Before Christmas, John and I went out for dinner at a place I was curious to check out.
It's not well known for the wine list, or impeccable food, or the view.
In fact, it's quite the opposite of that last point.
O.Noir is a restaurant where you dine completely in the dark.
We're talking pitch black, can't see shapes nor shadows, or the hand in front of your face.
As you can see from that top picture, the restaurant is located underground. You walk down a flight of stairs into the venue.
You sit in a dimly lit area where you are given the menu to make your selections.
Then a waiter (many of them blind) lead you into the completely dark dining room.
You are told to feel the table to get a sense of where your utensils are and to kind of get a sense of your location relative to your dining partner and of the other tables.
It's amazing how many conversations I eavesdropped on, I think partly because I was relying completely on my other senses.
Being handed your drink and plates of food is scary at first but slowly you start to figure out where things are.
Neither John nor I spilled anything on the table or on ourselves.
I will admit though that I have a totally irrational fear of the dark and had to calm myself down from a rising panic attack once or twice.
I also kept convincing myself I could see shadows (I couldn't) and that I was now actually blind and would never see again.
The food was decent, although I did find a hair in my main course (my own?). I suppose in the dark you're supposed to appreciate tastes and textures more since we usually eat with our eyes first.
John and I were the last people in the dining room and that was weird. I could keep myself calm when I could hear other voices but when it was just us left I was ready to leave.
Emerging back into the light was a nice way to cap off the date.
The experience is worth checking out.
Especially if you're terrified of the dark.
Check out more info on the restaurant here
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