You do not need a table booking or a babysitter to have a proper date night in. These six dinners bring a little bit of restaurant theatre home, from a shareable pot of mussels to a perfectly seared steak, without over-complicating the evening. Each one is genuinely scaled and paced for two people, so you spend less time in the kitchen and more time actually enjoying the company.
A velvety, sophisticated way to start the evening. Smooth celeriac soup gets a savoury crunch from crispy pancetta crumbs scattered over the top, striking a balance between comforting and genuinely elegant.
It takes about 55 minutes largely unattended, so it is a good one to have simmering away while you get the rest of the evening organised. Serve it in warmed bowls for the full restaurant effect. A swirl of cream just before serving adds a lovely finishing touch.
A genuinely elegant pasta course: pillowy ravioli filled with tender asparagus and zesty lemon, tossed in a silky butter sauce and finished with fresh herbs.
It looks like considerably more effort than the fifteen minutes it actually takes, which makes it a brilliant option for an evening where you would rather be at the table than at the stove. Reserve a little pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed.
There is something inherently romantic about a shared pot of mussels, and this fragrant coconut broth, spiked with lemongrass and a gentle curry warmth, gives you plenty of excuse to lean in and share the bread for dipping.
It takes about twenty minutes and turns dinner into a proper event, without either of you needing to have cooked mussels before. Discard any mussels that do not open during cooking.
A properly elegant main course: salmon fillets stuffed with a fragrant blend of spinach, herbs and toasted almonds, baked over a bed of caramelised onions until everything comes together beautifully.
It takes about 35 minutes, most of it in the oven, so you are not stuck cooking while your evening slips away. Let the salmon rest for a couple of minutes before slicing to serve.
A sophisticated, slightly unexpected choice for a date night dinner: crispy pan-seared mackerel gets a sweet-tangy lift from a cherry soy glaze, balancing the richness of the fish beautifully.
It is on the table in about twenty minutes, and the glaze alone makes it feel like something you would order rather than cook yourselves. Pat the mackerel skin dry before searing for maximum crispness.
Saving the showstopper for last: perfectly grilled steak infused with Thai flavours and served with a zesty dipping sauce, balancing sweet, sour and spicy notes in every slice.
Sharing a proper steak, sliced and plated together, has a bit of built-in theatre that suits a date night especially well. It takes around forty minutes, giving you plenty of time to set the mood before it hits the table. Let the steak rest for five minutes before slicing against the grain.
However the evening unfolds, Remy makes it easy to save whichever of these date night dinners you fancy, add them to your plan for the night and get everything you need onto a shopping list beforehand, so the only thing left to think about is each other.