In an area of East London lies a restaurant which, in comparison to any other I have visited, offers a fundamental difference in the eating experience. City office workers who have commuted into London, and locals alike, pass this restaurant, often oblivious to its dark secret.
The restaurant is Dans Le Noir? situated in the Farringdon area. I am still trying to ascertain the reason for the question mark – are they still not sure what to call it? Is it a name they are suggesting to their clientèle? Is there a poll being held to see if the clientèle like the proposed name, and on approval of the name, the question mark will be removed?
Answers to these questions on a postcard please, to……………..
I digress. So, let us go back to the restaurant itself. I was invited by fellow journalist Lyn Funnel, who had some prior knowledge of the venue and had therefore arranged our visit. For a reason unbeknownst to me at the time (now I realise it was clearly an attempt to completely catch me unaware), she had arranged to meet me outside Farringdon station, a short walk away. Thus, having met with Lyn, I arrived at the restaurant knowing absolutely nothing about what was to follow (a little like you, the reader). I was promptly introduced to Dominique Raclin, the General Manager of Dans Le Noir? and a typically passionate Frenchman, with whom we sat in a lounge / bar area. Here was a man whose enthusiasm is evident when he speaks of this restaurant, such enthusiasm unaffected by the fact that he does not actually own the business. He calls himself “the soldier”, because of his boundless energy, and his drive to raise the profile of the restaurant. He speaks with the Paris based owner and Director on a daily basis, giving him constant updates. Dominique was eager to give me the complete lowdown on the restaurant, which is in fact, one of four. He explained how the first one was set up in Paris in 2004, followed by London two years later, Barcelona in 2008 and most recently, St. Petersburg, Russia. He continued to talk with fervour about the restaurants in this small chain, and pointed out the huge rent, council tax, and insurance bills which have to be paid every month on the London branch alone. Although high operating costs are to be expected in this expensive part of London, I still winced at the figures he freely revealed:
£6k rent, £3k council tax, £3k insurance, per month. No, this is not a typo, I do mean PER MONTH! I was now even more curious as to what attracted people here in numbers and in turn, could justify these outrageous amenities bills.
Quickly dismissing the costs as a necessary evil, Dominique continued by telling me that 40% of the staff bring dogs to the restaurant (?) and there is a room set aside for these dogs to be looked after. In this canine area, chew toys are provided along with other toys, and arrangements are in place for any “accidents” to be cleaned up. In essence, it’s a doggy crèche. Now that IS different. However, this is just the beginning of what makes this restaurant unique.
As the conversation became more relaxed, and further explanation was offered, it became apparent that the restaurant is in darkness the whole time. I recall thinking that it would probably mean seeing the silhouette of other diners, and felt that this should make it interesting and different. The lounge was by now quite full of diners enjoying a drink before passing through into the restaurant, and it was obviously buzzing with noise and conversation. Dominique continued speaking further, and above the noise I thought I heard him say that 50% of the employees are blind. For a moment, I smiled, as I thought he had said that his staff are blind, and of course, that just wouldn’t be practical or make any sense. Obviously, due to his accent and the general noise, I had misheard. I continued listening a little longer and was duly astonished! No, I heard correctly the first time – that IS what he said, the waiters ARE blind. All of a sudden, the dogs began to make sense – they were guide dogs.
I was now beginning to wonder how on earth this all worked. Dominique continued to explain further that Dans Le Noir? also hosts regular food tasting for large food and drinks companies, the roster of past clients includes Tesco, Pilsner, and Magners, amongst others. A “taste in the dark” session apparently has no distractions, i.e. packaging, colour or shade of product, etc. which may influence a decision. Therefore, the final outcome on whether or not a product is satisfactory or up to a required standard, is determined on its own merits, not its appearance or any packaging, container, etc.
Dan Le Noir? is also a used regularly by corporate clients as a venue for team building events. The upper lounge serves this purpose perfectly, but should a trip downstairs for food be added, it then becomes an unforgettable experience.
There is also a very relevant movie connection to this brand. Richard Curtis used Dans Le Noir? and its concept, in his film “In Time”. After reluctantly appearing in the movie, our passionate Frenchman, Dominique, had several instances of recognition by the public, including once whilst he was on a plane. On this occasion, “In Time” just happened to be the in-flight movie, and on being recognised, was roundly applauded by all on board, and thereafter exceptionally looked after by the cabin crew. All airlines have listed the movie in their film choice menu at some point, and this has enhanced the reputation of the restaurant tremendously.
Once we had extensively delved into his background and the brand in general, and squeezed as much information as we could out of Dominique, the film star, (aka The Dom, from this point onwards), it was time for the main event. Food & darkness. After depositing our personal belongings, bags, etc. (and in particular phones and any light emitting devices!) into a gym style locker and taking charge of the key, we were asked to choose from a menu with four options: Meat, fish, vegetarian, or the Surprise Menu. Those who know me will guess correctly, that I went for the meat. Lyn chose to be surprised.
We were led to the eating area, and the immediacy of instant darkness as you enter through a couple of layers of heavy curtains is striking and also a little disconcerting, and the resultant wait for your eyes to acclimatise is quite pointless, as you soon realise that this is never going to actually happen. It is pitch black, and it will remain pitch black. Yes, the whole time. From when you walk in, to when you walk back out to the lounge. Complete darkness. The blackest of black. I actually held my hand in front of my face to see if I could make out anything, but to no avail. The walls could be draped with the dead bodies of previous diners, who had dared complain about the food– you would never know! Describe the restaurant? Black. The décor? Black! You get the idea. Your blind waiter is definitely at an advantage. With tables, chairs, etc. all set out to a plan which he knows better than you know your own home, and a serving system devised with precision to suit the staff, you are at his mercy.
On sitting down with the assistance of my waiter Roberto, I found myself quickly exchanging introductions with my neighbour, and the female friend opposite her. Both girls, by sheer coincidence, were in journalism – one a writer, and the other a photographer. However, after five minutes one of the girls began to feel a little claustrophobic, and a call to Roberto eventually led to their early exit. Apart from seeing to the culinary needs of the diners, trips to the toilet have to be marshalled by the waiters too (well, as far as the lit area outside the toilets, of course!), after which you have to come back into the darkness, call your waiter by name, and place your hand on his/her shoulder to be escorted back to your seat. You may have to show a little patience as he or she may be serving food, but you will receive a vocal response to your call, letting you know that you have been heard, and will be led back to your friends shortly.
Once Roberto had told me where the glasses for water and wine were, pouring a drink for myself and Lyn was an eye opener (excuse the pun), to what these amazing people have to contend with. Even this simple task was a challenge – would the water go into the glass? Or would I simply be pouring it out onto the table, and only realise this when said water made its way to the edge of the table and into my lap? The only way to ensure this wasn’t the case, was firstly to put the spout of the bottle into the glass, using both hands for guidance and positioning. Then whilst pouring with one hand, I held the glass with the other hand, keeping my forefinger just in the glass, in order to feel the water level rise, and stop pouring before I flooded the table.
Shortly after what I perceived to be an innovative and unique method of pouring drinks, (apparently I’m not that special – it’s what everyone does!), our starter was served. I had to feel the plate and ascertain its dimensions, then fish around for my cutlery. Detecting the food on my plate was indeed, the strangest of experiences, especially when I had eaten most of it and was looking for the last 25%. I will give nothing away with regards what the menu entailed, suffice to say it was very enjoyable, and cooked to perfection.
Once we had finished the meal, and were back in the lounge, we were shown a picture of what we ate, to see if we “recognised” our dish. I guessed right for my main meal, and was on the right track with my starters. My only criticism with regards the food, was the quantity. During the meal I requested that Roberto kindly bring a second basket of bread rolls, and it was these which helped fill me. Perhaps not seeing how much food is on your plate adds to your hunger? I would not have thought this to be the case, so other than small portions, how would you explain this?
At our pre-dining talk, The Dom had seen the incredulous look on my face once I realised that the waiters were indeed, blind, and knowing I was wondering how the hell this all worked, said he would outline the “three concepts which the restaurant was set up to highlight”: The Personal Experience, the Social Experience, and the Empathy which naturally follows when temporarily experiencing first hand, the difficulty a blind person has to go through on a daily basis. I have expanded on these “three concepts”here, after dining.
Personal Experience. Apparently, 80% of the information regarding what is around us passes through the eye. The question posed during this eating experience is supposed to be: “What am I eating?”
This is a 90-minute experience where it is intended you come to the realisation that food is enhanced when a sense is dulled, or as in this case, completely shut off.
Social Experience.
Anonymity is equal in the dark, Dominique tells me. You have no idea who is on your left, or right.
He was right. There are no small individual tables in the restaurant, i.e. for 2 or 4 people. You sit at a very long table, school-dinner style. Either side of you could be a famous person, a taxi driver, someone you went to school with, or a transvestite who happens to be your neighbour. Incredibly, you will not know. However, because of this inability to see, there seemed to be a need to compensate, which manifested itself in a heightened desire to connect, and therefore people introduced themselves to their neighbour with far less reservation than under normal conditions. I found this quite incredible, but it seems the darkness, along with the strategic use of the “communal” tables, encourages this rare human behaviour. It’s just strange that you could sit in a restaurant for hours, two feet away from someone you can clearly see, and not say a word, yet here people readily introduced themselves to their neighbours and to people sitting across the table, immediately on taking their seats.
3 Empathy.
Once you’ve been kept in the dark for a short 90 minutes, you begin to truly understand what it is to be blind. This is where the empathy comes into the equation, according to The Dom.
You are guided to your seat, and waited on, by a blind person who will take care of you throughout the experience. There are 4 waiters serving 60 people, each waiter therefore having an allocation of 15 heads to look after. These incredible people do not write your food order down – it would be pointless as they wouldn’t be able to read what they wrote – they’re blind, remember? Instead, they memorise every order, every drink. The brilliance of these individuals and the way the floor plan has been set out to accommodate them is marvellous, but it does make you think of what a blind person has to go through in everyday life. They are deprived of the images all sighted take for granted, but as a result of this sensory deprivation, they are also unable to move freely in an area unless, as in this case, it is set up and kept the same, allowing them to “know” the lay of the land, literally. Thus, the way it works is you have blind people who in this environment “can see”, leading us, who are temporarily unsighted, and experiencing a little of what they have to endure every single day. For 90 minutes we live in their world, and despite the nervous fun and uniqueness of the situation, we experience for ourselves, and begin to understand too, what it is they face.
This is the whole point of the Dans Le Noir? concept, and it works.
My experience here was indeed, very unique, although I would say that this is not where you should bring someone for a first date. Or for a quiet meal. It appears that when the mouth of someone speaking is not visible to the listener, the speaker has to talk louder, especially when others nearby are speaking, too. Of course, everyone is in the same predicament, and so we all found ourselves speaking extremely loudly. So I’ll reiterate – not the place for a quiet or romantic date. Conducting a business lunch or dinner here is also, ill-advised.
You should be prepared for the £75 per head charge. It is not a cheap meal, but the whole experience is unlike any other.
If indeed you are planning a night out at Dans Le Noir?, look forward to just having fun. Don’t waste too much time on your hair and make-up, and definitely don’t worry about that unattractive spot which appeared on your forehead, as no-one will see it……….. or you, for that matter!
I was informed that there is also a spa with the same night theme.
Hmmm, interesting…
Full address and booking details are:
Dans Le Noir?
30/31 Clerkenwell Green
London EC1R 0DU
Tel: 020 7253 1100
booking@danslenoir.com
www.danslenoir.com
Forget Dancing in the Dark a la Bruce Springsteen – this truly is, Dining in the Dark!