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20th December 2016
12:10am GMT
We're all in favour of Tinder here at Lovin Dublin – but isn't it tricky thinking of new and inventive ideas?
On one hand, you want to seem original (without trying too hard) while on the other, you just want a non-stuffy environment that allows you to work out whether this person really is a potential match.
Seeing we’re all about food this way, we figured, where better than a bustling market that’s easy to reach and gets you out of the city centre? So this week, we’re taking a trip south to the Blackrock Market, which opens at 11 on Saturdays and 12 on Sundays, running till 5.30 both days.
Weeks of messaging can make it even harder to meet someone in the flesh so coffee and cake, while lovely, can seem daunting when you’re thinking up would-be talking points.
Fortunately the variety of food and artisan products available mean you can ditch any rehearsed conversation in favour of good, comforting meals followed by coffee and a selection of chocolates. You could even try the fish and chips we were raving about last month before scrutinizing some books, art and bric-a-brac.
It goes without saying that the risk of being spotted is amplified if you or your pals live locally, and even if you’re not based nearby, the Dart’s proximity can leave you open to an array of unusual acquaintances. Once you’re there however (and hopefully it isn’t raining) you have the opportunity to try a multitude of fresh foods, all made on the spot. So not only do you get to stock up on lunch, but you can also make light chitchat about your food over some shared nibbles. Sounds perfect, really.
Blackrock is amply serviced by bus and Dart and it’s not a bad cycle from town either, even for those who rarely get out the bike. Get the DART app before heading out and only make a break for it when you know it’s bound to arrive. You run the risk of wandering aimlessly down the platform for twenty minutes otherwise.
You could drop into the conversation that you’d love to go somewhere further again, perhaps The Happy Pear in Greystones next week? But in the meantime, you can work off that food baby paunch with a walk to Dun Laoghaire and wander down the peer, or catch the 46a to Stillorgan for a game of bowling.
It pays to brush up on any potential food allergies your date might have. After all, you don’t want to seem like an insensitive jerk waving around a melted cheese sambo in front of your newly diagnosed coeliac pal.
If your eyes are bigger than your stomach, then elasticised trousers. Otherwise just a throw-over and umbrella.
Honestly we’d suggest €30 so you’ve the option to feed yourself and treat your date but if you’re really broke, a tenner for coffees and something sweet will suffice.
They say yes to that trip to The Happy Pear and you get to meet the guys from the Super Valu ad!
It rains, your car’s clamped, your phone dies and your date’s beaming the whole sorry affair through his / her Periscope. Sigh.
