A Valentine’s Day Menu for #Winnipeg @VelvetGloveWPG

Looking for an amazing option for Valentine’s Day in Winnipeg?

My fiance and I had a sneak preview of the special Valentine’s Day Aphrodisiac menu at the distinguished Velvet Glove restaurant located in the Fairmont Hotel in Winnipeg.

Eraj, the new Executive Chef created a magical evening for us by telling a story with each dish that he brought to our table.

Fresh bread arrived at the table as we discussed if we should have wine or cocktails.

After gorging on bread, we finally decided on a wine, red of course! Albert, our server, pleasantly suggested the Quailsgate Pinot Noir, a Canadian wine and oh em gee, was it ever smooth!

After one sip we were ready for our Amuse.

After trying oysters for the first time last year, I wasn’t sure about how I’d feel eating them again. This delectable take on “Oysters and Pearls” was so tasty! With oysters ordered directly from PEI, we could taste the freshness. Complemented by cucumber gelee and salmon caviar, it was the perfect way to start our meal.

Next up, the starter dish:

The theme for this menu – fresh and light! Behold! Heart of palm with crab, coriander, mint and avocado. It was delicate and light but had tons of flavour.

Moving on to the soup…

It’s a dish that comes in two parts: base and broth.

The base contains toasted coconut sour cream smear, white chocolate, duck fat powder and crispy short rib. The broth is purple cabbage consomme. Thanks to proper portion size this soup was perfect. The sweetness of the consomme coupled with the crunchiness of the short rib were amazing. Typically, I like my soup to be piping hot, this was not; however, to each their own! It’s the flavours that make this soup matter.

This menu is no joke, it was unreal to know that we were only halfway through and next up was the appetizer.

More fresh ingredients on our plates!  Essentially a salad, this appetizer had prosciutto, fig, burrata (soft cheese, like a fresh young cheese), olive oil, lemon juice, watercress and chili pine nuts. Divine! Again, super flavourful and light. The sweetness of the fig, smokiness of the prosciutto, and tartness of the lemon juice worked really well together.

As we geared up for the entree, we were treated to a yummy palate cleanser.

Three simple ingredients in slushy form: strawberries, watermelon and vodka. Delish!

By this point, we were ready for the main event, not because we were hungry but because we couldn’t wait to see what it was!

Lawd! Yes, I said lawd! A perfectly cooked Lobster-Crusted Beef Tenderloin with truffle pomme de terre puree, spinach, mushrooms, hazelnut jus and parsley puree. Yum, yum, yum! I’m not sure I can put this taste into words, but let me tell you my fiance was one happy man. He happens to work with beef suppliers often and knows his way around various cuts of meat so when he said it was perfect, I knew he was right!

I personally could take or leave the lobster, probably because I love red meat and couldn’t wait to cut into that tenderloin. Overall another perfect portion where I didn’t feel full but also wasn’t feeling like I didn’t get enough.

We didn’t want the evening to end but wanted to make sure we caught at least some of the Jets game haha!

Here comes dessert!

For the chocolate lovers, this Sweet Ending included: chocolate ganache, lemon curd, chocolate soil, sponge toffee, raspberry coulis, berries, drunken cherries, and peanut butter powder.

The Aphrodisiac menu is a perfect match for Valentine’s Day – it’s romantic, delicate and full of flavour. Huge thanks to Chef Eraj for being so creative with his choices, we thoroughly enjoyed it.

I almost forgot! You can’t have a Valentine’s Day without a special treat, you know, something to spice up the remainder of your evening? Before you leave the Velvet Glove, you’ll receive this:

Yep, that’s EDIBLE chocolate body paint and EDIBLE vanilla dust! Teehee! Here’s hoping we actually get to use them!

There aren’t many reservations remaining for this fabulous menu on Valentine’s Day, so call right now and book your spot.

Velvet Glove Restaurant – (204) 957-1350

Be sure to follow the Fairmont Winnipeg on Twitter: @TheFairmontWpg and Instagram: fairmontwpg

Enjoy!