Do It In The Dark

...lights on or off?

At various points in our lives, we've probably all worn glow-in-the-dark, dined by candlelight, or played Blindman's bluff; but until recently I was totally in the dark about an intriguing conceptual dining experience called Dans Le Noir.

For those equally unaware, it's a restaurant where customers dine in total darkness. And we're talking 'pitch black' here, not just 'lights out'. Despite the obvious practical problems (soup, table corners, do they turn the lights on if someone starts choking?), the franchise seems to be doing pretty well - Dans Le Noir has restaurants in Paris, London, New York, Barcelona, St. Petersburg and Kiev.

Before entering the darkness, guests order from a menu at the bar, and personal items (including lighters and phones) are stowed in lockers. Diners are not told exactly what they will be eating, instead selecting one of four general menus: meat, seafood, vegetarian, and no holds barred - past menus have included kangaroo, crocodile and veal. The waiting staff are all blind or visually impaired. Handling cutlery is supposed to be tricky-verging-on-impossible, and several reviewers have mentioned pouring wine over their fingers, so make sure you wash your hands before going in.

I can't decide if this is an awesome philosophically enlightening experience or a ridiculous gimmick, but they do say that seeing is believing; so I've decided to try and visit Dans Le Noir when I'm in New York in May. I'm hitting up the NY branch not in the least because of a vast body of scathing reviews of the food in the London branch - lavender ice-cream with blue-cheese gnocchi? We're blind, not stupid.