Impress your date, treat your partner, or go all out and do a dinner party for friends. This is our choice of Valentine’s dinner ideas to help you make a splash during the month of love.

Valentine’s Dinner Ideas to get you cooking

Starters

Kickstart your meal the right way – with plenty of flavour!

Crispy Haloumi in Phyllo

No one can resist a crisp pastry-wrapped starter…yum!

Recipe for Crispy Haloumi in Phyllo

WONTON CUPS WITH TUNA TARTARE, AVO AND WASABI MAYONNAISE

Add some Asian flavour to your menu with these wonton cups. A really simple but pretty, canapé packed with so many delicious flavours.

Recipe for Wonton Cups with Tuna Tartare

Avocado Ritz

If you are out to impress and are feeling adventurous, recreate Chef Rudi Liebenberg’s revamp of the classic avo ritz. When you present this to your dining partner there will be a gasp of awe!

Recipe for Avocado Ritz

Beef Carpaccio with Goats Cheese

This is a deliciously fresh dish dressed with grapefruit mustard dressing. It requires very little cooking but has plenty of flavour

Recipe for Beef Carpaccio with Goats Cheese

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The main attraction…

Go big or go home with these tasty mains ideas.

Sesame Crusted Hake with Greens

If your date is still detoxing from January, this light meal will be a treat without busting the diet!

Recipe for Sesame Crusted Hake with Greens.

Grilled Lamb Fillet with Baba Ghanoush and Pomegranate Jewels

This dish will impress with its Middle Eastern flavours, the pomegranate arils add a pop of red and a sweet Valentine-sy feel.

Recipe for Grilled Lamb Fillet with Baba Ghanoush

Black Squid Ink Pasta with Oyster Carbonara Sauce

This is the recipe that will show your culinary prowess and will help woo your date with the aphrodisiac qualities of oysters. It’s a win-win!

Recipe for Black Squid Ink Pasta with Oyster Carbonara Sauce

Sweet & Sticky Ribs

Who can resist the sweet, salty, spicy Asian flavours of ribs falling off the bone.

Recipe for Sweet & Sticky Ribs

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Stylish sweets to swoon over…

You simply have to have something sweet and sultry to end a Valentine’s meal. These ought to do the trick.

Panna Cotta

This is the recipe that is set to impress, it may take some skill to get it right, but the results will be so worth it!

Recipe for Panna Cotta

Triple Layer Naked Mousse Cake

This is every mousse lovers dream cake, three layers of light, fluffy decadence!

Recipe for Triple Layer Naked Mousse Cake

Chocolate & Espresso Filled Domes

A chocolate Bavarian mousse, filled with a white chocolate and coffee cremeaux, with a sticky hazelnut brownie biscuit – what’s not to love?

Recipe for Chocolate & Espresso Filled Domes

 Self-Saucing Chocolate Pudding

Because at the end of the day we all need a little self-love.

Recipe for Self-Saucing Chocolate Pudding

Going out for Valentine’s Day? Here are some of our most romantic restaurants in Cape Town.