Top 10 London Date Venues

Thanks to a well timed tweet we discovered this fab list of great date venues from Looking for Love in London and had to share it with you! 

"Despite having had more than my fair share of shoddy date venues over the years (Cattle Grid was just one of many!), I have also been taken to some lovely places too. My most recent fave was Four O Nine which I’ve already talked about on the blog, so here are 10 other places which I recommend (in no particular order)…" 

1. The Breakfast Club, Spitalfields

This may not look a very exciting choice at first glance, but this has to be one of the most memorable date venues I’ve been taken to – there are a few Breakfast Club’s around London, but I’m specifically talking about the one at Spitalfields. I went here on a first date about a year ago and was slightly confused when the guy picked a place more suited to a breakfast/brunch date as his venue of choice for after work drinks. Once we got there and he went up to a waitress and told her “We’re here to see The Mayor” I thought he was definitely off his rocker!! But this was, in fact, the code that meant she then opened up a ‘Smeg fridge’ in the café and lead us through it(!) and downstairs to a funky hidden away cocktail bar called The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town. (They ask you to leave through a different door so as to not spoil the Smeg fridge secret.) I think it’s a really fun gimmick for a first date and definitely helps break the ice…and now you know the code, go and try it out!

2. Callooh Callay

Talking of gimmicks, the entrance to the lounge bar at Callooh Callay is in a similar vein to the Smeg fridge door. This is a fun, quirky bar in Shoreditch which I went to a couple of years ago now (on another first date!). To get from the main bar to the lounge bar you go through a huge old-school Narnia-esque wardrobe. All the furniture/décor is retro too so again it makes for a first date venue which is a bit different to the norm.

3. Aqua

From one extreme to another, Aqua is just off Regent Street and is much sleeker and more modern. It has two restaurants – a Japanese one (Aqua Kyoto) and a Spanish/tapas one (Aqua Nueva) but I’ve only ever been there for drinks at Aqua Spirit. There is an ok indoor bar area (nothing too special), but what I liked about it was the outside rooftop terrace, which is perfect as we’re heading towards Summer and (hopefully) some sunshine! The drinks are pretty pricey but it’s nice for a pre-dinner drink/yummy cocktail. My first experience of it was slightly tainted by the fact I was with Mr Baileys (and yes, he drank Baileys on a sunny rooftop!), but the fact that I still loved it means it must have been good!

4. Gordon’s Wine Bar

I’ve been taken to Gordon’s Wine Bar by FOUR different guys, meaning it’s clearly not the most original recommendation to make. It's just by Embankment, and with a cosy atmosphere and copious amounts of wine, I see it as a pretty fail-safe date venue (as clearly so do a lot of guys!) It's also the oldest wine bar in London, don't you know! Although there is a small outdoor area, I think it’s much more of a Winter place, especially as it has an ‘underground’ feel to it and lots of candles, which makes it feel uber snug when it’s freezing/raining outside.

5. Vertigo 42

As Vertigo 42 is a champagne bar at the top of Tower 42 in the City, the main draw to this place is the view! I got taken here by a bit of a knob if I’m honest (a guy with a serious case of short man syndrome – maybe that’s why he picked a venue at such a great height!!) but I can’t deny that the views were pretty awesome. If you’re feeling extra flashy there is also Gary Rhodes’ restaurant, Rhodes 24, in the same building which you could then go on to for some food…I’ve been there for dinner with a friend though and we weren’t massively impressed!

6. Bluebird

I’ll admit I didn’t really know much about Bluebird until it appeared in pretty much every other episode of Made in Chelsea. When I then started dating a guy who lived just off the King’s Road, he said he would take me there as he was also a big fan of the show (a bit weird, I know)! We went for dinner and it was actually really lovely and much less pretentious than I imagined – the food and cocktails were both yummy, and I’ve been back again since just for drinks. There is a bar, restaurant AND café, so whatever time of day your date is, this is the perfect venue…and there’s also the added bonus that Hugo and Spencer might be sat at the table next to you (although other people might not be as excited by this prospect as me!)

7. Nopi

This was another place chosen by Mr Baileys – what he lacked in choice of drinks, he made up for in choice of date venue! Nopi is tucked away off Regent Street so I would never have known about this place. The food was ‘tapas style’ in that you order a bunch of small dishes to share, which did traumatise me slightly as he insisted on ordering (and forcing me to try) rabbit – I had a pet rabbit when I was a kid, so it just felt wrong!! However, I see from the website that rabbit now appears to be off the menu :) The food and ambience was really nice but as we’ve now discovered, I like a gimmick and this has a fab one…just look at the toilets!! Best not to tell your date and then leave it as a surprise for them to discover (and try to find their way back out of)!

8. The OXO Tower

This one is a bit of a cheat as I’ve actually only been to the OXO Tower for lunch with my parents, but I remember thinking that it would be a fab date place. We went in the Summer and were sat on the outside terrace with great views along the river of all the London landmarks that the Southbank has to offer. It is split into the more pricey ‘Restaurant’ and the more reasonable ‘Brasserie’ – we went to the Brasserie and the food was gorgeous and beautifully presented so I would say save your pennies and go there!

9. All Star Lanes

Some people might scoff at the idea of going bowling on a date when you are approaching the age of 30 but I think it can be great fun, especially if you get to the point where you think there may be issues of awkward conversation pauses if you go for dinner again on the next date. Also, I must point out that I’m not suggesting you go and hang out with the teenagers at Hollywood Bowl but instead that you do ‘grown-up bowling’ (as I call it!) at All Star Lanes. There are a few around London and they’re cute and retro themed…and have proper bars (alcohol is always a plus)!

10. The Avalon/The Windmill

I think a great fourth/fifth date idea is a good old Sunday pub lunch – I say fourth/fifth date as you have to be at the point where you feel comfortable enough with the guy to (a) not need vast quantities of alcohol to be involved, and (b) be able to scoff a full-on Sunday roast in front of him! Obviously there are tons of good places around London for this but a couple which I love in my neck of the woods are The Avalon and The Windmill on the Common. 

Sorry, that turned into a bit of an essay…but do go and try them out if you’ve not already been! :) 

Thanks so much Looking for Love in London, keep up the good work!

Dating Olympics

So, as we come towards the end of these wonderful Olympics, we thought it was time to do the noble thing and assist the good Lord Coe in his quest to ‘inspire a generation’. It's possible, of course, that finding unique and entertaining dating activities wasn't exactly what he had in mind for the legacy of London 2012, but all the same, every little helps... right?

The Rowing Date

A real favourite of The Great Date Guide and surprisingly easy to achieve even within central London. For the dating version we’d suggest a bit more of a paddle than the exploits you’ve been watching on Dorney Lake, and in this case, adding a glass or two of Rosé and a few nibbles tends to get the best results. Try the Serpentine boating lake in London’s Hyde Park, or hire a boat in Richmond for a gloriously scenic trip to Ham House.

The Cycle Classic

One of Team GB’s most successful disciplines, so why not give it a go yourself with a bicycle themed date. Perhaps the Velodrome is not the most romantic of locations, so try a Boris Bike cycle ride around central London’s most iconic spots, or perhaps a sunny cycle in the slice of the countryside that is Richmond Park, complete with champagne and a luxury picnic? Lycra, of course, is optional…

                                                                                             Ⓒ Transport For London

A Spot of Gymnastics

Don’t worry, we're not suggesting you attempt a floor routine to win your date’s respect  (although a spot of trampolining could work?) Instead, head out of central London and test your acrobatic skills with a trial of Sphering. Rolling down a hill at 30mph strapped into a giant ball has just got to count as sport hasn’t it?

Wet and Wonderful

Show off your strokes with a watery date on top of London’s swanky The Berkeley Hotel. With a roof top pool and spa to tempt even the most water-shy daters amongst you, this makes a truly exclusive and glamorous date if you’re prepared to splash out a bit (....ahem...).

Enjoy!

Miss Mary x

London Wonderground: A great place for a date

One of our intrepid daters dropped us an email today to say that they'd discovered the London Wonderground earlier in the week and reckoned it made a pretty great date! This is what they had to say...

We stumbled upon this amazing site when strolling down the Southbank on a glorious Wednesday afternoon. The excitement built as we could see the fairground ride towering above the Thames, just below the London Eye. Our inner child couldn’t resist the thought of swinging around a pole at stratospheric heights over the gorgeous city of London!

The temporary Wonderground has two fairground rides, including this carousel at dizzying heights, and a slightly tamer roller-coaster. On approaching the rides, we soon realised that there is loads more to this festival than just two fab rides. At the centre of London Wonderground is a seating area that looks like John Wayne could appear at any moment, surrounded by charming wooden stalls hosted by the likes of Pimms and Magners. Delicious. Could this festival have been made for us?!? There are wonderful nooks and crannies to hide in and talk the evening away and soak up the atmosphere of London’s Southbank.

Following our refreshment of Pimms in a secluded, wooded corner of the festival, we explored the area to find that there was so much more to drink in: cabaret, comedy and music. We didn’t have time to indulge further but we will certainly be back, armed with a plan. This time we had an appointment to make at Wahaca which was the perfect way to end our exhilarating day at the fair: a vibrant, distracting and delicious venue to complement our adventures down the road!



The London Wonderground can be found at Jubilee Gardens, off Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX

DoingSomething Fun?

We're really chuffed to bring you a guest post from our pals at the truly exciting internet dating site, 'DoingSomething', where picking a great date is about more than just choosing the right person. It's sort of what you'd get if you stir-fried a standard internet dating site with, let's say, The Great Date Guide. Come to think of it, why on earth didn't we think of that?!!! Well, we think they're just fab, and with the runaway success they're having, they're here to stay. Time then to get in on the action…

London’s latest addition to the dating scene is turning internet
 dating on its head - and giving it it a good old shake until fun falls out of its pockets. 

If you haven’t heard of DoingSomething yet, you soon will. It's the
‘new dating site everyone’s talking about’, so says Grazia.
 It's a really simple idea and it's growing fast.
 

The premise: Dating’s more FUN when you’re DoingSomething.

 

So out goes the long profile description with what you and your best
friend got up to aged 5, and in comes meeting someone and DoingSomething 
fun. Hence the name. It could mean anything from catching the latest
 Pop Up Screening, going for a game of free ping pong in one of 
London’s parks, or doing something super zany like walking across the 
roof of the 02. Yes, you can do that.



DoingSomething takes away the inherent awkwardness on a first date, and what's more, what people say they want to do gives a really neat snapshot of who they 
are. Someone who suggests Roller Disco as a date idea is most likely a
 different sort of person to someone who suggests a medieval tapestry weaving
 weekend retreat. You can add as many different dates as you want to 
your profile - so there’s no need to feel ‘boxed’ in. But you catch
 our drift. 

All in all it takes dating and lightens it up a bit.  

Paul, a
 DoingSomething member, says; ‘It's much more fun than other dating sites. It 
doesn’t feel like people are on there desperately searching for the 
love of their life. It’s more about Londoners with a sense of humour, 
out to have a good time.’

 Sounds good to us. 



It’s free to make a profile on DoingSomething, so come on, get going today!


https://www.doingsomething.co.uk/

Clos Maggiore

With a magical garden dining room in the heart of Covent Garden, is this London's most romantic restaurant?

I arrived at Clos Maggiore with high expectations. I'd heard it described as London's most romantic restaurant many, many times! First things first, I was surprised at it's amazingly central location. Over the years I've spent a lot of time in Covent Garden but I'd never even noticed the restaurant. That's a good sign in my opinion - discreet. Upon entering you're immediately struck by the charming service and cosy interior. If you're coming on a date make sure you ask to be seated in the garden room at the rear of the restaurant. The front is still attractive, but it's the fairy lit garden room which all the fuss is about.

With a clever use of mirrors and twinkling lights you feel as though you've entered a never-ending, enchanted garden. The setting really is unique and provides the perfect backdrop to any special occasion, all year round. In the summer you'll love the fully retractable glass roof and in the winter the reflections of the crackling open fire, the candles and the starlight makes for a truly magical experience.

The atmosphere is warm and inviting with tables squashed in (in a good way, although I did have to squeeze in to get to my seat!) and comfortable upholstered armchairs encouraging you to linger over your meal. There is a wonderful buzzy feel, so often missing in "smart" restaurants. 

Dinner starts with rustic breadsticks and delicious homemade dips. You know you're in for a good night when the taste of truffle hits your lips before you've even ordered your food!

Following a refreshing gazpacho amuse bouche we chose hand picked Devon crab and marjoram remoulade (with avocado, grapefruit, green apple and smoked anchovies mayonnaise - what an intense combination of flavours!), and Sicilian aubergine and fig caponata with provencal goat’s cheese, parmesan sablé and lavender honey as our starters. They were both beautifully presented, exquisitely fragranced and offering a riot of colour on our plates.

For his main course my date chose the slow cooked fillet of Cornish cod ‘Rougaille’ with vermicelli, shellfish and Iberico chorizo sauce, whilst I opted for hand rolled papardella with seasonal wild mushrooms and Reggiano parmesan. I could smell the wonderful truffle before my pasta even arrived at the table, and when it did arrive it looked, and tasted, fantastic! It was incredibly rich but then that's French food for you, and asking for a dish containing mushrooms, truffle, cream and cheese is not going to leave you feeling fresh and light. It came as something of a shock to a recent participant of the Clean and Lean diet ! Thank goodness for the fantastic sommelier and his excellent choice of a German Chardonnay which cut straight through the woody richness of the mushrooms and truffle. It really was the perfect accompaniment to my food, and it's worth mentioning that he had over 2000 bins to choose from - no mean feat!

Despite being full we valiantly pressed on and chose our deserts. My date opting for Eaton Mess (which turned out to be an inspired DIY affair) while I chose simple vanilla ice cream, unable to eat anything more elaborate. Expecting two scoops of ice cream in a tall stemmed glass I was pleasantly surprised to find that the attention to detail, evident throughout the whole evening, did not cease even when faced with the simplest of desert order. My homemade vanilla ice-cream came on a bed of meringue which was lined with a base layer of chocolate sauce, undetectable until you had your first mouthful. It was delicious and I loved the fact that so much attention had been given to such a humble order!

After dessert we were served delicious petit fours with our coffee. This proved another point I'd heard about Clos Maggiore - that it is incredibly good value, considering the quality of the food, the level of service and all the delicious extras, not to mention the romantic setting.

Having been wined and dined in the magical garden room I have to agree that Clos Maggiore certainly is one of London's most romantic restaurants, and with it's fantastic location it would be a perfect companion to a date at the Royal Opera House. Valentine's Day next year? I think you'll find it's already booked…

Top tip: check the timings carefully when you book as they may need your table back for the post theatre crowd.

www.closmaggiore.com

33 King Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 8JD

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7379 9696

Fax: +44 (0)20 7379 6322

Email: enquiries@closmaggiore.com

For Art Lovers...

We've been talking about Contemporary Key for a while now, and this months tour looks like it's going to be one of their best. In case you're still in the dark here, they specialise in providing intimate (15 people max) contemporary art tours complete with a chance to socialise over a coffee or a cocktail. 

Each month they head to a different London location, with June's tour (30th June, 2 - 4pm) heading to Peckham. Here you'll get to visit exhibitions in some of the best local galleries (Son Gallery, Hannah Barry Gallery and Sunday Painter Gallery) as well as having a sneaky look around some of the art studios in The Sunday Painter. Importantly, you'll then finish off with drinks on their rooftop overlooking the lovely Peckham. What's more, when the tour itself is over, participants are invited to the opening party of Bold Tendencies and Franks Cafe, the sculpture park and Campari bar located in a disused multi-storey car park - how very contemporary…!

For more information and to book onto this month's tour, contact lucinda@contemporarykey.co.uk

Are you fit... to date?

Fancy taking your search for romance to a totally different and very much more sweaty level?! Enter Fit2Date, the revolutionary new exercise programme from Australia where fit singles sweat it out together in the hope of meeting their perfect match. It's all about having fun and meeting like minded people, 'taking the ipod from the ears of the sporty set and adding a human element'. Part of the work out sessions involve team exercises, giving plenty of opportunity to chat between gasps and with all those exercise induced endorphins floating around... well who knows!

Fit2Date has been hugely successful in Australia and is launching this June in the UK with a run of 'mega meets', one of which is on Clapham Common on Saturday 23rd of June. This 2 hour session costs just £35, but if you like the idea and you want to sample it for free, come to Clapham Common this coming Saturday (9th June) at 10am for a 1hr sneak peak.

For more information check out their website, or email claire@fit2date.co.uk