Blind Date: Sunny and Dani

In the spirit of love and St. Valentine, the stand and the wonderful people at Mitchell’s brought together two strangers for an evening of romance and good food.

Dani Goldberg, a 1st year marine biologist, scuba diver, rugby player, party lover and music enthusiast dined with Sunny Moodie, a self-proclaimed St Andrews lover. He’s in 5th year and spends most of his time on the stage, on west sands, or at a ball dancing the night away. 

Dani on Sunny:

Before the blind date what were you hoping for?

Before the date I was of course hoping to meet my prince charming, to finally meet that perfect guy who would solve the ultimate issue of being Single-in-St-Andrews. However, I knew this was unlikely so was really just hoping for someone entertaining to spend a Sunday evening with.

Who were you hoping for?

I can’t say I was hoping for anyone in particular, although my Mum did tell me to “request a jew”.

First impressions?

Great first impression, he was looking very handsome and had gone for a similar smart/casual approach to the evening. Phew! Any nerves were immediately settled by his apparent ease and confidence….

What did you talk about? How much you love the stand? Kate Middleton’s hair? Sainsbury’s on Market Street? Schweffing Louise Richardson?

The conversation flowed excellently, we discussed what felt like a plethora of culturally fuelled topics from Opera to sustainably sourced fish. We skimmed over all the boring pleasantries (“what do you study? where are you from? what societies are you in?” blah blah blah) and jumped right in to Middle Eastern politics and Made in Chelsea. The two ultimate date conversations, and I’d say our opinions were pretty much aligned on both.

Any awkward moments?

No awkward moments at all, a perfect date! Although he did order a soy milk coffee which the waitress went to give to me, at which point he embarrassingly had to confess it was him who had ordered the overtly girly drink. He handled it well and we both laughed as he sipped from the pretty little tea cup!

Good table manners?

He had excellent table manners and was the perfect gentleman ensuring my glass was always full. Our menu choices were made easy by the fact we were both vegetarian (huge bonus!). We therefore shared the vegetarian anti pasti, which was delicious, and immediately bonded over our shared love for the artichoke. The main courses were both great, he had the sea bream and I had eggs benedict, revelling in my ultimate indulgence of breakfast for dinner. Not normally being a dessert eater I was reluctant to go for the third course but conversation was peaking as he told me of his love of theatre and I shared with him my passion for scuba diving. To be perfectly honest I wasn’t ready to leave so I went for the creamy cheesecake while he enjoyed some ice cream.

Would you introduce him to your friends? Did you realise that you had met eyes before across a crusty basement or cider covered dancefloor?

I would definitely introduce him to my friends. Whilst we had the odd friend in common, an inevitability in this town, we hadn’t met before and didn’t appear to be related, academically or otherwise….

Did you go on somewhere after the date?

We went to the Old Course Hotel and managed to get in for last orders at the bar upstairs, it was the perfect setting for an after drink on a cold Sunday night. We drank away as Buddy Holly played in the background and continued to chat about all manner of things including the London riots and whether or not chivalry has a place in our modern society. We both agreed it did and he had certainly proved this throughout the night.

Score out of Ten?

A corker of a blind date, 10 out of 10.

 

Sunny on Dani:

 

Before the blind date what were you hoping for?

It was 7am, a few of us had decided that the sea was the best way to round off a brilliant night at the Reeling Ball, and I suddenly remembered that I had a blind date in eleven hours. A quick nap and the daily chores complete, I stumbled to Mitchell’s hoping that I wouldn’t pass out after the first course.

Who were you hoping for?

Well I’d been promised ‘a ridiculous babe’ by the Features Editor of the stand.

First impressions?

Well the stand certainly lived up to the promise!

What did you talk about?

There was no danger of falling asleep! Sunday night I spent the evening with quite the renaissance girl! Witty and ever so charming, she told me tales of her Israeli scuba diving adventures, playing rugby and reading Auden’s Stop all the Clocks. In between our delicious three course meal we chatted about Edinburgh, Oscar Wilde’s short stories, the Opera and Made in Chelsea.

Would you introduce her to your friends? Did you realise that you had met eyes before across a crusty basement or cider covered dancefloor?

We had never so much as seen each other around these three streets, but the conversation was so natural and flowed freely. So wonderful.

Will you be seeing each other again?

Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are now very high on my ‘to go’ list, and I reckon we will see each other in London.

Fresher-5th year romances? Can they really survive when she’s young enough to be your academic granddaughter?

Of course!

Did you go on after the restaurant?

We were the last to leave the restaurant, and the took a taxi to the Old Course bar to round off a really nice evening. I say, and this is addressed to Single in St Andrews, don’t limit your romantic experiences in St Andrews to the Lizard or dreaming about your library crush. Make the effort and go for a nice meal, you might not all be so lucky to have your Valentine’s arranged and funded by the stand and Mitchell’s, and you really might end up with a quite wonderful friend.

 

The stand would like to thank our Blind-Daters Dani and Sunny, and extend a huge thanks to the great people at Mitchell’s who provided a three course meal and drinks for free, and created a dreamy, romantic setting. Mitchell’s has a scrumptious Valentine’s Menu which includes their famous sharing platters, ham hough terrine, seared scallops, tender steaks, double chocolate cheesecake with two spoons… (right?). Mitchell’s is open until Midnight every night and are committed to serving the freshest, local and seasonal produce. To book a table this Valentine’s week call 01334 441396.

 

If you are interested in going on a stand blind date, send us a message here.

 

 Written and arranged by Alexandra Holroyd, understand Editor

Photos: © Renata Grasso