A London Girl's Guide to Dating in London

Think you’ve done it all when it comes to dating in London? Of course you haven’t! If like me you’ve been on a trillion and one dates in London town and get bored of the conventional pub dates – why not impress them with your knowledge of some of London’s more different spots...

The messy date

@ Burger and Lobster

Bib – check. Lobster flying across the room – check.

If you’re more ‘prim and proper’ when it comes to food than ‘getting stuck in’ for fear of looking silly in front of your date then STOP and avoid this date at all costs – because things are about to get a little bit messy!

Lobster can never be eaten without a bib – and Burger and Lobster proves this fact. Pick a date who won’t judge you, blindfold them so they can’t see how messy you are or if all else fails just take your Mum.

Burger and Lobster is ideal for a sneaky lunch date or a fun second date where you can really get to know each other. They’re probably not going to fall ridiculously in love with you just because of this place, but just look on the bright side - at least you won’t go hungry!

The ‘doing’ date

@ London Zoo

If a ‘doing date’ is your bag and your memories of London zoo consist of getting lost on a school trip, then it’s time to make some better ones.

Roam around London’s best known zoo, while you flirt with your date and quiz each other on all those important date questions – like ‘why do giraffes have such long necks?’ and ‘why are zebras so stripey?’ or maybe something more intellectual. Pack a flask, some sandwiches with the crusts cut off* and voila you have yourself the perfect little date.

*Just don’t go near the monkeys with those sandwiches

The wine lovers’ date

@ Vinopolis

What better way to find out if your date prefers a South African red or a Chilean white while you chat the night away than at a wine tasting session? You’ll both be wine connoisseurs by the end – you’ll learn how to smell, taste and appreciate the wine, and the most important part – the poshest way to hold your wine glass!

And even if the date doesn’t work out at least you’ve got something to take away with you – a transferable skill. Then sit back as you wow your next date, add ‘wine tasting’ to your list of hobbies, or just impress everyone at that next party with your amazing wine knowledge.

The ‘not for the faint-hearted’ date

@ Dans le noir

How brave are you? Could you sit in a darkened room with the potential ‘one’ not knowing what you’re eating? Nope, it’s not some sort of bush tucker trial – welcome to Dans le Noir, a restaurant where you’ll be plunged into darkness and the blind waiters will be the only people guiding you! Yep it’s as weird as it sounds, but in a cool way.

As you enter, choose from three menus – vegetarian, meat or the scariest ‘surprise’ menu, then wince as you’re lead into complete darkness (think Thorpe Park on Halloween) while you imagine if your date has a) done a runner b) spilt wine down themselves yet or c) realised you’ve abolished all your table manners and started eating with your hands.

Just check your date doesn’t have a fear of the dark first.

The ‘cute and cosy’ date

@ Gordon’s wine bar

If your aim is to impress, then head to this little hidden gem, right near Embankment. You’ll be greeted with a movie-esque scene - underground cave ceilings, French style set up and a candlelit atmosphere.

Bask in the snugness while you share a bottle of wine and wonder if you’re in some sort of rom-com with Jude Law (sadly no movie stars will be provided). Great if you’re looking for brownie points, want to eat cheese all evening (they have a deli counter) or just if you’ve had enough of London’s ridiculously cold temperatures. 

Originally written for UK match.com:  http://advice.uk.match.com/uk-dating/london-dating/london-girls-guide-dating-london

Has modern technology made us lazy daters?

I recently realised why modern technology is turning me, and probably quite a few other women insane, it’s making men lazy, especially when it comes to dating.

I recently came out of what I can only describe as a ‘text message based’ relationship.

He text me to ask me out, he text to tell me he’d had a great time, he text me to wish me a happy Valentines (yes a card would have worked)…..in fact I don’t think I even heard his phone voice until he was drunk and he probably phoned me by accident.

And if any of you know me you’ll know I’m not exactly a technophobe, I’m glued to my phone like a chocoholic who’s lost her Mars bar, but when it comes to something big like cancelling on someone, or even breaking up with them, surely a text message isn’t sufficient?

‘Sorry but can we re-arrange our date tonight?’ was the text message I received from him, on a SATURDAY night, just three hours before he was supposed to see me. Before text messaging was invented a guy probably would have phoned a girl and sweet talked her before saying ‘Hey, so I know I was going to see you tonight, but is it okay if I go out with the boys instead?’ Now all we get is a lazy text telling us we’ve been stood up – not really the stuff of fairytales, is it?

This really should have been a big sign that I should get out now, go, run, leave, or just you'know dump him, but no I lived through at least another 6 weeks or torturous bad text message usage from him.

And it isn’t just Mr ‘text message’ who is guilty of this – I’ve been wooed by all sorts of social media – a quick poke on facebook, a couple of flirty tweets and lots of ‘internet’ winking – is this really all they’ve got? These forms of communicating were made to make it easy, but men seem to have got the wrong end of the stick – they think they don’t need to communicate with us in the real world, because in the land of twitter, emails and text message the relationship is fine, when really it’s anything but.

And when they do actually make the effort to reach out, behind the window of modern technology, we’re usually so bewildered it knocks us for six. I gasped when a friend told me about a guy she’d JUST met that actually phoned her to ask her out. I wasn’t sure if I was scared by the prospect of speaking to a guy on the phone before an actual date, or just so shell shocked that he’d actually been able to pick up the phone and use it for its main purpose.

And I may not have minded if ‘text message’ guy’s texts had been anything but dull. I could have put up with a text message based relationship if he’d had me in stitches from the word ‘hi’ or even ‘sext’ me occasionally – but he never, ever did. It was like he’d read a book entitled ‘how to lose friends and alienate dates….by text message!’

And while this one seemed to keep it short and sweet, with I may add NO kisses to signal the end of his texts, (isn’t that just a crime against all humanity when it comes to texting?!) another guy I dated sent text messages like he was sending me an essay on his life – whenever his name popped up in my inbox I would be delighted, only to be bored by the third paragraph of him detailing his day of ironing, hoovering and washing his pants!

The last straw with Mr ‘text message’ was a text explaining why he hadn’t been in touch for three days, ‘Sorry, I was on a two day bender with my friends!’. I was so mad at that poor little text I just had to delete it before I smashed my phone into a billion little pieces. There was no ‘I’ll make it up to you’ phone call – just a lazy text message which signalled the end to me putting up with Mr ‘text message’.

The funniest thing was when I broke up with him (not over text message) I didn’t even get a text to say goodbye – now that is lazy!

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