Right in the prime area of District 1, Da Kao ward is home to a series of consular buildings and classic buildings from the French colonial period. And in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the city center of Saigon, among countless service shops, Noir. Dining in the Dark is still loved by many diners thanks to its inspirational story.
Rated 5 stars overall with a rain of compliments on TripAdvisor, and many international awards for social enterprises, Noir is a restaurant served by visually impaired employees, aiming to awaken the senses of the customers. diners in a stronger way through the experience of eating in the dark.
Photo: Noir.Dining in the Dark – Saigon.
The restaurant’s classic and modern space is extremely cozy and close.
There are also many details arranged to stimulate the curiosity of diners.Photo: Noir.Dining in the Dark – Saigon.
Vision accounts for 83% of the 5 human senses, so people often rely too much on what they see, without thoroughly perceiving things through the remaining wonderful senses. I have. While eating, the current human condition is that the mouth is still chewing and swallowing food; but his eyes are glued to the phone screen, wondering if the food is good or not.
But once the vision is covered, the other senses will arise, clear. The sense of smell becomes more refined. Taste becomes sharper. Hearing becomes more acute. Touch becomes more sensitive and sensation becomes deeper. Only then can we truly awaken within ourselves to what this world has to offer us: the deliciousness of food and the wonder of our senses that are still serving us every day.
On Noir alley, diners will immediately feel the nostalgic, old, somewhat mysterious look of the restaurant because this is an old French villa that has been restored. That space continues to intrigue visitors when they are asked to do things that no one thought going to a restaurant would need.
Photo: Noir.Dining in the Dark – Saigon.
First you need to leave your bag and phone in the left locker. Each person is given a blindfold and participates in light movement games to prepare for a completely dark space. Right now, the touch and feel of the hands begin to guide every movement through a number of small games such as: putting pieces of wood in the appropriate blank, picking beans or finding clamps in a cup rice… After a few minutes of warm-up, the challenge officially begins when the visually impaired become the “eyes” that guide the diners to their table.
Photo: Noir.Dining in the Dark – Saigon.
The process of serving food is done in the dark with the service of blind staff. They will guide you to choose dishes using the Praille menu, find spoons, chopsticks, glasses to use.
The most special thing in Noir. Ding in the Dark is that diners will not know the dishes in advance but are mainly classified according to the ingredients used. From appetizer, main course to dessert, customers are extremely curious and surprised with themselves when they can only guess through the sense of smell and taste, or even touch.
In a typical restaurant space, no one really pays attention to the waiter, because we are still busy dialing the phone and making excuses for the busyness and important work we have to do. But here, you will suddenly become stealthy, slow, sensitive, needing to rely on the blind themselves. Photo: Noir. Dining in the Dark – Saigon.
Photo: @chiakiindalat.
After diners have finished their meal, the staff of Noir restaurant will lead you to the outside area, where you can see pictures of the dishes you just ate. The feeling between fantasy and reality also creates interesting and unexpected emotions.
The Dining in the Dark model has been present in many countries, offering an experience that helps the senses connect and become the fullest. But Noir is a special model when it integrates the social impact factor because most of the service staff here are blind and deaf.
According to statistics, in Vietnam, the unemployment rate of the blind and visually impaired is up to 94%, in Saigon, this number is 4,000 people. They face many difficulties in finding work. Because of these difficulties, although the Journey of senses system has developed, so many other services such as spas, flower shops, cafes, but the goal of serving the community from the beginning is always there.
Journey of the Senses system, including: Noir. Dining in the Dark; Noir. Spa and Noir. Coffee in the Dark. — served by visually impaired staff; Blanc — restaurant served by deaf staff; La Hoa (Flowers Speak) — a deaf flower shop.
Not a charity organization, it is the professional and methodical way of doing business with the purpose for society that has helped Noir become a very interesting and new experience place with 1-0-2 that after Once th, diners still want to visit again and again.
Source: CafeF
Source: Vietnam Insider