DINING IN OR OUT FOR VALENTINES DAY?
With the most romantic dining occasion right around the corner, it’s time to make sure you have your Valentine’s Day meal prep ticked off the list! Whether you want to create a romantic candlelit dinner at home or treat someone to a special night dining out we have some inspiration for you from some of New Zealand’s top chefs!
Keep it simple and focus on flavours
Christchurch chef, Tejas Nikam says it’s always a chef’s job to be cooking on special occasions such as Valentine’s Day. However, if he could cook at home, Tejas says that as he and his wife are huge fans of New Zealand beef, top of the list would be a delicious piece of eye fillet. He would keep it simple and flavoursome by serving it with some creamy potato mash, burnt broccolini and a green peppercorn sauce to give that extra special ‘chefs’ touch to the dinner. He says a decadent chocolate dessert would be the perfect way to finish off a romantic meal.
Christchurch diners can treat their Valentine to dinner at Vices & Virtues on Valentine’s Day with bookings still available, and each guest will go home with a complimentary petit four.
The perfect cut to impress
Auckland chef, Jack Crosti says for a special occasion meal at home, you just can’t beat a tender juicy rib-eye steak. It’s the one cut that stands out from the rest and would certainly impress your Valentine. Whether it’s bone-in or bone-out the rib eye is impressive and Jack recommends asking your local butcher for a piece of rib-eye with some good marbling which is where all the delicious flavour comes from.
If you’re looking for a premium cut then try buying it online from small farms such as Waitaha Wagyu to get that extra something special which your Valentine will remember for a long time! New Zealand raised and fed using Japanese Kobe techniques, look for a minimum marble score of 8+ for that extra flavour hit.
Jack recommends cooking your steak on the grill, preferably using charcoal, and cook to medium-rare with just salt (no marinade needed for this flavoursome cut). Remember to rest the meat for at least 15 minutes covered with aluminium foil. This allows the flavour and juices to set inside the meat. The thickness of the rib-eye allows you to have a nice caramelized exterior without risking overcooking the inside. Serve it sliced on a board with some fresh chimichurri, simple crispy cos lettuce and roughly chopped heirloom tomatoes and you’ll be in heaven!
Dine out on Valentine’s Day at Number 5 Restaurant in Auckland and enjoy a five-course degustation menu with snacks for $145 per person. Wine matches are also available.
The best beef and wine match
Phil Clark of Phil’s Kitchen in Auckland is also favouring beef for Valentine’s Day, saying that hands down he would cook a good beef rib-eye at home on the BBQ, accompanied by a Cabernet Merlot. Beef and red wine is the perfect pairing because of the interplay between the tannins in the wine and the protein in the meat. Taking a sip of a robust red after a mouthful of seared meat is a mouth-watering combination.
But you won’t find Phil at home on the BBQ this Valentine’s Day, but you can book a table at Phil’s Kitchen where he will be serving up an amazing four-course set menu for $120 per person.
Look for local fresh ingredients
Chef Norka Mella Munoz has a full house booked in for Valentine’s Day at Mangapapa Hotel in the Hawke’s Bay. However, if cooking at home she would choose to keep the meal simple using fresh local ingredients with a delicious crumbed Ovation lamb rack as the hero. Her advice would be to season and crumb the individual cutlets in Panko and then shallow fry in butter and oil. Served simply with creamy mashed potato and steamed seasonal vegetables with some homemade mint jelly and you have an amazing meal to treat someone special.
And no Valentine’s Day meal would be complete without a simple but delicious dessert, so Norka recommends finishing off with fresh Hawke’s Bay berries, cream and chocolates. A couple of bottles of red wine and you’re bound to have a very happy Valentine.
