During my two days in Kuala Lumpur back in January, instead of feasting on local Malaysian cuisine, we opted for a four course western style meal on one of the nights at this particular restaurant (everything else we had was local, of course). DINING In The DARK. It’s exactly as the name suggests — your sense of sight is completely taken away, and you must rely on your remaining four senses in the darkness. The menu is kept a secret until the meal is over; designed to keep your taste buds guessing and entertained throughout the night. The concept certainly intrigued us, and with a 4.5 average rating on TripAdvisor, we decided to call in and reserve a spot for two.
We were told to arrive 15 minutes earlier for an “ice breaker” session to prepare us for the night. First, we were offered a complimentary mystery drink and was asked to guess the four ingredients (fruits) in it. In the second game, we were blindfolded and given a small bowl with some uncooked rice and four paper clips inside. Our challenge was to find at least two. Both games were surprisingly hard — something I would never have realised if I could use my sight. After we chose our menu and drinks (we opted for the Classic Menu), we had our belongings stored away, and was introduced to our “darkness expert” Darius, who would be taking care of us for the rest of the night.
Darius led us inside, and besides the two red emergency lights at what seemed like the very top of the ceiling, everything else was pitch black. Darius explained everything in such detail, including the direction of the chair; what was laid out in front of us; and which side he would be serving each course from. Instead of one dish per course, each course consisted of a few dishes, served in smaller plates that we could easily pick up even without our sight. The kind couple next to us offered a few words of wisdom before we began — to ditch the utensils and just attack the food with our hands. While my fork remained untouched, I did use my spoon throughout the night (of course, when it became too hard I took their advice — and it worked perfectly!) To be completely honest, I had no idea what I was eating most of the night. I could figure out the basics, such as salads, pasta, ice cream… but I couldn’t figure out exactly what sort of ingredients and seasoning were used — the flavours were a mystery to me. They were familiar, yet I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I never realised just how much I depended on my sight, and how weak my taste buds are.
a selection of the December 2014 menu we had – taken from their website and used with permission.
After we finished, we were let outside into the bar area and given a menu with the dishes we just tasted. Looking through each one certainly surprised me, I had no idea that I had just eaten scallops, salmon, or venison! (There were a few things that I did manage to pick up — quinoa, radish, that one obvious quail egg…) While the concept is the main selling point of DINING In The DARK, it doesn’t mean they skimp out on the quality of their food. Gimmick-y or not, the food was indeed delicious. What I also loved is that all the “darkness experts” are either blind or visually impaired. It really enforces the idea that we are all equals inside that room — if anything, they have more of an advantage over us, the opposite of how it usually is.
Overall, I definitely recommend DINING in the DARK, if you’re okay with the idea of being blinded for two hours. Many people who gave negative reviews were uncomfortable with the darkness, which is the whole idea of their restaurant! I’d do it again if I had the chance, and maybe, just maybe, I’ll get more than just three things correct next time…
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