Question, do Singaporeans care about Valentine’s Day? Maybe not as much because everyday can be a Valentine’s Day. Ohhh….
Dates are important, to build a relationship, to get to know each other beyond the surface. I remember the very first time I went on a date, it was extremely nerve-wrecking and stressful, I didn’t want to leave anything to chances. (Okay, we ended up at Sushi Tei. Seriously. It was not bad lah.)
Other than considering the 10 Most Romantic Restaurants in Singapore for fine dating, and 5 Romantic Restaurants for dates with a budget , I thought I should share some tips on the first or important dinner dates. This is essentially meant for the guys, and hey, I learnt from my mistakes. Some more painful than others.
10 Tips for Dinner Dates in Singapore
Don’t go pricey on the first date
Don’t pick the most expensive restaurant or one that is likely to close for your first date / first Valentine’s Day dinner. Because THAT may the place you are likely to go again and again (if you marry that person – yes, I think long term.)
Always have a Plan B
Done with your dinner and not knowing where to go? This may be a premature call to an early night which is no good. Research on all the available coffee and tea places, walking spots, cinemas, and special shops around. Know exactly where to go after, and always provide options to your date.
Buffets? Eat too much, talk too little
Speaking from personal experience, having buffets during important dates can only mean too much food, and spending too little time together. Especially those buffets you need to walk far away to get food. For the 10 minutes you wait for your waffles to be made, you rather spend it talking to your date.
No 20 minute restaurants
By 20 minute restaurants, I mean places where you queue for more than 20 minutes and finish your meal in less 20 minutes – Keisuke Tonkotsu King, Nam Nam Noodle Bar and Tim Ho Wan. Unless you order 3 rounds of baked bbq buns.
Restaurants that smell? No.
Korean BBQ sounds good on paper, but their exhaust system is technically sound. No person would want to dress up to the nines, wash their hair with a sweet fragrance, use expensive perfume only to smell like barbecued pork after a long dinner date. Oh, and that expensive bag is going to have an odour.
Make your reservations
It is a must must must to make reservations. In fact, you should ask for the best spot when you call. A good F&B manager will know where. You don’t want to go to a restaurant to queue, or worse still, find it fully booked with the only option left… the food court.
Do your homework
There are enough blogs and websites which describe the menu and food provided. Impress your date with your knowledge of what the specialities and how some of the dishes are prepared. True story: Don’t send the carpaccio back because “it is not fully cooked”. Horrors.
Research on the restaurant
On a similar note, research on the restaurant. You don’t want to spend your first date at a restaurant rated horribly on HungryGoWhere. Or when DanielFoodDiary.com has given a bad review – then it is really bad.
Don’t expect too much
If your date (the guy) is still in school or just graduated recently, chances are he is short of funds. Go easy on him. It does not manner if he does not bring you to Waku Ghin, you can still enjoy your meal at Sushi Tei as long as you keep an open mind.
Keep your hands off the handphone
I know this is coming from the guy who instavideos most of his meal. Once your meal starts, all eyes on your date please, not on Flappy Bird. Resist the urge to take 10 shots of every dish. Even worse, you take pictures of your food, but NOT your date at all.
Last one, guys, offer to pay for the meal lah. You can do it by discreetly saying you need to visit the gents (and then pay), or flash your numerous credit cards (distastefully) then pay. Be gentlemanly okay? This may be the date of your life.
Happy dating, and happy Valentine’s Day!
Other Related Entries
5 Best Romantic Restaurants in Singapore
5 Romantic Restaurants for Dates, The Budget Edition
The post 10 Tips for Dinner Dates in Singapore appeared first on DanielFoodDiary.com.