If you are looking for romantic date night ideas, you can’t go wrong with some delicious tapas food. It has that exotic flair to remind you of an idyllic summer holiday, and yet is simple to prepare and perfect for sharing.
Whether you want to enjoy an intimate date night at home, or soak up the authentic atmosphere of a Spanish restaurant, tapas dishes for two are ideal for bonding and romance. Eating is a sensual experience, and so sharing a meal is a natural choice for a date night.
However, if you are still in the early stages of a relationship, eating out at a high-end restaurant can be a rather too formal and not to mention very expensive experience. You may not be able to truly relax and be yourself in such an atmosphere, no matter how chic and elegant the surroundings may be, or how polite and attentive the waiting staff are.
On the other hand, a pub meal with the same old foods on the menu doesn’t really help to inspire that special romantic spark either. So what is the solution for those date nights when it feels too soon to chill out on the sofa with a takeaway, but you still want a relaxed and fun evening?
If you want a true tapas experience but don’t have the time for preparing a selection of dishes at home, then it’s well worth visiting an authentic London tapas bar. This will provide a perfect laid-back ambience that’s cosy and yet more special than being at home.
It provides a natural bonding experience as you select your dishes to share, and you will never run out of conversation topics as you can always discuss the wonderful textures and flavours of the food.
They say that variety is the spice of life, and it can also help a budding romance to blossom…Besides the excellent food, your meal will be accompanied by traditional live Spanish music, and to bring in another well-known maxim, music is the food of love…
If you prefer an intimate night in with your date, this is a very quick and simple recipe that you can easily prepare at home:
Chorizo a la sidra
You’ll need some good quality Spanish chorizo sausage and some dry apple cider, and bay leaves and chopped parsley. Slice the chorizo into sections of about 2 cm and fry in olive oil on a medium heat for five minutes, or until they begin to brown.
Add in about 375ml of cider and a couple of bay leaves, and stir to coat the chorizo. Leave to simmer until the cider thickens, usually after about five to eight minutes. Then simply transfer to a dish and add the chopped parsley to garnish. It will go perfectly with salad, pasta, or fresh crusty bread.
There are many other Tapas dishes that are easy to make at home, such as patatas bravas (crispy fried potatoes with spicy tomato sauce), tortilla Española (Spanish omelette made with eggs, onions, and potatoes) or paella, a spicy rice dish that can contain seafood, chicken, or vegetables.