By Lyn Funnell
When I was filming a program in Hastings for Channel 4, one of our group was blind. He didn’t have a stick and he never stumbled, not even on Hastings’ pebbly beach.
He told me that he was a waiter in a London restaurant where all the waiters are blind, and that they’d love me to write a review.
A few weeks later, I was sitting in the reception area of Dans Le Noir? With a question mark. In London, waiting for our turn to be led into the restaurant.
We had to put our phones and bags in lockers. Bags on the floor would be dangerous as it’s completely black in the restaurant.
There is a creche for the guide dogs, who are well looked after while their owners are working.
At last it was our turn to go in. The blind waiter told us to stand in a line with a hand on the shoulder of the person in front.
One of the bar staff read out our names and orders, including the drinks, and he nodded and started walking.
He didn’t ask her to repeat anything, and he didn’t forget anything!
They all have photographic memories, over and over again, night after night. Brilliant! I must work on my concentration, I thought.
Then he led us through heavy black curtains into a dark area where we waited while the curtains were closed. And then we went through more curtains and into the restaurant.
Our waiter helped me to find my seat and told me where my cutlery, wine glass and water bottle were.
It was BLACK. BLACK BLACK BLACK. I couldn’t see my hands or anything else in the room.
I called out to the people near me, introducing myself, and they all introduced themselves.
Our waiter poured wine in our glasses. He didn’t need to check the amount. He could tell.
One woman had a panic attack and had to be helped out.
My knife and fork were pointless as I couldn’t see the food, so I gave up and ate with my fingers. And I swigged the water out of the bottle. I managed my wine glass OK though.
We’d had a choice of menus; meat, fish or vegetables. I’d chosen meat. But although I chewed it carefully, I couldn’t work out what I was eating.
Every now and then there was a chorus of Happy Birthday to You! But obviously there were no candles to blow out.
Our waiter effortlessly topped up the wine glasses. I knew because I could hear him. I had to dip my finger into the glass to check the amount in there.
I called a waiter to help me to the loo. I held onto his arm as he guided me out. He waited outside the loo for me and guided me back inside.
‘That was strange,’ I said to my friend. Silence was the reply. And I realised that he was pretending that he wasn’t there. But my senses were alert. I knew that he was there because I could sense him and smell him. Interesting.
At last it was time for us all to leave to let the next group in. The waiters led us through the curtains and into the light, which is subdued everywhere to allow your eyes to adjust.
What a weird, thought-provoking sensation. My waiter could ‘see’ perfectly, but I’d been blind and helpless in the dark!
There are four Dans Le Noir? Restaurants worldwide, in London, Paris, Barcelona and St Petersburg. The first one opened in Paris.
Dans Le Noir? is very popular with Companies, for Team Building and Corporate events.
Food and drink companies book it to get food buyers of supermarket chains, etc to try their new products without seeing the packaging or what the product looks like. So they can genuinely tell if they like it or not without being swayed by the appearance!
The restaurant has three main Concepts;
- Personal experience.
80% of information passes through the brain and taste and smell are very important.
Amazingly, everyone loved it when spinach was on the menu, even though they’d hated spinach all their lives, when they could see it!
2. A social experience.
There are no single tables, just large long tables. You have no idea who is sitting to the right or left of you.
Everybody’s the same in the dark. You could be sitting next to someone famous.
Prince William and Kate have been there several times. They arrived after everyone had been led inside. And nobody could see them.
3. Most important, you’re going to be guided by a blind person.
The dark room seats up to 60 people, and there are two sittings per night.
There are four waiters per service, with 15 diners each to look after.
Remember, they can’t see the orders!
Dans Le Noir?
Restaurant/Bar/Lounge
30-31 Clerkenwell Green
London
EC1R 0DU.
020 7253 1100
