Dine in the Dark Restaurant

Dine in The Dark is temporarily close and will reopen shortly in a new location

 The entrance to Dine in the Dark is very unassuming. Situated on the second floor of the Ascott hotel on South Sathorn Road you enter via a small waiting area. After handing over all electrical devices that produce any light you are handed a drinks menu and asked to select from either a Thai, international or vegetarian menu. Part of the Dine in the Dark concept is that the actual contents of the menu are a mystery.

 Every table gets a visually-impaired waiter (ours was a friendly man called Arm) who guides you to your table and is always close by to answer any questions and to help you find your lost dessert fork. Once you get through the maze of curtains the lack of light is unnerving. It is rare to experience this kind of total darkness, and although at first it’s quite unsettling you quickly relax into it. There is the usual restaurant buzz of glasses clinking, the hum of conversation and some great ambient music.

Eating without sight is a very entertaining experience. You randomly scoop up different elements and try to guess what it is. It soon becomes obvious that the chef has put the dishes together to enhance this experience and to make you think about taste and textures rather than relying on visual memory. Our starter was delicious and although I was convinced it contained fish, it turned out to be a smoked chicken salad! Our main dish was actually fish which had a great balance of flavours and dessert was an appetizing jelly pudding with a medley of fruit that was in fact Panna Cotta. It was great to bring the focus back to the taste rather than the way things looked, especially in somewhere like Bangkok where appearances are given such importance.

Being in the dark for a few hours gives you a taste of what it would be like to lose your sight and it was inspiring to speak to Arm. He has been registered as a visually-impaired person since the age of six. He had excellent English and gave us insight into his life in Bangkok. It takes a month for the waiters to train and learn the layout of the room. The service was so good that at times it felt like Arm was our personal waiter.

We couldn’t decide if this was the perfect place for a first date or whether it would put you off having a second. Whilst the darkness can make intimate conversation feel awkward, being in such an unusual situation gave you plenty to talk about. At the end of your meal you are finally able to see what you are eating. It was a surprise to see that the food is as beautifully presented as any other high-end restaurant in Bangkok. The chef makes sure to vary the menu to ensure surprises for returning customers and it stands out from the crowd with its unique twist on fine dining.

Dine in The Dark

Opening Hours: Serving times 6.30pm - 8.30 pm / 8.30 pm -11 pm
Location: The Ascott Sathorn Bangkok, 2nd Floor, Sathorn Rd.
BTS: Chong Nonsi
Tel: 02 676 6676