Dans le Noir

My boyfriend took me to this restaurant last week and i have to say i was kind of reluctant to the idea of eating in the dark...I read the reviews on the internet and it didnt quite reassure me...But after all i really had a great experience! The food was delicious (i had the blue menu) and i was actually able to finish my plate without spilling food or wine all over me!! I really had a great time in Dans le noir? and the staff was very helpful!
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jeanne001
8 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Total rip off. The eating in the darkness bit was good until it becomes clear that they use the cover of darkness to rob you blind - the food isn't great, in fact I'd go as far to say really bad.. neither is the wine, the incredible speed you are 'processed' or the horrendous price.

I had the 'cheap' option £40(!) for a 2 course meal excluding wine entitled 'MEAT surprise'. The surprise was that at the end of the meal they revealed that I had not been eating the cold tin of cost-cutter mixed grill I thought I had - to be fair I should have known, if I had it would have tasted better if I had. Never again.
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3 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 0
Monday, April 11, 2011

I can officially say this was the worst dining experience of my life! My boyfriend thought it would be nice to do something different for valentines day. The concept doesnt work in reality. Tables are very close together and if you are looking for an intimate meal, be aware there will be someone else sitting next to you practically on your seat! The problem is even if you do want to enjoy it, you simply cant because you are not given the privacy and the space to explore.

The food was also pretty terrible and the wine served with the suprise menu tasted cheap. I also requested no game meat or eccentric foods to which I was served crocodile and frogs legs. When I specified this again, they gave me the veg starter, but it seemed to be incomplete as the lady next to me who was also vegetarian had other things on her plate. I think this was because they just couldnt be bothered, and hey I couldnt tell anyway.

Our waiter, although blind, and I appreciate this, was rude, and did not help to make guests feel at ease. I, in particular was uneasy about the dining experience and the staff do not make you feel better. Dessert was good, but I could have bought it in the supermarket. For £150.00, I really dont recommend dining here.

I believe that this restaurant is supposed to make you more aware of your senses and assist you in appreciating the food in front of you. Unfortunately it fails to do this because the ambience is wrong, and the food is of a below average standard. Eccentric to the extreme.
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Natasha Karia-Dewji
2 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 1
Tuesday, February 15, 2011

I went to the restaurant last Tuesday and had a great experience.

I read some bad reviews from the place before but I thought I better try it myself as the concept looks interesting and original

I went there with some friends of mine, and I actually had a great time.

We were nicely welcomed and had a quick explanation on how it works inside.

We all chose the Chefs Surprise, which apeared to be great, we ate some foie gras and duck terrine, and best part was the main with crocodile, shark steak and ox tongue and cheek!

The experience itself was amazing, our waiter Nadine was very helpful. Nice as well to be able to speak to your neighbours you dont even know

Would recommend this place to anybody who wants to live something really different and unusual.
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9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Saturday, January 22, 2011

Now where do I start? First of all, everyone who wants to go there for the "experience" well you might just want to switch off all the lights at home and get some ready made meals from Tesco and get a someone with a blind fold to be your waiter! you'd be happy! This concept restaurant is just a big business scam and extortion! No wonder why they ask you for your credit card at first and keep it until the end of the night! The food was average and definitely not worth the £32! I go to restaurant for good food, nice setting/ decor, environment and food presentation! well guess what! it was too dark for me to even finish my meal! Thats the whole point? NO WAY! The food was just ready made meal, by the taste of it! (I didn't see the presentation!) The waiter was quite rude, as I wanted to go to the toilet and he said to me, you can't leave your table everytime! The university students next to me were loving the "experience"!!! ....I am no kid and if I wanted to play in the dark, I'd stay at home with all the lights off, much cheaper option! Again, the food was terrible, no wonder why they don't tell you what you're gona be eating until the end! I was so tempted to leave as soon as I received my starter but my friends were willing to give the Main course a try...disapointment again! There is also a Health and safety issue and definitely, think about it guys....YOU CAN'T SEE WHAT YOU'RE EATING! = SERVE ANYTHING TO THE CUSTOMERS AND BECAUSE ITS DARK AND THEY ARE ALL AFTER THE"EXPERIENCE" OF EATING IN THE DARK, THEY WON'T REALISE ITS JUST A CHEAP READY MADE MEAL!...business concept at its best! I would rather be in a Mc Donalds! at least I get to see the damn thing! (I never eat fast food btw) You guys want EXPERIENCE? WELL go have breakfast in front of the Loch Ness and watch the sun rise! That is EXPERIENCE!!!
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kevin
0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Friday, January 14, 2011

No doubt that Dans le Noir is a fantastic experience !!!!

I will definitely come back !

Prices are quite high, but I think it's worth it. Our food was excellent (we went for the blue and green option), and we had nice surprise cocktails !

Our guide, Cyril, was very helpful and took care about us during the evening. I even met his guide dog, Frank !

All in all, a good experience if you are ready to try something different...
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Maria
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Friday, December 10, 2010

Sorry, but that was poor. An experience, but too expensive. The food was so-so, the wine was great, and the experience interesting, but overall it was a let-down. I hope someone develops this into the cheaper concept it should be, because it has such potential.

Bottom-line, there are three menu choices, so the kitchen has little work anyway, plus you cannot see, so there is no need for presentation (food/drink:most chefs/bartenders will tell you that's half the battle, Decor: the room could be filled with chairs/tables from the dump and you wouldn't be able to tell), and you are seated with others so covers can be filled indiscriminately.

Excuse the pun, but they're on to a blinder. They'll pull the wool over your eyes!
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3 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Monday, November 01, 2010

The food was decidedly average with a more than average price tag. I think it was quite telling that over half of our party left the room before the meal was finished all disappointed with the food and with a desperate urge for fresh air. Our waiter Addie was very helpful although it took a long time for someone to come to us when we were calling for assistance to leave the room. All in all a very expensive waste of time as my husband bought a cornish pasty at the station on our way home due to the ridiculously small portions. Needless to say we won't be returning.
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Andrea Miller
2 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Monday, October 18, 2010

I went with my husband to celebrate our wedding aniversary. We were really surprised when we were seated with another couple on the same table with whom we had to make conversation because we were really , I mean really, close to each other, and I dont mean my husband. So be aware if you go in a romantic date as it might turn into something else.

There was also a large group of people that were really loud so conversation with my hubby was difficult. We opted for a more open conversation approach with our neighbours.

Food was served promptly. We had in mind better quality of food. Probably many school dinners are better than the food we received. The starters we ordered consisted of a piece of what seemed to me asda value smoked salmon and some funny "lobster" tart that tasted disgusting, but that my husband finished because he was really hungry. Imagine how we managed to swap plates, it took us a while in the dark...

Mains were mediocre, greasy meat, uncooked aubergine (ewww) and disgusting mashed potatoes (that I ate with my hands because I did not seem to have fork-food coordination). The fish main was unedible.

We had the house wine that was also of a poor quality, that we did not expect. We thought that it was impossible to find a french restaurant with bad wine, let alone bad food...but we managed to find it...call us lucky!

We thought that as the toilets were lit, they would be cleaner, but they were really dirty. I do not want to imagine the kitchen or the seating area, that is pitch dark! So not recommended to people with a lot of imagination like me...

Now, we are £100 hungrier than before and we have gone to Tesco to buy some nibbles to calm down our hunger.

Our waiter Carl was really helpful with us. He was an excellent guide and someone we will not forget. He made us enjoy the experience of eating in a pitch dark room and he made us feel llike at home...despite the bad food. Be prepared to touch and be touched!
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Mia
6 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 2
Tuesday, September 21, 2010

We had a fantastic experience at Dans Le Noir!

Despite many bad reviews we decided to go there to experience this very special way to have dinner. We frankly don't regret coming here !

We were friendly welcomed and someone explained us precisely the concept of the restaurant....we were then entered the darkroom by our very helpful guide, Deryck.

Even if we had to eat with our fingers ( i found it to difficult to eat with knife and fork...) we had a good time and we enjoyed the food. We took the chef's surprise and had both fish and meat.

When we came out someone showed us what we had. It was very surprising. We ate some meat we've never tasted before !

This is a very interesting experience, which allow us to realize what is to be a blind ! I recommend it to all of you !
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8 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Monday, September 06, 2010