Isn't it a pain when a power cut throws a room into complete darkness just when you are about to tuck into a good meal. But what if the lights are turned off intentionally and the whole purpose is to eat without light?
Clerkenwell-based Dans le Noir does just that. Introduced first in Paris and now in London, it aims to challenge the senses while raising awareness of the restrictions faced by blind and partially sighted people. Food is served by blind waiters and waitresses in total blackness.
I was invited to dine in the dark shortly before I joined Caterer & Hotelkeeper several weeks ago and I challenge anyone to suggest a more unusual dining experience.
Following hurried first-time introductions with fellow diners at the reception, you are led in a hand-linked chain through a darkened corridor surrounded by thick heavy curtains. As the light diminished one lady two people behind me immediately buckled and retreated back to the reception. The rest of us continued to our seats, one cumbersome step at a time, unsure what to expect next.
It is an entirely bizarre experience, eating in the dark. Not only do you have to play 'guess the food' game in your head, you also have to fumble around finding your knife, your fork, your water or wine glass and anything else you might need - without dropping it as you'll never find it again.
After fishing around your plate in repeated attempts to get a hold of whatever it is you are eating - 'Was that a potato?' 'No, a parsnip, I think' - you then have to aim for your mouth. Thank goodness nobody could see me foolishly aiming for my cheek and trying to tackle too-large pieces of food on my fork.
And then there is the communication issue. Having just met my table companions five minutes before, I then had to try to remember them by voice. Whoever claimed 75 per cent of communication is non-verbal wasn't kidding. Laughing at someone's seriously intended remark by mistake doesn't go down too well. Take it from me.
I don't recall being scared of the dark as a child but there was something overwhelming about sitting in that restaurant. I wondered how big the room was, how many tables there were, what the people who were already in there looked like. It was frustrating and I wanted to get out.
For me, the dining experience is as much about the surroundings as it is about the food. And, it may just be me but I quite like to see the people I'm talking to, especially when I've just met them.
How many times are we told that you don't appreciate what you have until it is gone? I don't think I have ever beamed so much in my life as when we were (gradually) reintroduced to the daylight. As I walked back to the station gazing around me as if for the first time, passers-by must have wondered what on earth I was smiling about.
And the verdict? Dans le Noir definitely offers something different and while I can't tell you exactly what I ate I know it tasted pretty good.
