As the Valentine’s Day approaches, a date night might be on the cards for some of you lucky people!! Great grub plays a big part in a great date for most couples. Be it a night out with the long term other half or a meet up with someone new, the way to a person’s heart is always through their stomach! If you fancy a trip to Waterford, there are some superb spots to splash out on a gourmet date. Take your pick from this little clutch.

GRANVILLE HOTEL

The stately Granville Hotel in Waterford City has a gracious dining room in The Bianconi Restaurant. Good old fashioned hospitality and service is alive and well here, as General Manager Richard Hurley and his team welcome you to a taste of hotel dining as it should be. Granville is a place of history, so if you are going on date with a bit of a buff on times past, this destination may well impress them.

The Bianconi is an elegant room with period features. Tables are dressed in pristine white linen with cutlery and glassware polished to within an inch of its life! Service is discreet and professional. The set menu of three courses served from 6.30 pm to 9.30 pm each evening mixes old with new culinary creations from Head Chef Stephen Hooper and his brigade. After dinner, slip into the Thomas Meagher Bar where you can finish off your evening with more wine if you wish, a craft beer or something stronger, like a snifter from the impressive Irish Whiskey collection. Second time round daters looking for something sophisticated and tasteful will love The Granville.

FAITHLEGG HOUSE HOTEL

Faithlegg House Hotel is where you go for a date that makes a night (or two!) of it. You don’t have to stay here to eat here, the restaurant is open to the public at all times and booking is advisable. But if you don’t book a room, we guarantee you will be kicking yourself when you arrive and see what you are missing! This country house hotel just outside Waterford City offers superlative accommodation and a superb dining experience created by Head Chef Jenny Flynn.

Jenny is a dynamo of a girl, at the top of her game and totally in charge of her culinary world. At The Roseville Rooms, an award-winning restaurant, Jenny showcases produce from Waterford and neighbouring counties. The restaurant has an elegant feel, created from two of the house’s original drawing rooms with an interconnecting conservatory. A perfect platform to present a seasonal and classical A la Carte menu that focuses on dishes created with top-quality ingredients, handled with care and respect in the kitchen. Jenny likes to surprise, so you’ll get combos that shift the senses in a good way. After dinner, retreat to the Aylward Bar for a nightcap, before retiring to your comfortable bedroom. Overnighters can indulge in a super breakfast in the morning then enjoy the house and grounds. Top your date off with a Falconry Experience with the Faithlegg Hawks or go on the Hawk Walk, wandering through the trees with a hawk flying with you. Perfect for a loved up couple!

WHITE HORSES ARDMORE

Ardmore is a village where local families go to be beside the sea. Those who stumble upon it accidentally fall in love with its old-world charm. Right in the heart of it, White Horses Restaurant is a long-established eatery run by three sisters, Christine Power and Geraldine and Angela Flavin, who set up a dining room here in this converted old shop. Food is simple and delicious – from the gorgeous fish and seafood caught in local waters to beautiful Irish meats.

White Horses does lovely food in proper portions and those who find it come back time and again. A pretty dining room is complemented with a lovely outdoor terrace if you fancy dining al fresco. Dessert is a dream. Choose what you want from the display cabinet – and because you won’t be able to choose just one pud it’s perfectly acceptable to mix and match with a sliver of this and a slice of that. This is a date night for those couples who are very happy in each other’s company and don’t mind seeing their other half totally pigging out!  Follow up with a stroll on the beach as the waves lap gently on the sand. Clichéd yes, but who cares?!