4 hours ago
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The shuffles of chairs, choruses of clinks and overlapping chit-chats…while completely blind?! Imagine being led into a room, seated surrounded by strangers you can’t see– that was my birthday night in Paris, France. There were different course and drink options when reserving. The order of the evening? 3 courses of mystery meals with wines (including classic champagne). My dinner table view? None! This bold, incomparable experience happened at Dans Le Noir ? Paris restaurant.
This is definitely one place people don’t feast with their eyes. Dans Le Noir translates to ‘In the Dark’ because that’s exactly where diners eat here. The restaurant’s concept was first of its kind when it opened over 20 years ago. Dans Le Noir Paris restaurant is the flagship location and 1 of 7 in France. Today this unusual franchise is located within 11 cities around the world, largely in Europe. The Paris restaurant is the one of few standalone locations while others share spaces with hotels.
Personal dietary restrictions should be confirmed at reservation and check-in
The welcome area of the street-level building looked like a small bar or pub with a counter stocked with drinks. That was the final view and pretty much the only photo op of the gastronomic experience. Outerwear, bags and electronics are stored in individual assigned lockers to keep clutter, distractions and lighting away from the sensory adventure. A visually-impaired guide-server is introduced to each group before leading diners into the darkness. The appointed table guide will also be the contact person for any necessary assistance while dining.
Dans Le Noir ? restaurants serve seasonal farm-to-table dishes. A surprise menu in darkness is the ultimate blind taste test! The multi-course culinary adventure fuses contrasting textures and temperatures to create gourmet dishes. Patrons’ senses are guided solely by food flavours, feel and aromas. We spent the entire dinner time trying to recognise each dish and finding where food was on our plates.
There were familiar flavours– though some unidentified once deprived of sight– plus unknown ones. My palate enjoyed most of the dishes; they were all unique and not overly filling (at least not to us Jamaicans). The full-course meal is only revealed on a screen after eating. The reveal was very enlightening; seeing what flavours you guessed right, wrong and not at all can help reshape a relationship with taste. Dans Le Noir restaurant rotates menus to maintain mystery for returning diners. Here’s what we had…
Appetizer: Melon gazpacho, isigny cream with orange blossom, old-fashioned tomatoes, Orleans dressing with shallots, quinoa crackers with paprika origan and salt crystals
Entree: Marinate swordfish loin with Sichuan pepper, yellow wine, crispy polenta stick with Piment D’Espelette, eggplant caviar, green peas, chard
Dessert: Vaucluse peach carpaccio, verveine syrup, Madagascar vanilla, white vermouth Espuma, caramalized hazelnut, roasted pistachio powder, Breton shortbread
Dans Le Noir Restaurant Locations
The restaurants are open for dinner time and weekend lunches. If you can’t make it to this Paris restaurant, the unique sensory immersion is also located in:
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