How to choose the right restaurant for your date

Choosing the right restaurant for your date – particularly if you are a new couple – can feel like a task full of pitfalls. Here are a few pointers to help you get under way.


What does your date eat?
It’s seemingly a simple question, but it’s easy to get so wrapped up in finding the right place that you can forget you’re about to go on a date with a strict vegetarian or someone who has a nut allergy. Check things like this first if you’re the one booking, and maybe fish for subtle hints about the type of food they like.


Think outside the box
It’s easy to return to the same chain restaurants again and again because you know the menus back-to-front – but the likelihood is that your date does too.  Try looking for somewhere that doesn’t immediately spring to mind, or a restaurant with an unusual theme.

Harbour Square Manila Bay Dinner Date

My hubby and I used to frequent Harbour Square back in 2007, when I was still working in GSIS, and my hubby would pick me up from work to have dinner there before heading home to Alabang. My officemates and I also used to hold our meetings in their Starbucks branch. It's really been ages since I was last in this place, perhaps the most recent was in 2010 after we watched Ballet Philippines in CCP.

Anyway, Harbour Square, located in Manila Bay, is such a scenic place where couples and families can enjoy their time watching the sunset, cruising along the bay, and dining in one of the numerous restaurants. It's only a few minutes away from other major establishments like Mall of Asia and Resorts World Manila (where we partied all night in Republiq after dinner) and the ambiance at night is really very romantic.