The Great Date Guide needs you!

Here at The Great Date Guide we want to make the website everything that YOU'D like it to be. We want it to be fun to look at, easy to use and of course most importantly, we want to make sure you're getting what you want from it.

To help us in our quest, we'd be eternally grateful if you could complete this VERY quick survey to let us know your thoughts.

Click HERE to answer the survey.

There are only 10 short questions, so we reckon it will take you approx 2 minutes*
(*slightly longer if you're using a dial up connection from Antarctica, if you only type with one finger or if you get distracted mid task by some hot totty strolling past…)

As a thank you, you'll be automatically entered into our fantastic Taste of London competition to win a pair of free tickets to the Friday night session. Take a look at the competition page on the website for more info, but if you answer our survey and send us an email with your contact details, you'll be entered automatically.

THANK YOU YOU LOVELY PEOPLE!!!

Romantic Restaurants...

Toptable have just published a list of the most romantic restaurants in the UK, according to a selection of respected food bloggers, and luckily for us 12 out of the 15 restaurants listed are in London! 

This got the team at the Great Date Guide thinking... which are our favourite romantic restaurants in London, and what about you? Where would you go for the ultimate romantic evening? We'd love to know! Please scribble a comment at the bottom of this post or drop us a line on Facebook or on Twitter.

For me, romance isn't about splashing the cash (although I'll never say no to being wined and dined!) it is about cosy, candlelit atmosphere and good food.  This being the case I'll start the ball rolling with  Andrew Edmunds which always comes pretty high on my list of romantic restaurants. This charming, tiny, restaurant has all the right ingredients for romance: small, intimate tables dimly lit by candles are the setting for delicious, daily changing, French food and equally delicious French wine.  The friendly service and handwritten menu only serve to add to the relaxed ambience. This really is the perfect place for an intimate, unpretentious date. Perfect for cold dark winter evenings and post-work rendezvous!

Another favourite, especially for a long, languid summers lunch, is the newly Michelin starred Petersham Nurseries. The location has always been perfection: an assortment of beautifully laid rustic tables nestled amongst fragrant climbing plants within an old glass conservatory, on the banks of the Thames. But now the perfection of the food has also been recognised. The down side of this is that booking a table here will be even harder than before! But persevere because it is well worth it. As one reviewer put it, Petersham is like "the River Cafe and an English Country Garden rolled into one" and I for one couldn't think of a more romantic place to while a way a romantic afternoon...

Where do you think is the most romantic restaurant in London? Everyone has a different idea of a romantic meal so we'd love to know what you think!

Miss Mary xxx

Image copyright David Loftus

New Site Live!

So here it is... (trumpet fanfare please) your brand spangly new Great Date Guide has landed, and we're thrilled with it. We'll leave you to get accustomed to it in your own time, but here are a few bits and bobs that we thought you should know about.

1) Basic functions

We've not really changed much when it comes to the basics of how it works. You can still search for a date by keyword (location, dating stage, activity etc) or by browsing the different categories. We've put a changing selection of our favourites on the home page too, to try and tempt you into trying something new!

2) Booking 

In an attempt to make your date organising experience as painless as possible, you can now book online (where possible) through the site… for free! We've enlisted the help of trusted partners, such as Toptable and Ticketmaster, so that you can be confident that your booking is in safe hands. 

3) Concierge 

Another new addition, you can now get us to organise your date for you. Whether that's because you're too busy, a touch workshy (!) or because you could just do with a little help in deciding what to do, we'll gladly help you out, free of charge. Just give us a call or fill in the online form and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

Remember, we're always keen to hear your feedback, and better still we'd love to share some of your own favourite date ideas. So keep in touch, keep submitting dates and reviews, and help make The Great Date Guide even better still!

HAPPY DATING!

top 10 roof terraces

The sun appears to be involved in a complicated game of hide and seek this summer, so it's all the more important to catch it when you can! Ever hopeful that there may be a few rays on offer shortly, here is the GDG's guide to the best rooftop bars in London...


1. The Boundary - Shoreditch
One of our favourite rooftop venues for its setting and stylish design. In fact, dare we say it...could this be the best rooftop date in London?

2. Kensington Roof Gardens - Kensington
Did you know there are fully grown oak trees here? Ken Roof Gardens are frankly amazing, so try and go when it's still light to fully appreciate them.

3. Vista at the Trafalgar - Trafalgar Square
It doesn't get much better than this - panoramic views over Trafalgar Square - an absolute must!

4. Coq d'Argent - Bank
Delicious French food and one of the most remarkable roof gardens in London. Check it out for yourself...

5. Paradise by Way of Kensal Green - Kensal Green
You'll either love it or hate it but it's definitely worth a visit. It's got a great roof terrace and eclectic interior design which we think makes it pretty unique.

6. The White House - Clapham Common
A little something for those of you south of the river...

7. The Clarendon - Holland Park
This great big roof terrace is the ideal spot for dinner al fresco, although sun lovers amongst you should try it for lunch, when the terrace is at it's sun drenched best.

8. The Faltering Fullback - Finsbury Park
Not so much a rooftop bar, more a treehouse pub, but we love it and think it makes for a perfect chilled out date.

9. The Frog - Clapham Common
Recently reopened pub on The Pavement in Clapham with a great roof terrace overlooking the Common. Perfect for a lazy afternoon date.

10. Aqua - Regent's Street
Take the lift up to the top floor of the former Dickens & Jones department store and be prepared for a surprise. When the lift doors open you'll find yourself entering a cavernous, dimly lit Japanese restaurant, slightly reminiscent of a 90's nightclub according to Giles Coren! Anyway, it's the roof top we're interested in - with stunning views down Regent Street this would make a dramatic end to a great date.

Let us know if we've missed your favourite roof top bar off our list!

info@thegreatdateguide.com

Dating in the dark….

This month, the lovely Sarah Finley (of The Loves and Life of a London Girl fame) is back to tell us about the perils of a blind date - literally!

Blind dates are one thing... You know the sort – when a friend tells you they have the perfect match for you and visa versa. Then you turn up and realise you would have preferred to have spent the evening with a lion at feeding time. So actual blind dating could be quite hazardous. Step up Dans Le Noir – a restaurant in London were you’re actually sat, eating your meal, in complete darkness.

Sounds scary, huh? Well it’s not as bad as it sounds actually. I had the pleasure of visiting it last year with friends and loved the experience. After being led into a darkened room by blind waiters you’re left to enjoy a surprise menu, and hopefully not get the contents of your plate all down your front.

But going on a date in a darkened restaurant, now that’s another thing. So when a potential first date suggested it I wondered what sort of loon I’d been set up with. I didn’t even reply to him, let alone date him. Fast forward six months and into a particularly bad dating drought and I thought, ‘why not?’ – What’s the worst that could happen?

Well a lot of things actually – a slight pause in conversation could feel like an eternity of awkwardness, a mistaken red wine spill could end in a disastrous date outfit and don’t get me started on mistaken identity – what if you end up speaking to the wrong date all night?

Thankfully I didn’t encounter any of these – phew! But walking into a darkened room with a virtual stranger did seem slightly odd. Fumbling around in the dark is usually at least third date territory - so being plunged into darkness and left to almost fend for your self from date numero uno is, I suppose, a little mad!

But there are some upsides of dating in the dark. Because when your date can’t actually see you it gives you the perfect opportunity to throw that first date dinner etiquette out of the window. Instead of sitting there politely cutting your meal likes it’s a delicate flower you can tuck your napkin in your t-shirt and dig in with your hands - without your date thinking you’re a complete slob. And that’s exactly what I did – well nobody’s exactly going to know, are they?

Thankfully the experience didn’t scar me for life or give me a fear of the dark. But just like the cinema, maybe Dans le Noir isn’t quite first date material. A first date is all about sussing them out – reading their body language, using eye contact and flirting, and you can’t really do that when you’re in the dark – can you?

So by all means date in the dark and enjoy dinner in the dark – but maybe enjoy your first date, with who ever it is, somewhere where you can actually see them.

By Sarah Finley

Read more of Sarah’s dating tales at http://thelovesandlifeofalondongirl.blogspot.com/