Why date night is so important, during and after Covid

By Angeliz Venter
Editor: Marcelle Jordaan

I think it is safe to say that everyone has felt the effects of COVID in some way since the first case reached South Africa in 2020- whether it is mentally, physically, or emotionally. A lot of us, especially the introverts, have retracted into a little safe cocoon with minimal social contact. Working from home probably also has most of us ‘Netflix and chilling’ more than anything else. That is why it is so important to make date night “a thing” again, while obviously also adhering to the necessary safety protocols!

I am one of those people who did not find lockdown and isolation difficult, because I love being at home and I enjoy being alone even more. But as all things in life, there is limits. I realized this year, that me and my partner have not done a proper date night in months. We couldn’t actually remember when was the last time that we made an effort to get dressed up, get excited to go out and spend quality time together. I think most people in relationships can agree to this. It is so much easier to just stay home, order take-aways and not deal with the constant sanitizing and mask wearing.
So, let us take a step back and remind ourselves why date night is important, COVID or not!

Firstly, what is date night? This is usually when a couple decides to spend quality time together as part of a pre-planned event. Date night can be in the form of going to a restaurant, the movies, opting for an activity and many more. But let’s focus on date night in a restaurant setting.
One of the benefits of date night is the improvement in communication that comes along with it. Like a long drive, you have no choice but to talk to each other, but in a restaurant setting, you can’t turn up the music when you do not want to make an effort to speak. You must communicate and quite often it just takes a little push of sitting opposite each other with no distractions, to spark up the spontaneous conversations. Spending quality time together and taking a break from your busy schedules for each other just does wonders for the intimacy of a relationship. In turn, all this also decreases the chances of taking each other for granted. By communicating openly and creating a setting to talk calmy about issues or just about life in general, will automatically decrease stress levels for both you and your partner. Lastly, it builds attachment between you and your partner.

According to Elite Daily, the frequency of date nights is determined by the amount of time you and your partner have known each other, which makes sense, but honestly, you should just do what feels right and fits you and your partners schedule. When a couple is still in their ‘getting to know each other’ phase, it is a good idea to have date night or quality time together at least once a week. If you have been together for a year or more, try to get out of the house for date night at least once a month, to rekindle the spark!

For our date night, we decided to have a relaxing mid-week dinner at Adega in Sunninghill, because we are still a bit cautious of big crowds due to COVID. It has been so long since we got dressed up in something fancier than loungewear and opted for something other than a takeaway, so this whole experience was very refreshing. The setting at Adega was perfect- a fire kept us warm and made the vibe very cozy, while the fact that we went in the middle of the week also meant that it was not too crowded for our liking.

For starters we had 2 different types of sushi- salmon Roses, as well as the Adega house special that can be requested. This was followed by a glass of wine and an Elderflower gin cocktail, which is my favorite drink on their menu. After the sushi, we shared a creamy seafood pasta that was incredibly delicious! Both of us agree that this was our favorite meal on the menu! We also tried the 1kg prawns, served with rice and chips. By this time, we were already stuffed with their delicious food, so we saved some as a take-away for a midnight snack (old habits die very hard). We got treated to their signature oxtail and rice, which was very tender and rich with flavor and fell off the bone. Then came the dessert… I’ve been seeing the craze on social media about their deep-fried nougat and ice cream so, of course, I just had to try it. I can 100% confirm that it is worth the craze and even though our food intake limit had been reached 2 plates ago by this stage, we could not stop eating!

All in all, our date night was a huge success! Good company, GREAT food and the cozy setting was all we needed to put the romance back in our relationship and get out of our sweatpants! For all our Gauteng readers, I would highly suggest making Adega Sunninghill your next date night location.

To book a table visit their Instagram or Facebook pages or call 011 234 7036