Western tourists are captivated by the dining experience in dark rooms in Ho Chi Minh City.

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - Stepping out of the pitch-black room, Sofie Wysmans was stunned for a few seconds before exclaiming, "Amazing!" The excitement was evident on her face after the unusual dinner.

Experiencing dining in a dark room, Western tourists "forget their way home" when visiting Ho Chi Minh City ( Video : Cam Tien).

For a typical meal, diners usually prioritize places with beautiful ambiance, delicious food, and exquisite presentation… But when embarking on a dining experience in the dark, everything becomes a mystery; guests cannot know what awaits them. From the setting to the food, everything is hidden in the darkness. Through a blog post in Dutch, Seppe Steegmans and Sofie Wysmans (Belgian tourists) discovered Noir, a fine dining restaurant located in an alley in Ho Chi Minh City. In the heart of the bustling District 1, it stands as a peaceful oasis, with its classic yet sophisticated decor and countless antiques meticulously collected by the owner from all over the world.

The journey of the two foreign guests began with an interesting game. They were blindfolded, only allowed to use their hands to grope and arrange the wooden blocks in the right position. When the light was no longer guiding, this task was much more difficult than many people thought. The participants usually took about 3 minutes, or maybe more, to complete this challenge. It was also a gentle "warm-up" step for the exciting journey that was waiting ahead.

Before entering the dark room, diners must put all personal belongings, especially light-emitting devices such as phones and smart watches, into separate lockers. These lockers are numbered with raised characters for the visually impaired. Leading the Belgian tourist couple into the dining room was Ha - a visually impaired employee. Putting her hand on Ha's shoulder, Sofie appeared nervous as the light gradually receded. The female tourist did not expect that the dark room would be... pitch black, to the point where she could not see anything. "This is when the remaining senses begin to "speak" and we have to guess about everything through the remaining senses," the excited guest said. All around, the conversations in various languages ​​of foreign guests, occasionally interspersed with the sound of spoons and forks hitting each other as guests had to scoop food in a state of "not seeing anything", all became more vivid than ever thanks to... the darkness. The visually impaired waitstaff moved gracefully and skillfully, serving food and even pouring wine and water with incredible precision. Each dish was brought in one after another. The staff gently guided Seppe and Sofie to the correct positions of plates, cutlery, and spoons on the table.

When the light is gone, other senses seem to rise strongly. The sense of smell becomes more sensitive to the aroma of food, the sense of taste is sharper to feel each food ingredient in the mouth, the hearing captures every sound including the crunchy chewing sound and the sense of touch also becomes more delicate when touching each item on the table. The dark space makes Mr. Seppe not even know if he has finished eating or not. "When I was about to scoop another spoonful, I discovered that there was nothing left. The food was delicious but because I couldn't see anything, the meal ended unexpectedly like that," the guest said with a laugh.

According to Dan Tri reporters, most of the customers at this restaurant are foreigners. Besides, there are still Vietnamese people who love to explore and experience, coming here mostly out of curiosity. After 7:30 p.m., the restaurant is almost full and customers only come at the scheduled time. The staff said that they only accept customers from 5:30 p.m. to before 9:30 p.m. to avoid customers being shocked by the light after leaving the dark room.

Here, guests can choose from a special 14-course, completely secret menu priced at over 1 million VND per person. There's also a daily menu with 11 smaller courses, priced at 860,000 VND for savory dishes and 720,000 VND for vegetarian dishes. The menu changes every three months, offering a fresh experience for returning guests. After the meal, guests can review their list of dishes and compare it to their predictions throughout the meal. Both Seppe and Sofie were delighted to correctly guess many of the ingredients in the dishes.

Ms. Sofie described: "This experience is very different from everyday meals, where everything is laid out and we just have to eat. Here, I don't know what to expect, I really can't see anything. You have to taste and feel everything in mystery, from food to drinks." Ms. Ayumi Hara (Japanese tourist) came to Ho Chi Minh City to take her own culinary tour. With suggestions from her friends, she went to the restaurant alone. After experiencing a meal in the dark, the female tourist could not hide her excitement: "Normally when I eat, my vision is dominated by many things, but in the dark, I become more focused, my other senses are also more sensitive. I can hear people talking and the sound of food crunching in my mouth."

Mr. Germ Doornbos (Dutch, restaurant owner) said that although the model of dining in the dark is not new in the world , it still brings very special experiences to diners when coming to Vietnam. This idea started in 1999, when a restaurant in Switzerland created the concept of dining in the dark, since then, many other restaurants in Europe have begun to learn and spread to a few countries in Asia.

Germ Doornbos and his co-founder, Vu Anh Tu, had the opportunity to experience this model in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and immediately realized that it would be a promising direction. "We knew this was a sound business model with potential for growth, but honestly, at that time, applying this model in Vietnam was still a rather risky move," Germ recalled. In fact, more than 10 years later, the "dining in the dark" restaurant maintains a stable customer base and has become one of the interesting destinations for tourists visiting Ho Chi Minh City. Mr. Germ confided: "What makes us proud is not only bringing diners a new experience, but also creating job opportunities for the visually impaired. For customers, this is a memorable dinner, but for our service team - the visually impaired - this is an opportunity for them to demonstrate their abilities and use their strengths in a meaningful way."

Pham Thi Huong, a visually impaired girl from Gia Lai , once felt insecure when applying for a waitressing position. Huong feared her introverted personality and shyness would hinder her career. However, after more than two years working there, Huong has undergone many positive changes, becoming more confident in communication and significantly improving her English.

Talking to Dan Tri reporter, Huong proudly shared: "I feel like I am living and doing the job I love. This job helps me have a more stable life, I have the opportunity to get to know many friends in the same situation, work together and share life." In the hustle and bustle of modern life, when smartphones have become an inseparable part of everyone, temporarily putting aside work notifications, messages, calls... to focus on a meal and feel with all senses becomes an unforgettable experience.

Content: Cam Tien, Thien Huong

Photo: Han Chi, Ai Vy

Design: Patrick Nguyen

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/nha-hang-o-tphcm-tat-den-giau-thuc-don-khach-hoi-hop-an-trong-bong-toi-20241010144031563.htm