Arteastiq Boutique Tea Lounge Valentine's Day 2015 Menu

The floral accents and garden-theme adopted by Arteastiq creates a splendidly romantic decor very well suited for a occasion like Valentine's Day.  I know that feeling, the struggle between being polite on dinner tables and taking photos... even though I don't encourage phone usage during dates, some of you might be tempted to post photos later on Instagram! The backdrop provides a very girly, whimsical feel and the lighting is not too dim to interfere with your food photography or selfies (some restaurants are so dark...!). Arteastiq has rosy, flattering warm hues which means you can be done quickly with the photo-taking process and start enjoying the date.

You know how sometimes you get exactly the same courses for both your partner and yourself for menus on special occasions? So boring, right? Everyone loves variety, and the ladies and gentlemen have very different likings. Arteastiq knows that and they have created a menu that has 5 different courses for each of you. If you're practically best friends with your other half, you can indiscriminately share and enjoy all the different creations. This menu is priced at $188/couple.

Note: Serving sizes as shown in picture is for two to five persons. Actual serving would be smaller than pictured. But trust that you'll be stuffed at the end.

Ladies Affair; Roasted sweet potato and rosemary salad

This salad is drenched in mustard dressing, with soft roasted sweet potato with crispy edges, thinly sliced radish, and mesclun green. I'm not the sort of girl who likes salads, but this was dressed up a little with more interesting textures from the potatoes and capers. I would imagine a lot of girls who love their greens would enjoy this a lot.

Gentlemen's Dinner; Cyperian affair

I liked this much better than the ladies' salads because of the pan-fried halloumi chunks! I had it once before over a dinner party and was completely charmed by its salty cheesy squeaky bite... and this salad is loaded with those goodness alongside walnuts, croutons, grapes, greek honey and arrugala. Above all, these are drizzled with a good dosage of balsamic sauce for an acidic and tantalizing touch.

Ladies Affair; Crabmeat benedict

For the girls who love their brunch items, this is an upgrade from the usual eggs benedict on this special day. There is your perfect poached egg, topped onto brioche, a thick maryland crabcake with tangy paprika hollandaise sauce. It is also very fragrant with a lot of herbs used including parsley, thyme and chives.

Gentlemen's Dinner; Frikadel et rosti

The men's menu is designed in a more masculine way through the main course: indulge in a chunk of juicy German chicken frikadel patty resting on a bed of sweet potato rosti made in-house. You get both horse radish sauce and brown sauce for dipping. I really like the horse radish sauce which tastes almost like wasabi. 

Intermezzo ; Pear tea granita

This is a simple yet lovely and refreshing intermediary break before the mains, which is essentially exotic shaved pear-flavoured ice.

Ladies Affair; Barley risotto

For the mains, ladies get a special vegetarian risotto made entirely of barley with a light buttery base, with an assembly of saffron fennel, vegetable glazes, and slivers of pecorino romano Italian cheese. I like how it is quite filling without making me feel too full for desserts. The last thing I want is to have a growling stomach two hours later, or a bulging food baby in my dress after my meal.

Gentlemen's Dinner; Duck pancake

This is the most memorable dish of the night because of its ingenuity. Ladies, please pinch a little of this from your man's platter! ;) Inspired from the Peking duck dish, the spiced duck confit is stuffed alongside cucumber in a thin French crepe. This gives rise to an aromatic mix with oregano and other Asian herbs. The orange caramel sauce provides an invigorating zest to the dish.

Ladies Affair; Osmanthus creme brulee

The generous party of grapes and strawberry sits right atop the caramelized surface that cracks upon scooping up the creamy smooth custard below it. A floral tint of osmanthus tingles as an aftertaste if you look out for it.

Gentlemen's Dinner; French toast with brie

A more savoury dessert for the guys with Do.Main's bread stuffed with brie cheese and a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. Take the chance to share the desserts (if you haven't for the mains, already) to round up the night with a sweet and intimate note.

Each of you gets to take home this heart-shaped dark chocolate or peach cake too to remember the night by. 

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