18/08 anniversary dinner — sit-down restaurant celebration with BB. Phase 2 reopening had been rolling for a few months and we’d held off on doing the big anniversary dinner out until now. This was the small post-circuit-breaker milestone marker.

We ordered (anniversary dinner spread):

Starter / appetiser
Two mains
A side
Drinks
Dessert to close

The restaurant was one of our regular date-night spots, the kind of mid-tier-to-elevated sit-down place that we’d dined at for previous anniversaries. Phase 2 had restored the dine-in option with reduced capacity and safe distancing markers, but the food and the experience were back.

The starter was a small shared appetiser — sashimi, oysters, or carpaccio depending on the menu pull. Cold, fresh, properly chilled, the kind of opener that sets the tone for the meal.

Mains were the central event. Both came as restaurant-tier protein plates — one with a quality steak, the other with a substantial seafood option. Cooked properly, plated cleanly, with the kind of attention that makes a dinner feel like an occasion rather than just food.

A side dish added the supporting component — usually a small portion of seasonal vegetables or a refined carb dish.

Drinks were the wine or specialty cocktail tier. Anniversary dinner is the slot where we’d usually pull a small bottle of something to share.

Dessert closed the meal — a shared small plate or two small desserts. Something chocolate-leaning, something fruit-leaning, both elegant.

The 18/08 marker is the small annual ritual that anchors the year. Phase 2 reopening had given us back the option of doing the proper sit-down anniversary, and we cashed it in.

The food was excellent. The moment was better.

Overall: 4.8 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Strong anniversary dinner — would happily return for the next milestone.

Original IG post