Outsourcing Valentine’s Day

We will bring you some easy, excellent Valentine’s Day recipes next week, but if you want to head straight for someone else’s kitchen, a bunch of restaurants have Valentine’s menus for Thursday, February 14. Pulp Kitchen offers menus at two sittings: a four-course menu at 6.15pm, including oysters, gin-cured salmon with tomato consomme, lamb loin with pickled plums or blue-eye with prawns; and dark chocolate terrine ($75, including a glass of bubbly). At 8.30pm, the menu adds a pork terrine with apple and cider chutney and a cheese course ($95).

If you like to head somewhere tucked away, Boffins in University House at the Australian National University is also offering a Valentine’s menu, including a beetroot salad with golden raisins, pawpaw and goat’s curd; wagyu with potato gratin and bearnaise; and gelato (two courses $65, three courses $75, with a glass of champagne). Boffins has just spent $150,000 on a new kitchen and is open again, under chef Anshul Chandna, formerly of the Westin in Sydney, who brings dishes to the menu such as Kashmir braised beef cheeks with kumara puree and pomegranate; and nori-wrapped duck with shiitake and chestnuts.

And over at Old Parliament House, Janet Jeffs is dispensing with the couples obsession for Valentine’s and holding a ‘‘share the love’’ outdoor party ‘‘in a celebration of friendship and singledom’’ in the House of Representatives. DJ playing 6pm-11pm.