Budget-friendly eateries posh enough for your next date

Dating can be expensive. Or perhaps you’re looking to spend less on dates to save up for a house or wedding with your partner.

However, that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice quality meals on romantic dates. Here are 10 budget-friendly eateries ranging from restaurants and cafe-bakeries to hawker stalls that serve up meals posh enough for your next date night.

Una Una

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Unagi, or freshwater eel can be rather expensive. Una Una, however, is here to buck the trend. Premium quality eels are grilled fresh while basted with a secret marinade before being served with a smoky teriyaki sauce.

The Unagi Histumabushi is the bestseller but there are other flavour combinations such as beef and pork available.

Una Una has multiple locations in Singapore

Le Matin Patisserie

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Social media users are familiar with Le Matin. After all, the bakery boasts delectable sweet and savoury French pastries (Think: Kouign amman, chocolate croissant and the like) created by a former pastry sous chef at the three-Michelin-starred Noma restaurant.

Their Raeburn Park location ceases operations in early April 2022, but you can still find Le Matin at two pop-ups till the end of 2022 at 77 Robinson Road and Paragon.

Follow their Instagram for updates

Chef Kin HK Wanton Noodle

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As the name suggests, wanton noodles is the star dish here. This well-executed version is conceived by chef Chan Wing Kin, who cut his teeth as an executive chef with Crystal Jade Culinary Concept Holdings for 18 years. Besides the hearty Hong Kong-style wanton mee in a rich broth, there is also a dry version as well as HK Braised Brisket Noodles to choose from.

Chef Kin HK Wanton Noodle has multiple locations in Singapore

Nudedles.4

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Delicious yet affordable Italian pasta served in a Chinatown hawker centre? Yes, that’s what you’re getting at Nudedles, the brainchild of chef-owner Clarence Chooi who had previously worked in top restaurants such as Joel Robuchon and Jaan by Kirk Westaway.

Lobster bisque pasta is his bestseller, but there are beef bolognese, squid ink, pesto and carbonara options as well. You can also choose your preferred pasta too.

335 Smith St, #02-34 Chinatown Complex, Singapore 050335

Shabu-GO

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With individual sets starting from $9.90, Shabu-GO is a place to tuck into a heartwarming, belly-filling hotpot meal without breaking the bank.

Besides a wide array of ingredients to choose from, Shabu-GO also sells sashimi-grade hamachi and salmon. You can also pick from nine different soup bases including sukiyaki, paitan, yuzu dashi and ginseng tonkotsu.

23 Serangoon Central, #B1-80 NEX, Singapore 556083

ALSO READ: 5 easy & affordable meals that will stretch out your grocery budget

The French Stall

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French food has a reputation for being extra fancy and pricey. However, The French Stall has made it a mission to provide classical French food at popular prices.

You can find favourites such as grilled beef ribeye, duck leg confit, gratin dauphinoise and more. Plus, you and your partner can take a romantic stroll along Changi beach and watch the sun set before dinner.

5 Changi Village Rd, #01-2051, Singapore 500005

Tigerlily Patisserie

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Tigerlily Patisserie was founded by chef Maxine Ngooi, who had previously worked as a pastry chef at Les Amis, Joel Roubouchon and Vianney Massot Restaurant.

Tigerlily retails both sweet and savoury pastries that infuse European and Asian flavours, such as Black Sesame Mochi, Chocolate Babka and Lup Cheong Brioche Feuilleté.

350 Joo Chiat Rd, Singapore 427598 

Lad & Dad

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Sometimes, all you want to do after a long day of work or shopping is just to chill and unwind with good food and drinks with your partner. British gastropub Lad & Dad is the place to do so.

The menu features classics like Fish & Chips, Bangers & Mash and English Fry Up. Lad & Dad was first started as a hawker stall by a father and son duo and has since moved to a proper restaurant space.

7 Tanjong Pagar Plaza, #01-108, Singapore 081007

Nice Rice

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Previously located along French Road, Nice Rice has since relocated to Foodfare in Ang Mo Kio Hub. Helmed by the former chef at the now-defunct Vianney Massot Restaurant, Mandel Ban serves French-Japanese-influenced rice bowls with techniques he picked up from both cuisines.

Options range from Bird Bowl with spicy charred chicken, Fish Bowl with grilled sea bass belly to Shroom Bowl with roasted mushrooms.

53 Ang Mo Kio Ave 3, AMK Hub, Singapore 569933

Mitsuba

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If you and your partner are big eaters, head to Mitsuba. Located in Clarke Quay Central with a view overlooking the Singapore River, Mitsuba is best known for its wide array of Japanese food offerings that include thick slices of sashimi, sushi, plus over 120 other options.

There is the Ladies Nite and NSMen Nite promotions on Mondays and Tuesdays respectively and if you qualify, you get 15 per cent off the buffet price, giving the meal a greater bang for your buck.

6 Eu Tong Sen St, #03-88 Clarke Quay Central, Singapore 059817

ALSO READ: Dining guide to Bugis and Bras Basah: Where to eat and drink in Singapore’s budget shopping haven

This article was first published in The Singapore Women's Weekly.