Valentine’s Day is just over a week away and if you’re in the Vancouver area and haven’t yet decided how you’re going to spend it, don’t fret; there’s still time.
It seems like every year, chefs and restaurateurs are coming up with new and exciting ways to step up their Valentine’s Day game so those of us who celebrate the day of love can step up ours too.
Whether you want to wine and dine your special someone with a bit of luxury and extravagance, satisfy your sweet tooth with custom-made artisanal treats, or you just want to try something completely new and outside of the box, there are plenty of interesting ways to celebrate the 14th of February.
Ancora Waterfront Dining and Patio
Ancora’s False Creek and Ambleside locations are both offering a stunning six-course menu created by executive chef Ricardo Valverde. The Japanese-Peruvian menu features dishes such as salmon tartare causas, Matane shrimp risotto, ají panca-glazed sablefish, and a manjari chocolate mousse for two.
Tickets to both False Creek and Ambleside are priced at $99 per person. Each location will feature unique wine pairings for an additional $79 per person.
Beetbox
The popular West End plant-based restaurant is collaborating with Blue Heron Creamery and a number of vegan wineries for a special Valentine’s Day experience that includes Beetbox's plant-based comfort food, boutique vegan wines, and delicious dairy-free cheese. Vegan beer and cocktails will also be available throughout the night.
A limited number of tickets are available for $25 per person and include welcome bubbly and a glass of wine.
Cibo Trattoria
On February 14 and 15, Cibo Trattoria will be offering a romantic three-course menu in addition to its regular nightly menu. To start, Cibo is featuring a taleggio and arugula salad with fresh pear and house-made fig balsamic vinaigrette, followed by a chicken marsala with confit garlic-roasted potatoes, crispy sage, and broccolini. For dessert, Cibo is offering homemade truffles with petite meringue and fresh berries.
The two-night-only menu is priced at $49 per person. Each course will also be available à la carte.
Gotham Steakhouse
Gotham Steakhouse executive chef Jean Claude Douguet has crafted an array of Valentine’s Day offerings, available February 14-16. Joining the Vancouver eatery’s regular menu are dishes like seared prawns and scallops with kumquat relish and yuzu beurre blanc, bacon-wrapped prime tenderloin with vanilla-butter-poached king crab legs, and mango crème brûlée and chocolate pot de crème.
Gotham’s Valentine’s Day dishes are available à la carte along with optional wine pairings.
H Tasting Lounge
The Westin Bayshore’s H Tasting Lounge has created a decadent four-course feast that begins an amuse of Kusshi oyster with Fuji apple foam and Parmigiano crisp, followed by seared scallop with lobster cream. For the main course, guests will have their choice of either beef Wellington or cacio e pepe risotto, capped off with a shared dessert of ganache duo.
H Tasting Lounge’s Valentine’s Day menu is priced at $200 per couple. Curated wine pairings are available for an additional $15 per course and celebratory G.H. Mumm Cordon Rouge Brut will be available by the glass or bottle.
Mon Paris Pâtisserie
Mon Paris Pâtisserie’s renowned pastry chef Elena Krasnova has once again assembled an incredible Valentine’s Day collection for the beloved Burnaby pastry shop that embraces both modern and traditional flavours. The collection includes offerings such as Red Velvet and Black Forest cake, truffle and bonbon-filled chocolate boxes, and a selection of artistic chocolate creations.
Prices range from $3 to $31. Advance orders can be made in-person, by phone, or by email while supplies last.
Notch8
Fairmont Hotel Vancouver’s Notch8 restaurant is offering a trio of Valentine’s Day offerings that begin with a special afternoon tea service hosted on the hotel’s 15th floor. The Valentine’s tea service includes a selection of sweet snacks like butter and cherry lemon scones and passionfruit curd, as well as savoury options such as salmon rillette with lemon mascarpone and Wagyu beef carpaccio on rosemary bread.
For dinner, Notch8’s oyster station will be available, along with a three-course menu that include a lobster celeriac veloute, a roasted angus striploin with maitake mushrooms, black barley, cream spinach, and marrow jus, and a winter truffle risotto with wild foraged mushrooms and pecorino cheese.
Notch8’s Valentine’s Day tea service is available for $65 per person, while the Valentine’s Day dinner and the oyster station are priced at $79 and $49 per person, respectively.
Pizzeria Farina
For one night only, the Main Street pizzeria is bringing back its popular heart-shaped Margherita pizzas. The 12-inch Valentine’s Day pies are topped with tomato sauce, fior di latte, olive oil, and basil.
Pizzeria Farina's heart-shaped pizzas will be available to dine-in guests for $16 on February 14 from 5 p.m. while quantities last.
Pourhouse
This Valentine’s Day weekend, Pourhouse is offering a four-course menu that includes an amuse bouche of foie gras torchon, B.C. oysters, and a black truffle custard tart, followed by a butternut squash lobster ravioli, salmon Wellington, and a dessert of chocolate and Champagne.
Pourhouse’s Valentine’s Day menu, available February 14-16, is priced at $99 per couple. Bar manager Adam Domet has also created a special L’Amour Rouge cocktail feature made with house-made raspberry and butter bourbon, available for an additional $14.
Temper Chocolate & Pastry
Temper’s annual collection of Valentine’s Day sweets includes an exclusive array of artisanal chocolates from acclaimed pastry chef Steven Hodge. This year, in addition to offerings like strawberry ganache, chocolate heart lollipops, and caramel dulce, guests are also able to create customizable gift baskets for any price up to $100.
The West Vancouver pâtisserie has also just launched its new signature beetroot latte, a naturally sweet and lightly spiced pink latte made with beetroot, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, honey, and almond milk.
The Holy Crab
From February 14 to 16, The Holy Crab will be featuring a special seafood dinner for two. The multi-course tasting menu offers a refined twist on the West End eatery’s Louisiana-style cuisine, showcasing an array of local and imported seafood. To start, guests will be treated to half a dozen local oysters along with a seafood bisque. Diners will then have their choice of either a Cajun lobster pasta or a spread of lobster, shrimp, snow crab legs, sweet corn, and nugget potatoes, followed by a choice between a chocolate decadence cake or bananas foster.
The Holy Crab’s Valentine’s Day menu for two is priced at $140.
Wildebeest
The award-winning Gastown eatery has prepared a special multi-course menu, designed for couples to enjoy on double dates. The Valentine’s Day menu is highlighted by offerings such as poached sablefish, confit pork belly, and Beretta Farms flat iron steak, along with a special Valentine’s dessert for two of dark chocolate ganache, preserved titan cherry, cannoli pastry, and Chantilly.
Tickets are priced at $69 per person but are reduced to $60 per person when booking for groups of four. Wine pairings are available for an additional $35 per person.
