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February 10, 2016

As you know, Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and the wise diner will already have made extensive plans for where they are going to celebrate the day.

But what if you’re trying  to pick a restaurant in which to propose to your partner?

Pick the wrong restaurant on Valentine’s Day and you will probably be forgiven after some concerted grovelling.

Botch your marriage proposal and you may as well head home and reactivate the dreaded online dating profile.

Optimise chances of success

Choosing the best venue to propose in will always be a deeply personal decision. My culinary Shangri-La might be your idea of Fawlty Towers.

Which is a roundabout way of saying ‘Don’t blame us if you get a knockback’.

Here’s my top seven 5pm restaurants to propose in for Glasgow and Edinburgh. Most of them are towards the top end of the scale and we make no apologies about that.

If you’re going to propose in a restaurant then you want to choose one which will optimise your chances of a ‘Yes’.

And that tends to be the sort of place that doesn’t have shoogly tables, charmingly incompetent service and ironic fish finger butties on the day’s specials.

Martin Wishart at Loch Lomond

Martin Wishart at Loch Lomond: beautifully presented food.
Martin Wishart at Loch Lomond: beautifully presented food.

Beautifully presented food from one of Scotland’s finest chefs, all delivered in the lochside setting of Cameron House. Do dinner here as part of an overnight getaway and you’ll be slipping the ring on his/her finger before you’ve finished the boudin of Kilbrannan scallops.

I don’t know about Valentine’s day but lunch at Martin Wishart at Loch Lomond is usually £32 which should leave you more money for a giant sparkler.

Did we mention the Michelin star?

City Merchant

City Merchant
City Merchant: seafood specialists.

Seafood is sexy and City Merchant on Glasgow’s Candleriggs specialises in seafood. They are also members of the Scotch Beef Club but that’s another story.

Half a dozen Cumbrae oysters, langoustines in garlic butter, eyes sparkling in the table lights. Add a bottle of Flying Scotsman Albarino – with its aromas of peach and honeysuckle – and… well, you can see where all this is going.

Hutchesons

Hutchesons cafe bar web

Between the gorgeously retro bar and the sumptuous Grand Brasserie, A-listed Hutchesons on Ingram Street offers multiple locations for popping the question. You could ask your beloved’s hand in marriage over bubbles and brunch or you could go wild and opt for the caviar and Bolly route.

The bar does a very good range of Glenfarclas single malts should you need some liquid courage before proposing.

Tower Restaurant

Tower skyline.

We could bang on about the Irish and Scottish oysters; the Isle of Mull lobster thermidor and the dry-aged Scotch steaks. We could mention the polished service and the 200 bin wine list at the Tower Restaurant.

Or we could cut to the chase and just say ‘rooftop views to Edinburgh Castle’. Time it just right for the sun going down and suggest pre-dinner cocktails on the terrace.

The Pompadour by Galvin

The Pompadour by Galvin: eye-catching dining room.
The Pompadour by Galvin: eye-catching dining room.

If you want your intended to feel very special, book in to The Pompadour by Galvin in Edinburgh’s five star Caledonian Hotel. Ask for a table with views of Edinburgh Castle through the massive, semi-circle windows. I could be wrong but I think table eight is the most sought after.

The restaurant was named after Madame de Pompadour, the official mistress of Louis XV. Although having said that, mistresses are probably not the best conversation starter if you have a twinkle in your eye and an engagement ring in your pocket. The food is French in technique and uses lots of prime Scottish ingredients.

Hotel du Vin at One Devonshire Gardens

Bistro du Vin at One Devonshire Gardens: elegant.
Bistro du Vin at One Devonshire Gardens: elegant.

Smart, elegant and a second home for many of the celebrities that visit Glasgow, the Bistro du Vin at One Devonshire Gardens has long been one of the city’s top destination restaurants. And if it’s good enough for Kylie or George Clooney…

Actually, spotting a celeb would only be a small bonus. Barry Duff’s kitchen brigade give plenty of compelling reasons to pay a visit and propose here. The menus change depending on the seasonal produce available but a typical dish might be the poached Mull monkfish with saffron noodles, chorizo, coconut and mussel broth.

Divino Enoteca

The striking entrance to Divino Enoteca.
The striking entrance to Divino Enoteca.

Located in a cosy vault in Edinburgh’s Old Town vault, Divino Enoteca is a family-run Italian with a rather splendid wine list. Asking the sommelier here to match a glass of wine to each course would be a clever move.

Food and wine apart, we’ve included Divino for the candlelit ambience. It’s very flattering for those of us not still in the first flush of youth. Of course, the tagliatelle dish also means that you can re-enact the spaghetti-sharing scene from Lady and the Tramp.

If he/she says no after that then you’re marrying the wrong guy/gal.