Blind date

He seemed annoyed that I’d looked him up online

Every week, we send a couple out on a blind date. This time, Jiten Patel, 38, had dinner at the wild Food Cafe in Islington, North London, with Germaine Smith, 37.

Jiten works in market research and lives in Islington. Library assistant Germaine lives in nearby kentish Town.

GERMAINE, 37, SAYS:

I wAS nervous about meeting Jiten, as my last date was a couple of years ago. I arrived a few minutes early and was expecting him to be late — he had changed the date and venue a couple of times — but he was on time, which was a nice surprise.

I have to admit, I was a bit naughty and had tried to find him online before the date. I knew his first name and where he was from, and found him easily. In retrospect, I regret doing it. I think he was annoyed when I told him — and I can understand that.

But, from what I saw online, I knew we would have a laugh. He’s into podcasts and social media and is a comedian in his spare time. As soon as we met, we hugged each other hello. we’re both chatty people and immediately got on. He’s a nice-looking guy and so much fun. He’s into comedy and is a bit of a joker, which I liked.

The thing is, we are so similar — we’re both Leos, we’re both quite fiery and strongwilled and we had so much in common. That might work for some people, but I always think that opposites attract.

I’ve been mostly single for around five years and feel a bit out of practice. I did some online dating, but I didn’t like it. That said, my sister met her partner on the dating app Tinder, so I know that it can work.

The blind date was brilliant. At first, I had been annoyed, as Jiten had changed my original restaurant choice, but I’m glad he did, because it was a new venue for me and I enjoyed it, although it was vegan — and I’m not. The staff were nice and the food was excellent.

NeAr the end of the date, Jiten asked for my phone number, but I prefer social media, so I suggested we become Facebook friends first. I’ve sent him a friend request, but he hasn’t accepted it yet, although we’ve messaged a couple of times.

I run a group for female artists on Facebook, so I was impressed that he had set up his own group called Homeless Not Hopeless. He came across as kind and he appears to help other people.

As well as my job at the library, I’m an artist and enjoy going to shows and reading feminist art criticism. But I love catching up with friends and having girls’ nights out in London, too.

I’m a big fan of Nineties Britpop, and Jiten and I had some good chats about music. I enjoyed the whole experience, but I regret telling him I had looked him up beforehand, as I’m sure he felt at a disadvantage.

I think I was so curious as I’d never been on a blind date.

That aside, this process has given me confidence. Although there was no romance, it was a reminder that I can get on well with people and don’t have to take dating too seriously.

I feel that if you have confidence in life in general, that will lead to more confidence in romance, too. So now, I’m going to be a bit more proactive. LIKED? His attitude and kindness. REGRETS? None. COFFEE OR CAB? Coffee. Verdict: 7/10

JITEN, 38, SAYS:

I work in market research but, in my spare time, I write poetry and perform comedy. I’ve also acted for online podcasts and videos. The little I knew about

I liked her unique style but we had no spark

Germaine was positive, as she is arty, too. My friends say I’m a charming, good-hearted soul, and I’m pretty laidback. I love hanging out in nature, camping, sober festivals and vegan cooking.

I’ve been single for a while, as I prefer to meet people naturally, face-to-face, not online.

I would like to meet someone spiritual who is funny enough to make me laugh, not just laugh at my jokes. Someone light-hearted, playful, ambitious, caring, sweet, thoughtful and who understands meditation, as it’s an important part of my life. I was nervous for the date, wondering who I was going to meet, but, as soon as I got there, I relaxed. Germaine was wearing massive glasses and had a unique, funky look, which I appreciated, but I also knew she wasn’t my type. Still, she’s a cool person and we got on well from the moment we met. we both admitted to being nervous and had a light-hearted conversation about music and our work. It wasn’t awkward, though there were a couple of moments when we were talking about our dating past and being single when she seemed a little sad.

BuT then she told me she had searched for me on Facebook and Instagram beforehand and had checked me out. I thought that was a bit of an invasion of privacy, as it was meant to be a blind date, but I decided to joke about it. I wasn’t going to make a fuss.

She’s easy-going and seemed impressed by my work with the homeless.

Later, when I asked her what her one takeaway from the date would be, she said that she felt inspired to go for life a bit more, which was a nice thought.

Sadly, though, there wasn’t a spark. I’ve had a few long and medium-term relationships, as well as a few girlfriends who weren’t serious. I can be shy, so I don’t tend to ask women out.

I thought the blind date was a positive experience and I would do it again. Like all of us, I think Germaine has been hurt in the past, but now wants a relationship, whereas that’s not such a drive for me.

But the fact that there was no chemistry was a good thing. I felt I could be myself. I haven’t yet accepted her Facebook request, though, because I don’t like adding people I don’t know that well to my account. In fact, I’m trying to delete people from my page, so have made a decision not to accept new connections.

I did offer her my phone number, which I think is better as we could message each other privately, but she didn’t want that.

I think Germaine is lovely, but just not for me. LIKED? She is funny and creative. REGRETS? None. COFFEE OR CAB? Coffee. Verdict: 8/10