Attention hopeless romantics: whether you’re flying solo on 14 February or happily loved up, there is a range of fabulous ways you can spend Valentine’s Day this year.

From speed dating at Bluebird restaurant in Chelsea to a three-course meal in the West End, The Artful Diner has tracked down six of the best places to get your Valentine’s Day foodie fix. What’s more, we have inside tips from the chefs themselves on how they like to spend Valentine’s Day…

Romance on the river

With its gorgeous setting along the Thames, Butler's Wharf Chop House will be teeming with romantics on Valentine’s Day. Head chef Martin Kroon is set to whip up hearty British food from nostalgic recipes he’s collected from the British Isles. Think Jerusalem artichoke with watercress, quail egg and spiced walnut salad for starter and venison Wellington with celeriac and port gravy for your main.

Although Martin will be busy in the kitchen all night, he’s looking forward to celebrating the evening with his girlfriend after work. “I’m hoping she’ll cook up her rabbit à la provençale dish or salmon lasagna and we’ll celebrate with a glass of champagne,” he says.

Love in a heartbeat

If you want to find a new flame, you might be in luck on Valentine’s Day at Bluebird's one-hour speed-dating event. If you hit it off with someone, you can then take the conversation to the dinner table and enjoy a delicious buffet. Alternatively, spend the evening tasting Billecart-Salmon champagne and canapés in Bluebird’s wine cellar with your loved one or indulge in a three-course meal by head chef Mark Block.

Get in the mood in the West End

If you’re an arts and culture type, head along to the West End this Valentine’s Day with your partner, friend or fling and indulge in a three-course Indian-inspired meal at Carom followed by a late-night theatre show. Guests will enjoy a welcome cocktail, live entertainment and a specially designed menu featuring the Carom ‘love box’ sharing dessert (pictured above).

According to Carom’s head chef Balaji Balachander, one of the best ways to impress a loved one is through food. When The Artful Diner asked Balaji what dish he’d choose to cook for his partner, he said it’d have to be seafood. “I come from a coastal region in India so I love seafood. To impress a loved one I’d cook seafood biryani and match it with Sula white wine from India.”

Designed for two

Robin Gill, head chef at inner-city French restaurant Sauterelle has designed a special, five-course, flirtatious menu for Valentine’s Day, themed around the concept of sharing platters. Diners will also be given chocolates from renowned chocolatier Paul A. Young (see main picture). “I always cook a beautiful lunch with one big feast of shellfish: oysters, crab claws, fresh English prawns and lobster,” says Robin on how he likes to spend Valentine’s Day. “We’ll finish with my lemon verbena sorbet and a glass of Nyetimber classic cuvee.”

Dine in or dine out

Unleash your romantic side in the comfort of your own home on 14 February and surprise your partner with a seafood and champagne hamper package from Kensington Place. The hamper features lobster, chocolate pots, smoked salmon, a bottle of bubbles and more.

Or, if you prefer the hum of a restaurant, don your best dress and venture to Notting Hill to enjoy a four-course menu by Kensington Place’s head chef Daniel Loftin. Dishes you can expect to see include oysters (an essential starter for its alleged aphrodisiac effect), fillet of beef with truffled potato purée and wild mushrooms and vanilla crème brûlée.

Evoke the city of love

For quintessential French fare inspired by the city of love, Paris, treat your partner to a night of rich, indulgent food at Le Pont de la Tour. Head chef Tom Cook is planning a decadent four-course menu boasting a fillet of beef to be shared (carved in front of you at your table), plus rich desserts such as Valrhona chocolate fondant and rose macaroons with vanilla cream and lychee sorbet.

On the topic of love, The Artful Diner asked Tom what food and wine he loves at the moment. “I love creating simple meals like steak or sea bass with gnocchi. And I’m really enjoying white wines and corduroy- and floral-flavoured wines.”