Nowhere does rooftop food and drinks quite like Melbourne. Here's our pick of the best rooftop experiences around the city.
Food & Wine
Easy rocky road recipe
Delicious chicken salad recipe
Vegetarian-friendly Mediterranean chickpea salad recipe
Classic negroni cocktail with a twist recipe
Best Valentine's Day romantic recipes for date night at home
Want to be more romantic this Valentine’s Day? Indulge your loved one with a delectable cake, a fancy cocktail or a home-cooked meal that makes them feel extra special.
The way to a person’s heart is really through their stomach. Food brings people together. Food makes us happy - and food is associated with some of our most treasured memories. So, it makes sense that if you want to impress someone on Valentine’s Day you should cook something as a way of expressing your love.
It doesn’t have to be a three-course meal – although we’ll give you some recipes to do that – it could be a rich chocolate cake or irresistible caramel salted cookies that melt in your mouth.
But if you’re pressed for time or feel your cooking and baking skills aren’t up to scratch, then every year Le Petit Gateau patisserie releases a limited-edition cake for Valentine’s Day that will make you and your loved one swoon.
Le Petit Gateau patisserie in Melbourne's CBD makes special cakes for Valentine's Day every year. Image: Blanche Clark
For chocolate lovers
The ultimate chocolate cake recipe
Everyone needs a great chocolate cake in their baking repertoire and this ultimate flourless chocolate cake has an irresistible fudgy texture. The addition of coffee enhances its rich, chocolatey flavour. Use high-quality couverture chocolate, which contains a higher percentage of cocoa butter than baking or eating chocolate, to get the best results. If you're loving it vegan, try this diary-free, egg-free vegan chocolate cake. It ticks all the boxes for easy baking, maximum taste and light texture.
Salted caramel choc chip cookie recipe
Our growing appetite for all things sweet and salty shows no sign of slowing down, so if you’re keen to impress someone new in your life then these salted caramel choc chip cookies will do the trick. Devised by Le Petit Gateau’s master chefs, the combination of gooey caramel and creamy chocolate is heavenly. Of course, you’ll have to taste test one or two before you share them. The best part is it only takes about 30 minutes to whip up a batch.
Serve chocolate cake with cream and berries for the ultimate treat. Image: Getty
Easy rocky road recipe
If your loved one is a big kid at heart, then try this easy rocky road recipe from the Le Petit Gateau kitchen. This recipe lends itself to whatever toppings you desire. You can make it more sophisticated with roasted hazelnuts or high quality turkish delight. Take it to the next level with couverture chocolate and enjoy the rich and creamy flavour.
Easy chocolate mousse cake recipe
Everything you love about a chocolate cake is intensified in terms of taste, texture and enjoyment with chocolate mousee. This chocolate mousse cake recipe from the RACV Club kitchen makes a decadent dessert and is sure to make two hearts beat as one.
Cooking a special meal for Valentine's Day is sure to impress your partner. Image: Getty
Make a bigger impression
Slow-cooked beef brisket with chimichurri sauce
Fire up the BBQ, because this tender, juicy and delectable slow-cooked beef brisket with chimichurri sauce recipe is perfect if you want to prepare a meal that’s ready when your loved one comes home from work. A Webber barbecue with wood chips and charcoal is ideal for this slow-cooked American-style barbecue brisket.
Easy Tonkatsu spiced baked salmon recipe
If you want a recipe that you can make quickly without slaving over a hot stove, then try this easy Tonkatsu spiced baked salmon recipe. You'll find Tonkatsu in Japanese grocers or supermarkets with speciality aisles. Pair the dish with a salad of curly endive, radishes, tomatoes, avocado and cucumber. It’s a match made in heaven.
If you're after a quick recipe, try the Tonkatsu spiced baked salmon. Image: Getty
Delicious chicken salad recipe
Take your chicken salad to the next level with Cajun spice and, if you dare, some smoky eucalyptus flavours. This delicious chicken salad recipe, which comes from the Yarra Valley’s foodie destination, Riddell’s Green, is a fusion of South American and Australian flavours. Serve it with a “green goddess” salad for a romantic night.
Vegetarian-friendly Mediterranean chickpea salad recipe
Hearty and soul-warming, vegetarians will appreciate this Mediterranean chickpea salad recipe for its delectable combination of protein-rich legumes and eggplant. You can serve it by itself or with barbecued tempeh or tofu for a vegetarian and steak for a meat eater. Dim the lights, lit the candles, and try it with a glass of chardonnay or pinot noir.
Create cocktail hour at home
Passionfruit Collins cocktail recipe
Introduce a bit of passion with this delightful cocktail. It’s a refreshing take on the classic Tom Collins cocktail, swapping out simple syrup for a passionfruit liqueur that’s made with real passionfruit. You can add a dash of syrup to this passionfruit collins cocktail recipe if you or your partner like your cocktails extra sweet.
Cosmo sour cocktail recipe
Made famous by the hit series Sex and the City, the cosmo sour has evolved into a cult favourite for both genders. Using your favourite vodka for this cosmo sour cocktail recipe and shake things up this Valentine’s Day with a confluence of sweet and sour flavours that are sure to bring you closer together as a couple.
Classic negroni cocktail with a twist recipe
Here’s a summer-kissed twist on the classic negroni cocktail. The bar staff at Melbourne CBD bar Bourke Street Green like to be inventive and they've replaced the distinctive Campari Aperitivo bitters from Italy with Davo Plum Aperitivo bitters from a local producer. Put on your favourite music, make two drinks following this classic negroni cocktail with a twist recipe and dance the night away.
Dirty martini mocktail recipe
Does your partner prefer savoury flavours? This dirty martini mocktail recipe might be the way to their heart. Believed to have emerged from New York’s bar scene in the early 1900s, the dirty martini has a salty and savoury flavour profile that pairs well with olives, oysters and anchovies. It's an acquired taste, so it's the drink of choice for those who know exactly what their partner likes.
