The Sopranos

Sydney Morning Herald

Friday August 3, 2007

Brooke Hemphill

Lisa and Luke take in an opera recital and high tea by the harbour. By BROOKE HEMPHILL.

"It seems there are very few men in Sydney in my 12 years of dating experience," 30-year-old Lisa Nowosad says, no doubt echoing the sentiments of single women across the city. "I haven't met anyone special for a very long time."

As such, Lisa volunteered to be a part of Table for Ten and met Luke Fitzgerald. The date we've scheduled for them is to spend high tea listening to opera and eating fine food in the Opera House's Guillaume at Bennelong restaurant.

The afternoon is off to a difficult start when Lisa discovers her nearest train station is closed. She heads home to collect her car, ensuring she will be at least 20 minutes late. Not wanting to make a bad impression for their first date, Lisa calls Luke to let him know. She discovers his phone is switched off. Eventually she arrives and Luke greets her explaining he has lost his phone. He is also sporting a baseball cap.

"Why are you wearing a hat?" she asks innocently enough.

"Because I'm hiding something," he replies. He lifts the cap to show Lisa a large gash on his forehead. The story goes that he has been in a fight. Aside from the bloody wound, Lisa is led to believe Luke triumphed over six thugs.

"I keep the streets clean," he says. When questioned further on this he claims to have been defending an old lady from a group of muggers, but this is not the impression Lisa gets.

Lisa and Luke make their way to Guillaume at Bennelong inside the front two "shells" of the Opera House, where they are greeted with glasses of pink champagne. Luke and Lisa have the best table in the house, with an amazing view of Sydney Harbour. This is occasionally marred by curious tourists outside pressing their faces to the tinted glass.

Lisa is still enjoying her first glass of bubbly when Luke, perhaps feeling outclassed by the setting, suggests they leave. She manages to convince him to stay long enough to at least sample the afternoon tea fare.

The selection of dishes offered by Michelin-trained French chef Guillaume Brahimi include fresh crab with coriander mayonnaise, French pastries and vanilla macaroons. "It's all very posh," Luke jokes. "I consider myself to be a half-cultured guy."

Lyric mezzo-soprano Sian Pendry appears and, accompanied by conductor Simon Kenway on the piano, launches into a 25-minute opera recital. Lisa, who holds a diploma in music production, takes a keen interest in the performance, while Luke takes an interest in Lisa. "The acoustics are fantastic," Lisa notes. Pendry works through her repertoire including a few crowd pleasers and an encore. The crowd applauds loudly.

Luke, on the other hand, has taken this opportunity to make advances toward Lisa. Despite being so eager to leave earlier, Luke decides to stay for one more drink, although most of the patrons have vacated the restaurant. Luke suggests Lisa go home with him. Lisa is taken aback by the comment and decides instead to go to the ladies' room. Upon her return, Luke is gone.

"I sort of lost Lisa at the end," Luke says. "She went to the ladies' and I went to the men's and when I came out she was gone. I looked for her for a while but couldn't find her."

Lisa tells a different story. "I saw him in the distance flirting with another girl. He looked at me then turned his back." She says the afternoon left her feeling uncomfortable and somewhat vulnerable.

"Luke committed every dating faux pas there is. He wore a hat inside and was even rude to the waiters." When asked if he picked up on this vibe, Luke says no. "Lisa is very reserved. She kept her poker face on the whole time."

The pair haven't spoken in the week since their date. Luke has been sick with pneumonia - and, don't forget, he lost his mobile phone.

"I think I'll just leave it," Luke says. For Lisa, the experience confirms her poor opinion of the dating scene.

"I seem to have really bad luck and I think guys in the 25-to-30 age bracket only want one thing," Lisa concludes.

Next week our hunk-of-the-month Tom Barrett teams up with Cascie Wills. * High tea provided courtesy of Guillaume at Bennelong.Table for Ten is Metro's new dating game. Five guys and five girls meet before three "couples" get a date. To play, email dating@smh.com.au.

The venue

You know high tea is going to be a special affair when it's held at Guillaume at Bennelong inside the Sydney Opera House. The combination of an opera recital, fine cuisine and the ambience of this extraordinary building make for an unique experience. High tea runs every second Wednesday.

Guillaume at Bennelong

See www.sydneyoperahouse.com.au for available dates. Bookings can be made on 9250 7250.

© 2007 Sydney Morning Herald

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