like most other people with at least some sort of sanity, i am not supportive of valentine’s day and i ridicule the poor souls who are spending hard-earned money on overpriced dinners to celebrate a random day with other strangers. but my position on valentine’s day does not seem to deter people from consulting me on ideas to celebrate this day on the calendar, as if i were a walking yelp and chinese jamie oliver combined in one. fine.
first of all, no fine-dining at any upscale restaurant can compare to home cooking. period. even if that means burnt steak and watery chocolate cake cooked in a kitchen the size of an aircraft lavatory. and there is no gift that invites more envy than true happiness. these may sound corny but i do believe in them. so hopefully this can help save you a few bucks.
for the more shallow people, any western michelin-star restaurant with haborview may do – i am sure they will dim their lights on the day to fabricate a romantic ambience for you. caprice, pierre, petrus, gaddi’s, st george all fit the bill and serve good food. for the non-michelin star eateries, i like watermark and al molo for their panaromic view. be careful of the new or boutique hotel restaurants (such as whisk at mira hotel or tosca at ritz carlton) – their service is still in learning stage and may spoil your evening.
i personally find TWG (a new singaporean tearoom in IFC mall) the most romantic place in town – the yellow lighting casts a nice shade on the skin, while tea itself is civilized and subtly suggestive. but it is probably a better venue for first date than valentine’s day celebration.
a successful marriage or relationship is all about avoiding the negatives – human minds are predisposed to identifying bad more so than good, at an average ratio of 5 to 1. if you have done something bad, just do five good things to offset it.
and finally – a simple creme brulee recipe that requires zero experience:
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3x egg yolks
250ml whipped cream/heavy cream (may substitute 100ml with milk for lighter texture)
50g sugar
vanilla extract
- pre-heat oven at 160C
- beat the egg yolks with half the sugar
- heat the milk/cream with vanilla extract and the remaining half of the sugar until just boils
- pours the cream mixture onto the egg yolk while mixing; continue to beat until slightly thickens
- pour the mixture into 2 rameskins
- place the rameskins on an oven tray and fill the tray with water to half
- cook for 45-60 min depending on your container. refill water if dries out during the cooking
- sprinkle sugar on top, turn up the oven temperature to 220C with broil setting. cook for another 2 minutes until a caramelized topping forms (or directly caramelize with a blow torch)
good luck 
