In 2004, Edouard de Broglie came up with the crazy idea of arestaurant where 50% of the staff were blind, with the aim of changing attitudes to disability and proving that visually impaired people could work.
The result is nothing short of astonishing. Welcomed as a group at a fixed time, we are told that we are to be led into a dark room - not dark, but dark - by our visually impaired "guide" and waiter. First surprise: we don't sit in our chair in the brightness, but are guided into a dark room by our blind waiter. As soon as we take our first steps, we're lost, we don't want to laugh any more, we can't see a thing, it's black, always black. Then we come face to face with a table, guess our chair and grope our way to a seat.
This journey into the room shows us what daily life can be like for a blind person: if we're lost, some visually impaired people have the ability to find their way wherever they are. The second surprise is that we come into physical contact with the people sitting next to us, and start talking and chatting to people we don't know. Exchanges are much easier, because the other person's gaze doesn't scare us, and above all becauseno telephone is tolerated in the room. Yes, there's a world without telephones, folks! A world where talking, sharing and laughing are the order of the day.
Then comes the fateful moment: eating in the dark. It's frustrating not to know what's on the menu, but it forces us to talk, and gives our palates a real workout. Here, the aim is to discover what's in your mouth. Seemingly simple, this exercise turns out to be more difficult than expected. For one thing, we can't get a good grip on the food in the fork, and for another, we realize that we eat first with our eyes and don't really know the taste and texture of the food.
Did you know that even professional oenologists have trouble distinguishing wines, sometimes confusing white wine with red wine? Astonishing, isn't it? One person at our table even confused red wine with champagne... Impossible, you say? I'd have said the same thing to you before testing. It's important to remember that not everything can be served in a restaurant. For example, people think they're eating jam toast when they're served foie gras toast with chutney... For my part, I confess to having confused polenta with caviar, veal with fish...
The dishes served appeal to all your senses, mixing tastes and textures. So you'll find different dishes to discover on your plate. There's plenty to keep you on your toes.
At the end of the meal, we retrace our steps in the dark, stopping for a few minutes in a corridor before returning to daylight. Our pupils are dilated, and we need to get used to the light again. It's time to discover our tablemates and the menu. Together, we laugh at our confusion.
Eating in the dark is a truly human experience. In absolute darkness, we realize just how important sight is in our society. Here, there's no fear of ridicule, everyone expresses themselves without restraint, and we eat with our fingers (no one can see us, so it's impossible to grab food with a fork in the dark)! We came away from the restaurant with a lesson in life, and the desire to help others discover this place where the handicapped are us. Well done to the waiters, to whom we take our hats off for knowing how to place us, find us and serve us without fail.
Practical information :
Website: Dans le Noir ? Le restaurant à Paris
Location: 51 rue Quincampoix, 75003 Paris
Lunchtime service: 12:30 on weekends
Evening service: 7:30pm to 9:45pm weekdays, from 6:30pm weekends
Prices: €43 2-course menu, €49 3-course menu, €65 tasting menu with 3 glasses of wine
Online booking
Location
In the Dark
51 Rue Quincampoix
75004 Paris 4
Prices
formule 2 plats: €43
formule 3 plats: €49
formule dégustation: €64
formule gastronomique: €79
More information
Lunch service: 1 p.m. on weekends Evening service: 8.10 and 10.10 p.m. every evening
