Blind date: Ciaran and Sophie

With thanks to The Mint Room, who have sponsored this feature. We sent Ciaran on a blind date there with Sophie. Was there any romance on the menu?

Name: Ciaran

Occupation: Mental health nurse

Name: Sophie

Occupation: Master’s student and freelance writer

Have you ever been on a blind date before? 

Ciaran: Nowhere near as blind as this!

Sophie: No, this was very unfamiliar territory.

What made you want to go on this blind date? 

Ciaran: I wanted to meet somebody that I might not usually encounter. Also a free dinner and drinks, of course.

Sophie: Partly the free meal. But I saw the ad and thought, why not? I felt it was the right time to start dating again.

What were your first thoughts when you saw your date? 

Ciaran: Phew, what a relief!

Sophie: This might not be such a bad date after all. 

What did you talk about? 

Ciaran: Scandinavia; Indonesia; British attitudes to nudity; the ultra-attentive service; whether or not we would have to pay the bill; food security; the monotony of mainstream education; the nature of mental health; cycling; our families. We had a lot to talk about.

Sophie: We had a lot of cocktails, so my memory is pretty hazy. But I know we never stopped talking. And actually there was a lot of talk about – including our host for the evening, Ataur – he was a proper character.

What was the atmosphere like? 

Ciaran: I’m not entirely sure as I had my back to the restaurant for the whole evening. It was lovely though. 

Sophie: The restaurant was very formal – nothing that I have ever been used to. But Ciaran made me feel relaxed. 

How was the food?

Ciaran: The food was great. Really refined Indian fusion food. Really fresh ingredients, well balanced flavours, beautifully presented. The halibut was amazing.

Sophie:  It was so nice to be catered for and meet the chef cooking our meal for the evening. The starter was stunning – a spicy, coconut tomato soup – followed by a traditionally made biryani and sorbet for afters. Each dish was beautifully presented and tasted fantastic. Seriously, it was the best meal I’ve ever eaten.

What would you say is the best characteristic of your date? 

Ciaran: Sophie is energetic, intellectual, passionate and sincere.

Sophie: That’s a tough question; Ciaran has many. I think the fact that he was so genuine and didn’t mind listening to me nervously talk his ear off.

Any moments when you wished you were somewhere else? 

Ciaran: Only when I arrived and mistakenly thought that the maître d’ was my date.

Sophie: No, not once.

What do you think your date made of you?

Ciaran: I think she liked me. 

Sophie: I think he liked me. We laughed a lot so that is a good sign, right?

Is there anything you would change about the evening?

Ciaran: Nothing at all. 

Sophie: I probably wouldn’t have order that second espresso martini – I couldn’t sleep when I got home.

Did you go somewhere else after your meal?

Ciaran: We were the last to leave the restaurant in the small hours and shared a taxi to our respective homes.

Sophie: We didn’t leave until 12.30am, so we decided we should probably head home. 

Were there any sparks of potential?

Ciaran: There sure were.

Sophie: I’d say so.

Will you meet again?

Ciaran: Yes, already arranged.

Sophie: We’ve already arranged date number two.

If you would like to take part in one of our blind dates, then please email martin@bristol247.com You will have your meal and drinks taken care of, leaving you to concentrate on the chemistry of love!