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Dining while blindfolded: A new way to enjoy eating out?
For chefs who pride themselves on the artful presentation of their culinary artistry, and people who enjoy looking at their food, probably blindfolded dining is not for them. For anyone who is into a culinary adventure that taps into all other senses but sight, head to the Grill Room restaurant at the Sheraton Hotel in Edinburgh, Scotland. Since October, diners have been able to experience this more unusual way to enjoy their food.
According to executive chef Malcom Webster, dining while blindfolded gives diners the chance to fully experience the various textures, flavors and aromas of the five-course meal. With each course, a new wine is served to further heighten the experience. During the entire time, diners don't know what they are eating. I do wonder if someone stands by to coach a person who is having a hard time directing his or her fork.
"No, a little to the left sir. There you go. Nope, smaller bite. That's it. No, your mouth is a little more to the right."
Recognizing that there are hazards to such an experience, coffee is not part of the meal. I'd add that I'd avoid wearing white. Think of red wine. Even with my sight, I once knocked over a glass of red wine in an upscale restaurant in Albuquerque, sloshing it onto the plate glass window.
This dining experience costs £60 per person. If having someone blindfold you gives you the willies, you can try dining in the dark at Dans Le Noir in London. There the whole dining room is dark. How do the waiters see to bring the food, I wonder? "Ooops, sorry Ma'm."
As you can see from the picture taken by curran.kelleher, you can turn any dining experience into a blindfolded one. This one was at some event in Rüdesheim, Germany. [www.tandorimagazine.com]
Filed under: Arts and Culture, Business, Food and Drink, Stories, United Kingdom, Hotels and Accommodations, News
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Robin Goodman Jan 7th 2009 7:54AM
lets get this right ;-)
dans le noir is really in paris, but they have a restaurant in london as well. the important thing, the waiters are blind.
Jamie Rhein Jan 7th 2009 7:58AM
Robin, you might be right about the Paris restaurant, but according to the article I read and the website of Dans le Noir in London, the diners eat in the dark in the dining room. There's a bar with lights. The details about the blind waiters is an definitely an interesting detail, but I didn't see that on the London restaurant's website. I'll look. Seems like Dans le Noir is worth a write up all by itself.