Blind Dining at Dans le Noir

roryc

Dans Le Noir is a restaurant and bar where you eat your food in total, utter and complete darkness. Not dimly lit; not just with the lights out; but in a blackout. You might as well close your eyes for all the use they are.

Upon arrival you can stow your belongings in a locker and have a drink in the bar area. You are assigned a table number, and wait to be called. When your table is ready you join a group of other people and stand in a crocodile, hands on each other's shoulders, before being led into the restaurant area by a guide, all of whom are blind, and totally at home - in stark contrast to your growing discombobulation.

You're seated with a group of other people, and told where your napkin, cutlery and glasses are, and left to get on with it.

At first, the overriding sensation is actually one of fear. It's utterly disorientating; not only can you not see the people around you, or the table, or the room itself, but neither do you have an existing mental picture of your surroundings to orient yourself with. Quickly, though, you begin to talk to the people around you and to build a picture of your immediate environment.

After a couple of hours you're not exactly at home with it, but you do miss your mouth less often; and, brought together by a Blitz-style camaraderie, you will have had conversations with strangers you'd never normally have.

Dans Le Noir offers two dining experiences; you can choose your own dishes from a set menu, or you can opt, as 80% of diners do, to eat blind. This is by far the most fun; it's remarkable how different things taste when you can't see them. For instance, a sliver of sashimi-style barracuda is not unlike a cold, sauteed slice of Cep mushroom.

Once the initial disorientation has worn off and you're a little more at home you start to notice how intense flavours become; strawberries, for instance, become the most strawberryish things you could possibly imagine - strawberries in stereo, as one fellow-diner had it. The main difficulty lies in knowing when you've finished everything on your plate.

There is something utterly remarkable about Dans Le Noir. It's not just eating in the dark; it's the closest you can come to a total brain reboot without taking some serious Class A drugs. It's exhilarating, exhausting, and everybody should do it once.


EDIT: Not my work (For anyone that lacks the intelligence to realise this is copied + pasted). Got it from another forum hence no link.


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TheZohanS

roryc wrote: »

Dans Le Noir is a restaurant and bar where you eat your food in total, utter and complete darkness. Not dimly lit; not just with the lights out; but in a blackout. You might as well close your eyes for all the use they are.

Upon arrival you can stow your belongings in a locker and have a drink in the bar area. You are assigned a table number, and wait to be called. When your table is ready you join a group of other people and stand in a crocodile, hands on each other's shoulders, before being led into the restaurant area by a guide, all of whom are blind, and totally at home - in stark contrast to your growing discombobulation.

You're seated with a group of other people, and told where your napkin, cutlery and glasses are, and left to get on with it.

At first, the overriding sensation is actually one of fear. It's utterly disorientating; not only can you not see the people around you, or the table, or the room itself, but neither do you have an existing mental picture of your surroundings to orient yourself with. Quickly, though, you begin to talk to the people around you and to build a picture of your immediate environment.

After a couple of hours you're not exactly at home with it, but you do miss your mouth less often; and, brought together by a Blitz-style camaraderie, you will have had conversations with strangers you'd never normally have.

Dans Le Noir offers two dining experiences; you can choose your own dishes from a set menu, or you can opt, as 80% of diners do, to eat blind. This is by far the most fun; it's remarkable how different things taste when you can't see them. For instance, a sliver of sashimi-style barracuda is not unlike a cold, sauteed slice of Cep mushroom.

Once the initial disorientation has worn off and you're a little more at home you start to notice how intense flavours become; strawberries, for instance, become the most strawberryish things you could possibly imagine - strawberries in stereo, as one fellow-diner had it. The main difficulty lies in knowing when you've finished everything on your plate.

There is something utterly remarkable about Dans Le Noir. It's not just eating in the dark; it's the closest you can come to a total brain reboot without taking some serious Class A drugs. It's exhilarating, exhausting, and everybody should do it once.

Delicious copy pasta...

JohnathanM

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jimthemental

Ya but the food presentation is probably shíte.

SomeFool

Bet the waiter walks around with his knob out too.....

gothicus

They could be feeding u human meat, tastes like chicken im told, hope the chef isnt cooking on the dark too!!

JohnathanM

SomeFool wrote: »

Bet the waiter walks around with his knob out too.....

I have to get a job there. The freedom of your cock hanging out, the breeze rustling through your pubes and the beast swinging gently back and forth as you serve the guests. Occassionaly, I would stab somebody in the eye.

mikedragon32

A restaurant review from 2006. Wow OP. I can't wait to read your review of the dining room in the Capitol Theater, Dublin.

http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/restaurants/dans-le-noir-review-9125.html

My name is URL

Sounds like a load of shite to me.. I can't stand stupid gimmicky stuff like that

red menace

For instance, a sliver of sashimi-style barracuda is not unlike a cold, sauteed slice of Cep mushroom.

So instead of barracuda you may be getting a fried fecking mushroom

This uncultured Irishman will stick to normally lit dining experiences thanks all the smae

stovelid

roryc wrote: »

brought together by a Blitz-style camaraderie, you will have had conversations with strangers you'd never normally have.

The place sounds like it could do with being bombed, certainly.

Dont be at yourself

One of these in Frankfurt too. Meh.

Screaminmidget

*gropes*

ejmaztec

SomeFool wrote: »

Bet the waiter walks around with his knob out too.....

Until someone with a steak-knife who can't find their plate, reduces it to a bleeding stump.

SomeFool

ejmaztec wrote: »

Until someone with a steak-knife who can't find their plate, reduces it to a bleeding stump.

And returns it to the kitchen saying they ordered meduim not rare

FatherLen

sounds a bit shady to me.

ejmaztec

You'd have to be some crazy twat to eat in a restaurant that can't afford to buy lightbulbs.

I must book a table.

biko

That how they dine in Guantanamo Bay every night.

bonerm

Alison?

antodeco

"Sorry sir, may I get some mayonaisse?"

- Sure! (fap fap fap fap). Here you go ma'am

FatherLen

bonerm wrote: »

Alison?

patrick?

ejmaztec

biko wrote: »

That how they dine in Guantanamo Bay every night.

It's easier for them sucking soup through a straw, on account of them having had all their teeth kicked out.

Renn

Went to a place like this in Berlin last year. Expensive but worth it for the experience. Wouldn't work over here though as people are generally dicks.

ejmaztec

Renn wrote: »

Went to a place like this in Berlin last year. Expensive but worth it for the experience. Wouldn't work over here though as people are generally dicks.

Some of the customers would have their lawyers on speed-dial for the first culinary "accident". The place would close down within a week of opening.

SEPT 23 1989

Do they do a nice batter burger and chip?

upmeath

My name is URL wrote: »

Sounds like a load of shite to me.. I can't stand stupid gimmicky stuff like that

Unless you confine yourself to home cooking there's not a whole lot of culinary experience out there that isn't "gimmicky", everyone occupies a niche. It's a specialty that makes dining out worthwhile. Whether its a 1950s throwback diner or a place that specialises in Italian, French, Spanish, Tex-Mex cuisine, it's all "gimmick" if you want to reduce it to that. The likes of Blindekuh and Dans Le Noir are demonstrating how Western society has come to rely on visual experience in what should be first and foremost an experience of aromatic or textural qualities. It can look like shíte on a plate but it reminds you that dining out is about flavours and scents. You also eat less when you can't see how much you "have to" eat.

aidan24326

Total gimmicky wankology if you ask me.

And how the fcuk are the waiters supposed to see what they're doing? Do they wear night vision goggles? Are all the waiters blind?

WindSock

I remember hearing about this on the radio before. When you fill your glass, you have to listen for it to be full, rather than stick your thumb in. I'd say it would be an interesting experience, the food would seem a lot different.

Kasabian

I would be fearful of getting ass raped with a pork chop.

roryc

TheZohan wrote: »

Delicious copy pasta...

mikedragon32 wrote: »

A restaurant review from 2006. Wow OP. I can't wait to read your review of the dining room in the Capitol Theater, Dublin.

http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/restaurants/dans-le-noir-review-9125.html

You caught me! What was I thinking trying to pass this off as my own work, little did I know you two first-class detectives would be on to me in a second! Im sure it took you all of 4 seconds to find the source, why didn't I think of that?? Damn interwebs, I would have gotten away with it too!


Next time I'll wrap it in quote tags ffs... beats me why you think I would be trying to pass this off as my work

Kasabian

roryc wrote: »

You caught me! What was I thinking trying to pass this off as my own work, little did I know you two first-class detectives would be on to me in a second! Im sure it took you all of 4 seconds to find the source, why didn't I think of that?? Damn interwebs, I would have gotten away with it too!


Next time I'll wrap it in quote tags ffs... beats me why you think I would be trying to pass this off as my work

I have compared the OP and this post and it is of my opinion that they are in fact from different people.

Logical Fallacy

gothicus wrote: »

They could be feeding u human meat, tastes like chicken im told, hope the chef isnt cooking on the dark too!!

Human flesh is far closer to pig. It would taste nothing like chicken.

AnonoBoy

It sounds perfect if you want to take someone on a real Blind Date.

Renn

lol, gud 1

AnonoBoy

Renn wrote: »

lol, gud 1

I appreciate your sarcasm Sir.

seafood dunleavy

I remember doing a German reading comprehension on this in school.Didnt have a fcukin clue what was going on.

elekid

I did this in Berlin a couple of years ago and thought it was brilliant. Our waitress was blind from birth and all of the other waiting staff were blind/visually impaired as well so they were able to move around the restaurant quite easily.

Being in absolute darkness is a very disorienting experience and I never really got used to it while I was there. You have to feel slowly and carefully along the wall for your glass so you don't spill your drink and you learn to identify your food by smell/taste (you only get to select a general category of food from a mystery menu before you go in). It really gives you a new respect for blind people and makes you appreciate how much you rely on your eyesight for the simplest of tasks.

I know it sounds a bit poncy and gimmicky but it was a lot of fun and well worth doing just for the unusual experience.

Fizman

Kasabian wrote: »

I would be fearful of getting ass raped with a pork chop.

Why would you think somebody would rather rape you with a pork chop instead of their penis?

I would have thought that they would have said pork chop in their mouth, enjoying the succulent juices of Dans le Noir. All this while being knee deep in your jacksie whilst poignantly squealing like a pig.

Fizman

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

Human flesh is far closer to pig. It would taste nothing like chicken.

Thanks for that, Dr. Lector.

Lumen

People would have sex between courses.

Or maybe that's just me.

I can't multitask.

mahamageehad

NekkidBibleMan wrote: »

One of these in Frankfurt too. Meh.

What's the one in Frankfurt called?

drBill

How do you manage with cutlery, given that you can't see what's on your plate and where it is? I presume you have to use your fingers a lot so the less messy the food, the better. Until you get used to it presumably, as blind people do.

Lumen

http://travel.spotcoolstuff.com/unusual-restaurants-eating-in-the-dark

Kasabian

Fizman wrote: »

Why would you think somebody would rather rape you with a pork chop instead of their penis?

I have no fear of penis, pork chops terrify me.

I would have thought that they would have said pork chop in their mouth, enjoying the succulent juices of Dans le Noir. All this while being knee deep in your jacksie whilst poignantly squealing like a pig.

You have thought about this in great detail, hmmm.

ascanbe

Strawberries already are the most strawberryish things i can imagine.