Review: A luxurious Valentine's Day staycation with a romantic DIY meal

Thinking of a romantic staycation to surprise your significant other this coming Valentine's Day? How about one where you'll get to whip up a delicious dinner for two in a luxurious apartment?

Oakwood Premier AMTD Singapore has rolled out a new Romance in the Kitchen package, which comes with a three-course DIY meal kit so you can concoct your own Valentine's Day meal. It's said that cooking together's not just fun, but incredibly intimate and a great way to bond. We tried it out for ourselves with a night's stay, and here's how it went.

A luxurious stay

A luxury serviced apartment, Oakwood Premier AMTD Singapore opened up for staycays after getting its hotel license a couple of years ago. Flaunting upscale and contemporary interiors, it also has facilities like a 24-hour fitness centre and outdoor infinity pool (bookings required), and an in-house restaurant, Se7enth.

It's also conveniently located in the CBD area, with dining options, malls, and convenience stores just a stone's throw away.

The apartment

We checked into the One Bedroom Premier Apartment, which has an elegant and cosy living room, a dining-cum-study table, and cushy sofa. The perks of staying in a serviced apartment doesn't just mean a more spacious abode, but there's a well-equipped kitchenette too — and we do mean well-equipped.

From an induction stove to a washing machine, oven, fridge, dishwasher, bread toaster, cookware, and even a rice cooker, it's got everything you need to be (almost) self-sufficient and comfortable during your stay. There's also a 49-inch Smart TV as well as an in-room Samsung phone, tablet and Bluetooth speaker (all the better to amp up the romance with your curation of love songs).

An exceptional view

I absolutely recommend splashing out a bit more for the One Bedroom Premier Apartment (and above), which comes with a view of the sea and sets the mood for an intimate getaway. The bedroom outfitted with a plush king-sized bed, as well as huge glass windows on two sides, affording a marvellous vista of the cityscape and the waters beyond.

There's no sunset to be caught here, but wake up early enough and you'll get to catch the hints of the sunrise. The elegant en-suite bathroom comes with glass windows too, but there are blinds you can pull down for privacy.

Whip up your own romantic Valentine's Day dinner

To get your meal kit, you can ring up Se7enth restaurant so the team can get the ingredients ready and they'll be fresh when delivered to your room.

The package comes with a three-course meal kit for two, which includes a starter of Tiger Prawns with Tomato Salsa Relish as well as Garden Greens with Balsamic Vinaigrette. The prawns come already cooked, so all you have to do is plate them up with the greens.

For mains, you get a choice of Australian Ribeye Steak with Truffle Mash Potato, Broccolini and Red Wine Sauce, or Salmon Steak with Truffle Mash Potato, Broccolini and Mushroom Cream Sauce. It's also accompanied by a either a jug of mocktail or a bottle of red or white wine, and Banana Chocolate Mousse with Eclairons and Berries for dessert.

Our verdict

Even though it might be best to have a little cooking know-how, let's just say neither myself nor my partner are adept in the kitchen.

However, we still found it relatively easy to follow the step-by-step instructions that came with the kit and managed to throw together a pretty good meal, if I may say so myself. Even my partner, who generally prefers to stay out of the kitchen, admitted he had an enjoyable time. Plus, it's tons of fun having someone else to figure it all out with.

Food-wise, the ingredients were of good quality and flavourful, from the pre-marinated rib-eye steak and salmon to the housemade sauces and the aromatic — and generously portioned — truffle mash, which required just warming up in a pot.

The only drawback? There were no instruction manuals for the induction stove and the oven. We spent quite a bit of time fiddling with the buttons (and also worrying if we'd thrown the appliances out of whack) before we got it right.

Have a party in your room with Oakwood's mobile bar service

While there's a bar located on the seventh floor, Oakwood has an exclusive mobile bar experience that'll bring the booze right to your doorstep if you prefer to take the party to the comfort of your room.

A mixologist will shake up two cocktails of your choice per person, served with a platter of canapes each. The service is available from 7pm to 10pm, and the mobile bar will come by twice (that's four cocktails and two platters of canapes per person!) at your preferred timeslots.

For your tipple, think options like the Singapore Sling, a tropical Summer Rain with vodka, pineapple and coconut, or the bar's signature, the Champion's Cocktail with vodka, ginger ale, lime and mint.

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Note: Unfortunately, the mobile bar is not available with the Romance in the Kitchen package or during Valentine's Day due to operational constraints, but you can book it during stays on regular days.

Wake up to breakfast at Se7enth

The stay also comes with a daily breakfast for two, which you'll have at Se7enth. While it originally doled out a buffet-style breakfast, it now serves breakfast sets due to the pandemic.

Take your pick between an American Breakfast Set, a Continental Breakfast Set, or a Local Breakfast Set. The first comes with the likes of bacon, hashbrowns, baked beans, sausages and your choice of eggs, while the second has waffles, selected cheeses, and charcuterie, as well as mixed dried fruits and nuts. The local menu comes on a rotational basis and during our stay, it included dim sum options like char siew puffs.

Each set comes with coffee or tea as well as a glass of juice.

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Available for stays between Feb 6 to 19, 2022, book your Romance in the Kitchen package by Feb 1, 2022 and select from a One-Bedroom Deluxe, Executive or Premier Apartment. Rates start from $480++ per night and each package is inclusive of a three-course meal kit, a bottle of wine or a jug of mocktail, and breakfast for two persons.

Oakwood Premier AMTD Singapore is at  6 Shenton Way, #07-01 OUE Downtown 1, Singapore 068809. Visit its website for bookings or more information.

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This article was first published in The Singapore Women's Weekly.