Planning a date night is important when adding a little spark in relationships, but taking a step outside your normal plans can go a long way in sustaining the flame between you and your partner. Whether you’re planning an exciting night of romance out on the city or an intimate night at home, try these tips to add a little romance on your next date.
The backdrop of your date night sets the tone for how intimate your dinner together will (or won’t) be. If you want to inspire conversation and connection with your partner, make sure your surroundings enable that. Choose something that is comfortable for you as a couple, but perhaps out of the ordinary.
For those dining out, consider booking a table at a restaurant with scenic views, like Pierchic. It’s one thing to gaze upon the waves crashing on the beach, but a table above the water elevates the experience as the waves wash under you. As you dine, you’ll find yourselves looking back at the city you took a little getaway from to be a little closer with the one you love.
If you want to enjoy a romantic night in, you can still have dinner with a different view. It’s easy to settle into your place on the couch as you queue up a movie, but try transforming your dining room or patio into the destination you’d like to experience together. Putting in the extra effort to reset your table with flowers and candles recreates the feeling of dining out and allows you to engage with your partner without the distraction of a busy restaurant.
Sometimes setting an intentional mood for your night is the best way to go. If you and your partner share a good memory of dinner while you were visiting another city or country, try bringing that feeling back. Whether it’s the style of cuisine, vibe of a restaurant, or the city you were in, think about those elements that made it special.
If you shared a great first date that started with dinner and drinks at an Asian restaurant and things took off from there, take it up a notch and plan a night at Blue Jade in the Ritz-Carlton Dubai. The vibrant flavors tantalize your palates as you revisit those first memories with fondness.
Staying in doesn’t mean you can’t recreate those memories. As long as you’re setting a scene, do it with a mood in mind — and make it one that inspires your dinner and relationship. Bring fine Asian-influenced flavors to your dining room with the spice of dan dan sauce with noodles and crisp vegetable spring rolls. Not only will you enjoy a globally-inspired dinner, but you’ll both smile knowing you made it together without breaking your budget.
One of the best ways to connect with your partner is over shared food you choose and enjoy together. There’s something special about those delightful bites of an assortment of dishes and the subsequent ruminating over favorites at the end of the meal. After all, date night is about sharing special time — and food — together.
Find a restaurant that does shared plates rather than individual entrees so both of you can pick a few dishes to keep things interesting. An easy way to do this is to try dim sum at Long Yin where you choose multiple small plates of Chinese dishes like dumplings, rolls, and more. Together, you and your partner can get a little closer in bonding over what makes a perfect meal and perhaps, even the perfect date.
Though you may not be able to have the dim sum carts rolling by your table and picking out plates as you wish, you can still do dim sum at home. Some famous dim sum dishes like vegetable dumplings in Szechuan sauce, siew mai, and an assortment of gyoza are easily available and prepared in your kitchen for a build your own dim sum experience. It brings you and your partner side by side while plating it up, and still has the fun feeling of picking who gets the last bite of each plate as the dishes slowly clear.
Always finish your date night dinners on a sweet note. Whether you’re skimming over a dessert menu at the restaurant or thinking about the sweet treat you have waiting in the freezer or cupboard at home, dessert always adds a nice finishing touch for you to share.
