Women love to be wined and dined. In fact, food, romance and even lust have been linked together for centuries. Did you know that cooking, eating and making love use all five basic senses – sight, touch, hearing, taste and smell? What goes on in the kitchen, if done right, can ultimately extend to the bedroom.

So rather than spend a fortune at a swanky restaurant, why not plan a table for two at home? Surely there is nothing more romantic than preparing a lavish spread for your other half! In fact, this meal story was done as a prelude to my eighth wedding anniversary (which fell on the September 26th) and my lovely wife gamely agreed to ‘share the romance’ with The Weekend Chef crew.

A couple of months back, I ‘accidentally’ promised Jonathan that I would contribute to The Weekend Chef and he has been pestering me ever since. So on Merdeka Day, I decided to put my money where my mouth is and come up with something to get him off my back. For a brief moment, the possibility of food poisoning would also serve that purpose but it is very bad form to poison someone on his birthday. So I set out to do something simple yet satisfying.

I am a self-confessed chocolate lover – a chocoholic if you will. Ever since I had my first taste of chocolate, I was hooked. There is nothing quite like the taste and texture of good chocolate. Eat it, drink it and even cook with it. Whatever you do, I can guarantee that it will leave you craving for more.

And so it should be! After all, the plant’s botanical name, Theobroma cacao, literally means “food of the Gods.” In our pursuit of all things Godly, why not start with chocolate?

Some call it the ‘Stinking Rose’. Others wax lyrical over it. Supposedly, an aphrodisiac, the Jews were commanded to eat it on the Sabbath Eve to arouse conjugal behaviour. In certain parts of Asia, however, its consumption was sacrilegious. It was even used in ancient times to ward off vampires. Truly, there is no other vegetable as controversial as the humble garlic. Whether you are repulsed by its smell or cannot live without it, garlic is arguably the most widely used ingredient in cuisines around the world. Can you imagine escargots without garlic butter? Or a Chinese stir-fry minus the mandatory dose of minced garlic? And would tahini retain its name without garlic?