A good date night does not need candles, a tasting menu and a bill that needs its own recovery period.

Sometimes the best plan is simply choosing somewhere that gives the evening a bit of character.

For a meal with a story: 1498 The Spice Affair

1498 The Spice Affair on Priestgate builds its menu around Goan and Indian cooking.

The Goan side is where things get interesting: pork vindaloo traces back to the Portuguese influence on Goa, while xacuti, fish recheado and cafreal take the meal well beyond the standard curry-house order.

If you like trying several flavours, look at the Goan dishes first and build from there.

The restaurant also advertises a £19.95-per-person set menu on Wednesday and Sunday evenings, although offers can change.

For dumplings and a more casual night: Momoz & More

Momoz & More at 48 Westgate focuses on Nepalese and Indian food.

The name gives away the obvious starting point: momos. They work well for a date where you would rather order a few things, share them and keep the evening informal.

Westgate also makes it easy to combine the meal with a drink elsewhere in the city centre.

 For food, beer and railway character: The Shed

The Shed at Fletton Quays sits inside a converted Peterborough East railway building.

It combines a taproom with Italian deli-style food, including hot and cold sandwiches, meats and cheeses.

This is the pick when you want the setting to do some of the work. Old station details, beer and deli food give you something to talk about before you have even decided what to order.

Three different nights, three different moods. Which one sounds most like yours?