How to Spoil Your Partner With the Perfect Anniversary Dinner

Here at Good Food Gift Card, we're obvious fans of dining out. Dining out at a nice restaurant brings a touch of indulgence into your life, gets you out of the kitchen, and encourages you to try things you wouldn't ordinarily cook.

Many couples choose to spend anniversaries – be it a wedding anniversary or the anniversary of a first date – in a nice restaurant. This allows them to look into each other's eyes for a few hours, engage in conversation, and try mouth-wateringly good food in a candlelit ambient setting. This is all very well, but to make dining out on an anniversary really special, you have to consider the details.

Details are what make a good anniversary, no matter what activity you choose to do. They can help you make your date truly personal and memorable. If you want your anniversary dinner to be remembered forever, then consider some of these romantic ideas:

Planning the perfect anniversary dinner – It's all in the details

Send an invite

How often do you send your partner a formal invite to dinner? Never? Well, perhaps it's time. A formal invitation shows you've put prior thought to your evening out, and allows your partner to get excited every time they see it posted on the fridge. If you want to make it really special, you could even try creating an invitation using your original wedding invitation as inspiration.

Organise a babysitter for the whole night

Got kids? Instead of just getting a babysitter for the time you're at dinner, arrange for the kids to go to their grandparents or a friend's for the night so you can have an entire 24 hours alone. Imagine a night completely uninterrupted!

Personalise the evening

Personalising your evening with small touches will show you've put thought into your dinner. Choose a restaurant that serves similar food to what you ate on your first date, arrange for your partner's favourite flowers to be at the restaurant, order their favourite bottle of wine, or do something that highlights how well you "know" your partner.

Pay attention to the year

Knowing how long you've been together or how many years of marriage you are celebrating is important. Try matching a rose for each year you've been together, or find out what the traditional anniversary gift is for the years you are celebrating.

Leave your phone at home

Unless you have kids that you need to keep tabs on, leave your technology at home. A night free from the distraction of a screen will open up the conversation and have you spending quality time with each other rather than taking snaps of your food for Instagram or 'checking in' on Facebook.

Ask questions

For something a little different, prepare a list of questions about things you rarely talk about. Ask about their ideal retirement, how many grandkids they'd like, and what's been the best thing about your marriage. Try to avoid any sore subjects, or questions regarding what they don't like.

Talk about the "good ol' days"

Remind each other of how you fell in love in the first place by recapping your history. Share funny memories, speak of friends you no longer see, and focus on the good times.

Show your commitment

At the end of your dinner, offer a gesture that shows your commitment to making your partner happy. A romantic idea could be to give your partner an envelope containing 12 Good Food Gift Cards or Dinner and Movie Cards, which would show your commitment to having date night every month for the next year.

Choosing the right restaurant

Where you dine is also important, as it should be somewhere special. Luckily, all partners of the Good Food Gift Card offer something special and unique, so choosing a great restaurant should be a walk in the park. Some of our favourites include:

NSW – Catalina

Catalina is one of Australia's most iconic harbour restaurants, located at beautiful Rose Bay. Diners have unobstructed views over the water, and the comings and goings of the working harbour together with the incoming commuter seaplanes creates a buzz that can't be matched. Catalina's fresh and authentic menus are inspired by the classics – French, Italian, Spanish and Mediterranean.

QLD – A Touch of Salt

Overlooking a scenic stretch of Townsville's Ross Creek sits A Touch of Salt with its ever-evolving fine dining menu. Offering an extensive wine list and an uncompromised approach to service, A Touch of Salt is the perfect blend of relaxed, romantic dining.

VIC – Sault

Set on a spectacular property in picturesque Sailors Falls, Sault is a truly memorable venue. The view over the 125 acre estate, with its fields lavender and very own lake can be enjoyed from the dining room or explored as part of a pre-dinner walk around the grounds. The seasonal menu at Sault, crafted by Head Chef Santiago Nine-Fernandez, utilises the best regional produce with a Spanish influence.

SA – Riverside Restaurant

For an elegant dining experience in Adelaide, you can't go past the award-winning Riverside Restaurant, with its relaxed, yet beautifully elegant dining room. The menu focuses on seasonal ingredients, and dishes are inspired from some of the most exotic regions around the world.

ACT – Water's Edge

Water's Edge is one of Canberra's most respected restaurants and is the fourth venture of European-trained chef James Mussillon. Recently renovated, it offers spectacular views and a luxurious dining room complete with high ceilings, clean tones, plush chairs and white linen tables. The menu is French-inspired and includes delights such as confit duck leg and Mandagery Creek venison.

WA – Black Swan Winery & Restaurant

Since Black Swan Wines opened its purpose-built restaurant, it's become one of Swan Valley's finest. Offering stunning views over the vineyard and out to the Darling Ranges, its Modern Australian menu and wide range of beers, wines, spirits, and cocktails make it a great choice for special occasions. The restaurant is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, and live entertainment is offered on Sunday afternoons.

TAS – Hallam's Waterfront Seafood Restaurant

Established in 1996, Hallam's Waterfront is an iconic award-winning seafood restaurant situated on Launceston's picturesque Tamar yacht basin. It sources only the finest Tasmanian seafood, and menus change seasonally to suit. The wine list is extensive and predominantly Tasmanian.

NT – Pee Wee's at the Point

Restaurants don't come more beautiful than Pee Wee's, nestled among the tropical palms and natural environment of East Point Nature Reserve. The menu aims to reflect its Northern Territory location, and specialises in local wild caught Saltwater Barramundi, banana prawns, Lambells Lagoon buffalo cheese, tropical fruits, and locally grown Asian vegetables.

With the right restaurant and all of the details thought of, you'll be sure to get some big brownie points from your partner on your anniversary, and enjoy a night that you'll both remember for years to come.

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Mireille Kilgour

Mireille Kilgour has been an entrepreneur for 35 years in the hospitality sector. French born, she has been an accomplished business owner and operator for a number of Sydney venues. Leading the industry with high profile institutions such as Lamrock Café Bondi, she has endless passion for the industry, and now has the pleasure of supporting restaurants to fill their tables with the new Good Food Gift Card program.

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