Delhi restaurants ups love quotient, spices up menu for lovebirds on Valentine's Day

New Delhi: How about chomping on 'The Better Half', or sinking your teeth in 'Sweet Emotion'? For Valentine's Day, Delhi-NCR restaurants, cafes and bars have raised the 'love' quotient and 'spiced up' their menus for lovebirds.

With shades of red, pink, orange and other mushy hues interspersed in food, menu cards and decor, several eateries are ready to serve 'love' on a plate on the special day that falls on Sunday.

TabulaBeach Cafe, for example, has a special menu consisting of dishes named such as 'The Better Half' (Asparagus and smoked cheese rolls, Spanish peppers stuffed with goat cheese), desserts like 'Sweet Emotion' (fresh strawberries with cream and red velvet cake) and 'Better than Sex' (French chocolate tart and banana nutella cheese cake).

"We wanted the food menu to symbolise love and romance. So, we came up with innovative names for dishes for couples. We will be focussing equally on the food as well as the experience of Valentine's Day. A special themed decor to create an amorous ambience will be put up for the day," Sahil Gupta, partner at TabulaBeach Cafe, told IANS.

Now imagine heart-shaped pizzas! Gurgaon-based Italiano, a fine dining restaurant, will be serving these and more.

Presentation matters, says Sonia Puri, founder, Italiano, adding: "The focus is always on food, but on this day the emphasis is on the presentation of food to mark the special day. The decor and ambience will also add to the whole experience as the restaurant will have special decoration for this day."

There are many hotels and clubs too like Showshaa Nightclub at the Kingdom of Dreams, Chili's American Grill and Bar; Yauatcha, La Vie, Lanterns Kitchen & Bar; and En - The Japanese Restaurant, which have special plans for couples on Valentine's Day. And couples are lapping it up.

The newly opened Cafe Dalal Street will add drama to its setting with live music as well as a DJ who will get the party started in the later hours of the day.

"The restaurant is trying to bring the whole vibe of Valentine's Day by doing a couple of things. Although we do have a special focus on food, we also have a live performance to set the tone for the day by belting out some romantic numbers during the day time and a DJ, who is sure to get the couples shaking a leg at night," Vidit Gupta of Cafe Dalal Street, told IANS.

In fact, pre-booking is already in place for Rs.999 for a single person and Rs.1999 per couple.

Geet Arora, 29, says in the midst of busy days at work, it's a relief when there are ready packages available that can help him just whisk away his date and spend a quiet evening together without spending much time to pre-plan it all.

Some places like the Mehrauli-based Dramz Whisky Bar and Lounge have planned limited covers for the dinner so that couples get their personal space.

"We have planned to do only 60 covers for the dinner so that the restaurant and seating plan will be well spaced and tables will not be close to each other," said Sunil Aggarwal of Dramz Whisky Bar.

The package here, though priced at Rs.9,950, includes a bottle of sparkling wine, paired imported wines, a five-course dinner, a candlelight setting for two along with live saxophone and violin. If you don't want the wine, be ready to shell out Rs.6,500.

For some couples, the idea of stepping out of the house on Valentine's Day is tempting, but expensive.

"Why go out on such expensive packages and eat when you can do the same for a lesser cost on a regular day. Plus, the traffic woes, and the waiting queues at restaurants. It's better to spend time at home," said Aditi Singh, a 31-year-old housewife.

But here's a tempting deal -- North Delhi-based Bellagio will be serving complimentary drinks to ladies and will lighten up the night with a musical session, shared its owner Sameer Bhalla.

Can't get any better than having the right perfect person besides you along with some good wining, dining and great music!