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A French
entrepreneur is opening a new restaurant where diners are served by
blind waiters and eat their meal in pitch darkness. Similar
restaurants have been a success in the past year in other parts of
the world. Edouard de Broglie is convinced he is on to a winner with
"Dans Le Noir" (In The Dark) which opens in London next month.
Exporting a
formula he launched in Paris with his first dining-in-the-dark
restaurant, de Broglie believes it is a perfect way to savour food by
just using the taste buds. According to Reuters he is currently
hiring 10 blind people as waiters who will lead diners into the
darkened room for a blind tasting with a difference.
Customers are
guided in from a normally lit bar where they pick what they will eat.
In Paris, 80 percent of the clients opt for the surprise menu. "A
lot of people make huge mistakes in the dark. They confuse tuna and
veal," De Broglie said.
Project
manager for the London restaurant is Nicolas Chartier who said:
"The experience is a bit daunting when you first approach it.
"But the waiters are there to reassure customers. They are the
best people in the dark. This is their world. They are very confident
in it."
But what of
the clients? Will the London restaurant manage to break down
traditional British reserve? De Broglie is convinced "Les
Anglais" will abandon their stiff upper lips. "In darkness
you don't have any etiquette. It is very difficult not to talk to
your neighbour in the dark. The atmosphere is very convivial,"
he said. For the thousands who have visited the Paris restaurant in
the last 18 months, the experience has offered valuable insight into
the world of the blind. "If you cannot understand such a
handicap, this breaks down barriers. Putting yourself in the hands of
a blind person for two hours raises your awareness of
disability," he said.
But what does
it feel like to eat in the dark as you grope for your knife and fork
and try not to knock your wine glass over? "The world felt both
infinite and claustrophobic," decided Britain's Independent on
Sunday. "Our taste buds were aroused but they were confused.
After an hour and a half, we were desperate to return to the people
and colours outside." Award-winning chef Marco Pierre White, who
has a string of popular London restaurants, has been scornful of the
idea. "For me, the eyes must be used as well as the palate. It's
all part of the show," he said. "It is not fine dining. But
I guess it saves a few pounds on electricity."
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