Love on the table

DUBAI: There's love in the air and Cupid's striking his arrows left, right and centre. It's the countdown to February 14, a night when lovers will huddle together over dimly lit candles, savouring gourmet cuisine while staring into each other's eyes.

Such is the hedonism the night provides that my partner and I decided to treat the entire month as Valentine's month, instead of limiting our pleasure to just a day. One such night led us to La Parrilla, the Latin American restaurant at Jumeirah Beach Hotel. The four-course Valentine menu presented the perfect opportunity to spend a few hours embracing the hearty South American cuisine while brushing up on our tango skills.

Say cheese

Our waiter for the evening, in all his Brazilian glory, took us through the menu with as much dedication and passion as if he'd conjured it on his own. For starters we had a choice between a Goat's Cheese Soufflé Romance with a sun-dried tomato coulis and cilantro foam, and the Foie Gras Enamorado.

Now, I love my cheese and my partner loves his all-things-French, so the decision was simple.

Whiffing the aroma of the soufflé, there was an air of anticipation all around. Would it live up to expectation? One spoonful in and I felt like I was wolfing down flavoured bits of air, the tastes and textures doing a romantic swirl in my mouth.

My partner's Foie Gras Enamorado (Spanish for love) was served atop a chocolate hazelnut brittle. An unusual combination, but one that had him finishing every crumb off his plate.

Next up was Cazuela de Mariscos, the famous Latin American lovers' soup. After the exoticism of the starters, the creamy seafood bisque was just what we needed to calm down for the main course. In my case, it was the Suenio de Pez Espada (swordfish with lobster and cashew sauce, served with heirloom tomatoes), while for my partner it was the Lomo Caliente, a slow grilled tenderloin with Peruvian spicy potatoes and truffles.

For once, I wished we'd swapped dishes. Although the swordfish was soft and flaky with just the right amount of moisture still in the flesh, it was the tenderloin I was hungering for - because of the still-pink juicy meat surrounded by those divine black truffles.

By the end of the course, the music had all but dwindled down and the last tango dancers were probably on their way home. But so enamoured were we by the food, music, and conversation surrounding us, that time had flown past. Four hours later, we still hadn't approached dessert.

Fortunately, with a pre-set menu, the choice had already been made. We'd both have a light chocolate cake with Dulce de leche crème brulee, salted caramel mousse and a crunchy feuilletine. The explosion of flavours and emotions this dessert produced was unrealistic, with the feuilletine adding the perfect crunch to the creamy textures of the crème brulee and the aftertaste of the chocolate.

Being the last diners in a suddenly empty restaurant, there was no time to linger over a dessert this delightful. It was all too soon time to leave, to say good bye to this most perfect of perfect evenings.