoria and dried broad bean puree, before moving to Lazio for a primo of lobster risotto. Mains take diners to Venetos with a suckling pig porchetta, finishing in Liguria with a classic camogliesi al rhum. Buon appetito!
£135 for two, boccadilupoathome.com
Orrery
Orrery’s DIY date nights have proven very popular with London’s fine-dining aficionados and it’s pulling out all the stops to make Valentine’s Day special. Offering a five-course at-home kit packed with culinary French classics, all amateur chefs need do is add the finish touches to seabass gravlax with lime and elderflower, Tournedos Rossini with celeriac purée and Périgourdine sauce, and the always-popular chocolate fondant with orange crème fraiche.
£160 for two, athome.danddlondon.co.uk
Home x Nico
Home x Nico has possibly been one of the greatest successes of the at-home fine-dining boom. Spun out from the hugely popular Six by Nico restaurant group, its frequently changing menus and special occasion meal kits are almost always sell outs – so get your order in quick to get your hands on its Valentine’s Day offering. Providing a decadent selection of European classics, start with lobster-and-prawn tortellini before moving onto aged fillet of beef with peppercorn sauce and sides of Tenderstem broccoli, mac and cheese and Lyonnaise potatoes before finishing with a decadent raspberry trifle. A bottle of Il Divo Italian red wine is included in the price, while Home x Nico has also teamed up with Timeless to offer diners the option to add one of its luxurious candles to their kit.
Drake & Morgan
Upscale restaurant chain Drake & Morgan has partnered with Laurent-Perrier champagne to create a Valentine’s Day meal box complete with all the ingredients for an incredible night in. Start with an aperitif of Drake & Morgan’s signature Red Rose cocktails (Pampero rum, Cointreau, Everleaf mountain, hibiscus syrup, strawberry and lemon), before popping open a bottle of Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée to accompany a three-course meal featuring whipped duck liver parfait, Chateaubriand with confit potatoes, and baked chocolate cheesecake.
£145 for two, drakeandmorgan.co.uk
Coya
Coya has created a Peruvian Valentine’s feast expansive enough to sate any appetite. Featuring a mammoth 11 dishes, the evening starts with a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Rosé champagne to pair with your meal. The finish-at-home sharing menu bursts with South American flavours, including Chilean wagyu sirloin steak, tuna ceviche, lobster empanadas and coal-roasted sweet potato, as well as an Illanka chocolate mousse with chia seeds and financier for dessert.
The Oriental Club
This Valentine’s Day, members and non-members alike can enjoy The Oriental Club’s Platinum Party Boxes. The Eastern Box includes a selection of Indian street food starters, two curries of your choice with rice, dal and naan bread, a bottle of Oriental Club Jean-Pierre Launois Champagne and a bottle of house wine. Alternatively, the delectable Date Night menu includes lobster and cognac bisque, confit duck legs with café au lait sauce and a decadent white chocolate mousse to finish. The Mayfair club’s at-home offering also includes wine cases and Oriental Rose Gin, which has been expertly crafted to complement Asian cuisine.
Party boxes are priced from £55 per person; the Date Night menu is priced at £67 per person, orientalclubdineathome.com
