The Time Traveler’s Wife is my most favourite book of all time, and from what I can see from the first official trailer Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana have certainly done it justice. I. Can’t. Wait. For. This. Movie! I’m going to pre-purchase tickets for a special Gold Class date night with Den.

For anyone out there looking to impress their mushy, romantic, rose-tinted-glasses sweetheart, I suggest you do the same.

Move over Rockpool, Vue De Monde and Nobu… there’s a hidden secret out there that deserves a chef’s hat (Michelin star) from each of you. Sure I’m no food critic, but I do love my food! And yes, my opinion may not mean much, but this is it… and here it is!

Food gets me going – I love it! Colors, textures and tastes – it’s all amazing to me! I love fine dining restaurants, but I cannot stand snobby upperclass wannabies that only eat at such places. And it seems that this is the type of people the $30 Date Night site attracts – go figure?

Kind of sad tho… I just checked the stats out on the Elwood RSL date idea, and 9 voters have voiced their opinion about the Elwood RSL… 3 love it / 6 hate it.

6 crazy people!!!

I announced to Emma that I was taking her out for Date Night and that we would be dining out for the evening. Last month Emma cut me down – she cut me deep with an “apparent lack of effort into date night.” So I felt it was necessary to warn her that she should not expect too much of what is in store for her.

Her next question was “Do I need to change for tonight?” I said “No.”

(see right –> Emma was wearing jeans and some cheap-ass chequered cowboy top – geez I really hope she doesn’t read this post – or else she’ll kill me!)

Ems responded… “We’re going to the Elwood RSL,aren’t we?” I answered… “D’OH.”

The surprise element to the evening was blown, but at least she knew what she was in for = no disappointment as Em’s expectations were now low.

When we reached the RSL the place was packed. Yep, who would have thought that I needed a booking? So for your reference, here’s the number (03) 9531 4331. Remember guys, this restaurant is based in Melbourne Australia. Funnily enough, Ems was not that annoyed – hoorah! Bless the lack of expectations!!!

When seated we were given the menu – YUM. The choices – so many… do I have Steak and Guinness Pie or the Roast?

What of a dill of a pickle to be in… BOTH dishes cost under AUD$15 and they both come with garlic mash which didn’t make the choice any easier. There’s no table service so you have to go to the counter to order and pay. Easy – I’ll let the chick at the counter decide what I want…

“Sorry – we’ve run out of both the pie and the roast!” Ahh dammit!!!! I was sooo looking forward to eating both of them! Counter lady wasn’t too bothered by my puppy dog face.. she bounced back with “have the eye fillet, its only $24.”

Steak and I have this kind of bond you see… we like each other – a lot! But it takes a special kind of place to cook a good steak. Even my favourite steak houses don’t seem to get it right half the time. So I was a little dubious – AND the steak broke our budget of the $30 date night… bah, rules are meant to be broken. I went for the steak – Em’s had a burger.

The Elwood RSL had a 3 man band playing (Whisky Gypsies) which were amazing! A taste of Acoustic European – don’t ask me what that means… they played a U2 track, I guess Ireland falls into the Europe category??? But the highlight of the night was the steak… OH MY GOD!!! Cooked to perfection, this place knows what medium rare means – and the cut was magnificent! I want to go back there again tonight!

You know what – I can keep raving about this place for the next 3 posts but I’m going to stop right here… if you live in Melbourne – make the Elwood RSL your date night this week! Em’s and I had a blast, you can get away with 2 massive meals for under $30 but realistically with drinks it may cost you a little more. We spent close to $60 after buying the most expensive meal on the list as well as 4 glasses of wine… that is still amazing value!

Here are five ideas to help make the movies a bit more interesting. A lot of these are Melbourne-based (write what you know!) but I’m sure the concepts are universal and you can find similar in your own city or hometown, wherever in the world you are!

1. The Outdoor Cinemas – The Ford Fiesta Moonlight Cinema runs every summer right around Australia and shows a great variety of new, cult classic and old favourite movies. Pack a picnic and a rug and snuggle under the stars while you watch. Favourites upcoming in the lineup include: Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Pulp Fiction, Australia and The Dark Knight.
2. The Drive-ins – When was the last time you fooled around in the backseat of your car? The Coburg Drive-in is the perfect excuse to do just that! Get your own snacks from the supermarket first and steam up the windows during the previews and the boring bits.
3. Rooftop Cinema – Above Cookie Bar in the Melbourne CBD, The Rooftop Cinema allows you to chill out in your deck chair with a beer or wine and enjoy the city skyline while you watch. Admittedly, this date will cost you a little more than $30 but for the novelty of the experience, it’s worth it.
4. Half Pipe Cinemas – Cinemas with bean bags instead of chairs are popping up everywhere! Huddle together in an oversize beanbag, rather than negotiating the armrest while balancing the drinks and the popcorn! See Hoyts in Australia.
   
5. The Classic Theatre – Find a movie theatre that plays the classics and the cult movies – usually you’ll get a double bill for the price of one! The Astor Theatre’s line ups include Stanley Kubrick double bills, It’s a Wonderful Life coupled with The Shop Around the Corner and Casino Royale back to back with Quantum of Solace.

Ok, so the chicks out there are probably thinking, lame… could have done better than that for date night. And yeah, you’re right. But hey, every now it can be a boy’s night.

I added a little flavour to the date night and cooked for Em’s… for a change. I like cooking, I just don’t do it often – mango was the theme for last night. YUM! Grilled fish with mango marinade… and a mango / yoghurt dip, which I thought would go down great but was a little disappointed with. The fish was surprisingly good. Here’s the recipe for the marinade:

4 medium fish fillets, (flathead or snapper are good choices)
2 tablespoons mango chutney
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh coriander
chilli powder, to taste
Marinade for at least 20 mins.

Quantum of Solace goes for a short 106 minutes… so we decided to watch Casino Royale at home before we went out. As they say Quantum of Solace begins literally 1 hour from where Casino Royale left off from.

Out of the two movies, the opening scene from Casino Royale made my jaw drop the most.

Den has been hanging to see the new Batman Movie and we desperately needed to get out of the house (cabin fever was setting in) so Movie Night seemed like a nice, manageable date for the both of us. I jumped online to make sure we could book great seats (I HATE it when you wait in line for 20 minutes only to find out the only seats left are in the front row) and thankfully was able to track down a cinema that had seats left and handpick two perfect ones (we’re very specific – middle/middle and an aisle seat for ease of running to answer the phones when business bookings come through) at Hoyts or Village – I highly recommend this process if you are organising a Movie Night date, because the BEST bit is when you get there you can traipse past the whole line and pick up your tickets without having to WAIT.

We cruised in past all the people scrambling for the last of the Batman tickets, picked up some popcorn at the Candy Bar and settled in to the movie. (As a side note, I thought it was absolutely brilliant and by far the best Batman yet. It makes me sad that this was clearly a career-cementing role for Heath Ledger and he is no longer around to deliver us more of his brilliance).

So, Movie Night. What else can I tell you about it, it is after all a pretty standard date. Perfect for teenagers to sit in the dark and hold hands, perfect if you’re taking a new date and you want a buffer in case the conversation dies in the arse, and of course perfect for couples like us who want a low-maintenance but fun date out of the house.

The movies are actually a novelty for Den and I, we don’t get there much so just getting the popcorn from the Candy Bar and settling into the cinema is enough to satisfy me (ha – Den wishes!). But if you and your sweetie love the movies and make it a regular trip, here are some ideas for injecting some of that much-needed novelty into the experience.

1. Surprise your date with pre-purchased tickets to a movie you know THEY’LL love!
This has a double-barrelled effect – they know you’ve made an effort and put some thought into it because you’ve pre-booked the tickets. NOTHING IS SEXIER THAN MAKING AN EFFORT! They will also be completely stoked that you have taken note of what their taste is in movies and touched that you’ve put aside your own preferences just for a few hours for their sake… now that’s romance!

2. Organise some great snacks from the supermarket
Screw paying 20 bucks just for popcorn and a choc top! Smuggle some snacks in that you picked up earlier from the supermarket… pick out your date’s favorite munchies and surprise them once you sit down.

3. Splash Out
If you want to make it a special date, upgrade your tickets to Gold Class and indulge in the during-movie service of champagne, cheese platters and anything else your heart desires. Keep this one for the blockbuster movies that you are dying to see, don’t just pick a movie for the sake of picking a movie.

Anyone out there got any other ideas? Share, share, share! We can start this whole *novelty dating* thing with babysteps… and before you know it, you’ll be happily cooking dinner together naked! (we’ll get to that one later!)

Rate the Date

Romance Factor: 3/5 Dark lights, hand brushing over popcorn
Cheese Factor: 2/5 Depends on the movie, really
Fun Factor: 5/5 Again, kind of depends on the movie

Overall: An old favourite for good reason. Great for a first date idea as it takes the pressure off conversation all night. Great for couples that have spent a bit of time together that week as you don’t need to make additional conversation. Pick your film wisely though!