Joe, 27, who works in advocacy at a charity, and Jade, 29, a PR account manager, met for a blind date at the Bull & Last in London NW5. Both rated the evening highly, with Joe giving it 8 out of 10 and Jade 9 out of 10, and they have exchanged numbers to plan a second outing.
First Impressions and Conversation
Joe said he was hoping for "human connection outside an algorithm – good conversation and a fun anecdote." His first impression of Jade was that she was "friendly and the conversation flowed easily from the get-go." Jade, meanwhile, hoped "to make a connection with someone and have a good story to tell our future pets," and found Joe "cute and well dressed."
Their conversation covered favourite Doctor Who episodes (with Joe citing "The Girl in the Fireplace, obviously"), the joys of London in the summer, favourite gig venues, and the need for the transatlantic accent to return. Jade added that they discussed books, family pets, favourite parks in London, the housing crisis, and the constant yearning to be by the sea when you grew up by the coast. They also debated whether it’s better to be a reality TV villain or completely erased from the final cut for being too boring.
Awkward Moments and Table Manners
Joe described a "slight disagreement about whether the BT Tower is evil – I begged to differ" as the most awkward moment. Jade’s awkward moment came when they were "right into chatting and I wasn’t prepared when they came to take our order – so had to ask for extra time."
On table manners, Joe said his were "impeccable from my end," while Jade noted that Joe "kept my water glass full and humoured my plan to say cheers with every new drink."
Impressions and Future Plans
Joe described Jade in three words as "open, enthusiastic, fun," and said the best thing about her was that she "has a clear sense of what she wants in life. And excellent chat." He would introduce her to his friends. Jade described Joe as "intelligent, thoughtful, affable," and the best thing about him was that he was "really fun to talk to. We were on the same wavelength on a lot of things, but it was also fun to discuss when we weren’t." She would also introduce him to her friends.
Joe thought Jade might have seen him as "probably too many gesticulations, but otherwise, hopefully, normal enough," while Jade guessed Joe thought she was "very talkative and hold a lot of strong opinions on frivolous matters."
Neither went on anywhere after dinner, as Jade had an early flight the next morning. Joe noted they "made a pretty good dent in the Guardian’s tab at the restaurant," and they parted with a hug on the Mildmay line and the Overground, respectively. Joe said he would not change anything about the date, calling it "a lovely evening," while Jade wished she could have stayed out later, adding "I doubt it would have made my 5am start the next day much harder."
Both confirmed they would meet again, with Joe saying "We have exchanged numbers!" and Jade adding "Yeah! We’re in touch about planning our next outing."
