“It Was Japanese”: Joburg Woman Shares R20k Restaurant Bill From Cape Town Valentine’s Day Date

• A Johannesburg woman shared a video breaking down her Valentine's Day dinner bill from a restaurant at the Cape Town Waterfront
• The couple went all out with a tasting menu, wine pairing, champagne, caviar, and wagyu beef
• South Africans in the comments were divided between admiring the experience and calculating how many months the bill could have covered their expenses

Johannesburg lifestyle content creator @tsonga_doll0 shared the night out she spent with her boyfriend on Valentine's Day on 26 February 2026. She walked her followers through the expensive dinner at The Pier restaurant at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. She and her boyfriend chose the restaurant's tasting menu with a full wine pairing, and from the moment they sat down, surrounded by rose petals on the stairs, the table, and a small gift waiting for them, it was clear this was not going to be a budget evening.

Read also

"Love that you shared this": Afrikaner woman in the US shows grocery prices, SA debates

The couple started with a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label at R3,250, before moving through multiple courses that included dashi broth, caviar, wagyu beef, smoked mussels, sourdough with hake, and a dessert of their choice. Since they had also paid for the wine pairing, the champagne on top meant the drinks kept coming all night.

Two Valentine's Day specials came to R8,590, two food and wine pairing menus added R7,790, and two waters brought in R110. The subtotal came to R19,740, with a gratuity of R2,665, bringing the final bill to R22,405. The couple had paid a deposit of R8,590 at the time of booking, leaving them with R13,815 to settle on the night.

Watch the TikTok video below:

SA unimpressed by the R20k restaurant bill

TikToker @tsonga_doll0 ended by asking followers what the most expensive dinner they had ever had was. South Africans were ready with answers and opinions:

@TsholiExquisiteLooks💋 said:

"Yhoo, you ate my whole salary 😭😭"

@Mel🍒 wrote:

"And I don't see anything worth R22k here."

@Precious🏜 asked:

"What exactly were you eating there? Or is it because I don't know fancy food? AAAAY, let me go to Spur 🥺"

@Baji.M78 laughed:

"I paid a bill of R4,000, and it was five of us, I didn't sleep for a month 😂😂😂"

Read also

Couple hold hands standing at cemetery in TikTok video

@Vicky_🇿🇦Btc offered:

"Please let me cook for you next time, le R10k e shapo."

@The Architect joked:

"The food looks so confusing to eat 😭 I might eat a decoration by mistake."

@Liriano everts shared:

"My husband cried when the bill was R1,000 at Spur 😬 and I felt it with him, but this is ridiculous."

@THUNDERSPORT said:

"Yesterday I paid R17 for a coconut crunch, and I vowed I will not have takeout for 30 days..."

@Thanzi admitted:

"Am I the only one who got a little unsettled? 😂 R22k for a couple of hours over food? That's basically my annual grocery budget! 😭🤣"

@tebogo added:

"Maybe I'm complaining from a point of poverty 😒😒"

@phindi said:

"22k would literally solve my problems for like 2 months 😭"

@riccardo_riri wrote:

"When you realise the economy is only bad for you 😭"

@ZiyaMahawks noted:

"Rich people are appearing on my FYP... I think it's a sign."

Read also

"Did they just pass meat?": KZN trolley dash of a senior citizen raises eyebrows over items chosen

@Story of a Vagabond pointed out:

"The wines were not complementary at that price 😅"

More on big spending and money moments

• Briefly News recently reported on a mother who dropped over R10,000 at Woolworths for her daughter moving out.
• Three billing receipts showing four-figure tips left for waiters sparked a massive debate online.
• A 21-year-old handed a delivery driver a R2,000 tip after his car broke down at the gate, and the driver's response had Mzansi completely wowed.

Source: Briefly News