But Dans le Noir? offers the now-famous dining-in-the-dark experience.
The idea is that your other senses are heightened when your sight is taken away, making the taste, smell and texture of the food become richer. But what I wasn’t expecting was the disorientation it made me feel. You are in total darkness, and I mean total. You can’t even see your hand in front of your face. To help you find your seat, you stand in a line with your other diners and put your hands on to the person in front’s shoulders, so you can follow each other in. Indeed, you get to know your fellow diners quite well as you are sat canteen-style and can’t help but compare notes on your food and pick up techniques on how to go about eating when you can’t see a thing.
I had managed to find my soon-to-be-knocked-over glass of wine and cutlery, but by the end of the starter we had all opted to use our hands for eating. With our senses heightened, we found ourselves smelling and feeling the food, guessing which mysterious delicacy was in front of us. The waiters, who are all blind and so somewhat better at navigating than us, were super friendly and helpful. You are also not at risk of eating anything you are allergic to or truly dislike, as you are given a choice of fish, meat or vegetarian menus, although for those who like to live on the edge, there is also a ‘surprise’ menu.
Dans le Noir? is certainly a novel way to dine out, and I would recommend it as a one-off experience (it is a bit pricey). With Valentine’s Day coming up, it’s a good place to take your date and play footsie under the table… or at least, what you think is your date’s leg. If not, hey, you could get lucky twice.
Price: £42 for two courses, £51 for three
Where: 30-31 Clerkenwell Green, London, EC1R 0DU
For more info, visit the Dans le Noir? website
Image credit: Facebook
