Mike, 37, a scientific editor, and Caterina, 35, a teacher, were paired for a blind date. Mike rated the evening 9.5 out of 10, calling it “hard to fault,” while Caterina gave it 7.5. They ate at Tagine & Grill at the Sun and 13 Cantons, London W1.
Mike’s view
Mike said he was hoping for “good company, nice food and an interesting evening with someone new,” and he “got everything I hoped for.” His first impression of Caterina was “warm, confident and easy to talk to.” They discussed the joys of being an aunt or uncle, freelance life, and jury duty as a newly minted British citizen.
Mike recalled no awkward moment, adding that “either the evening went smoothly or the malbec did its job.” He described Caterina as “warm, kind, elegant” and said she is “genuinely one of the easiest people to talk to that I’ve ever met.” He would introduce her to his friends “without hesitation.”
Caterina’s view
Caterina said she was hoping “to meet someone special.” Her first impression of Mike was “nice smile and face; a bit nervous or shy.” They talked about favourite cuisine, past and future travels, Harry Potter, and even politics. She felt she was “leading the conversation most of the time, asking questions,” but praised Mike’s table manners: “he would pour water in my glass whenever it was empty.”
The best thing about Mike, she said, is that “you can tell he’s someone who loves putting care into what he does and what he says – a rare find these days.” She described him as “organised, thorough, kind.” She was unsure about introducing him to her friends, noting her friendship group has “a lot of energy.”
After dinner
After the meal, the pair were “the last two in the restaurant,” so they went for a stroll around London until midnight, when Mike had to catch the last train back to Cambridge. Caterina said they walked around Soho and Covent Garden, as she felt he “deserved a bit of tourism, coming from Cambridge.”
There was no kiss, only a farewell hug. Mike said he would have liked “a bit more time before that last train forced the evening to end.” They agreed they might meet again for a coffee, with Mike extending an open invitation for a guided tour of Cambridge.
