The idea of a romantic restaurant experience comes with certain unwritten requirements, great food, exquisite wine selection, a certain ambience, good service and attention to detail. But to really make the top listing you have to go even beyond those high benchmarks and offer something else, something more often something intangible that has more to do with essence than anything you can put your finger on. Here we list ten of the top restaurants and their unique selling points, which go way beyond even the most demanding expectations.
Four Seasons Hotel – Hong Kong, China
As the first restaurant in China to receive three Michelin stars, The Four Seasons is the first place on any discerning diners list of options. Seafood and Dim Sum are specialities of this fine Cantonese menu including wok-fried lobster with garlic and more than a dozen preparations of Bird’s Nest Soup. Set overlooking the shimmering lights of Victoria Harbour, this is the perfect place to capture the real taste of the Hong Kong culinary experience.
The Single Thread Farm – Healdsburg, California, USA
If ever there was a restaurant that moves to the beat of the natural world around it, it is Single Thread Farm. Not only does it grow its own food in greenhouses, orchards, rich soils, chicken coops and even beehives but it sits amongst some of the most famous wine regions in America. But for all its environmental, seasonally dictated menu and hands on approach this doesn’t mean that there is any compromise in the end result and places for their three, 11-course tasting menus are rightly sought after with a passion.
Solo Per Due – Vacone, Italy
Knowing that size isn’t everything, Solo Per Due or Just For Two is the smallest restaurant in the world. One table, two diners but a dinning experience that is much sought after as a romantic hotspot. Surrounded by luscious, plant-strewn courtyards and exquisite views you can sip wine in the sun or aperitifs in front of a roaring log fire to top and tail your meal. No queues, no waiting and all the solitude and intimacy you look for in a romantic meal.
White Rabbit – Moscow, Russia
And from the small and intimate to the majestic and grandiose. Beautiful, modern and daring, this glass domed this urban and indeed urbane restaurant blends Russian style with global culinary trends. Black Sea oysters, Rapa Whelk, Crimea Truffle, even the classic Borsch soup is on the menu but like everything else about this restaurant approached with a modern and creative attitude.
Le Pre Catelan – Paris, France
Think Paris think passion, fashion, style and class in everything they do, dinning included. Not only a wine cellar to rival all competition but Frederic Anton’s deft and refined menu. Sea Bass or Crab, Lamb or Venison, in typical Parisian fashion this is where food become a crossroads of both culinary and artistic endeavours.
