Right in the top area of District 1, the Da Kao neighborhood is home to a series of consular buildings and classical buildings from the French colonial period. And in the middle of the bustle of Saigon city center, among countless service shops, Noir. Dining in the Dark is still loved by many diners thanks to its inspiring story.
Noir has been rated 5 stars overall with a shower of compliments on TripAdvisor and many international awards for social enterprises. Noir is a restaurant operated by visually impaired employees, with the aim of stimulating the senses of the customers. dinners 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.
Many details have also been added to arouse the curiosity of the guests. 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 perceiving things thoroughly with 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 and wondering if the food is good or not.
But once the view is covered, the other senses will become apparent. The sense of smell becomes more refined. Flavor becomes sharper. Hearing becomes sharper. Touch becomes more sensitive and sensation becomes deeper. Only then can we truly awaken within ourselves to what this world has to offer: the delights of food and the wonder of our senses that still serve us every day.
In the Noir alley, diners will immediately feel the restaurant’s nostalgic, old, somewhat mysterious look, as this is an old French villa that has been restored. That space continues to intrigue visitors when asked to do things no one thought would be necessary to go to a restaurant.
Photo: Noir. Dining in the dark – Saigon.
First you have to leave your bag and phone in the left locker. Each person is blindfolded and participates in light movement games to prepare for a completely dark room. At this point, the touch and feel of the hands begins to guide each movement through some small games such as: placing pieces of wood in the correct blanks, picking beans or finding clamps in a cup of rice… After a few minutes of warm- up the challenge officially begins when visually impaired people become the “eyes” guiding the guests 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 in choosing dishes using the Praille menu, finding spoons, chopsticks, glasses to use.
The most special in Noir. Thing in the Dark is that diners don’t know the dishes in advance, but are mainly classified based on 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 the touch.
In a typical restaurant space, no one really pays attention to the waiter because we are still busy ringing the phone and making excuses for the crowds and important work we have to do. But here you will suddenly become inconspicuous, slow, sensitive and have to rely on the blind themselves. Photo: Noir. Dining in the dark – Saigon.
After the diners have finished eating, the Noir restaurant staff will lead you to the outdoor area, where you can see photos of the dishes you have just eaten. The feeling between fantasy and reality also creates interesting and unexpected emotions.
The Dining in the Dark model has been present in many countries and offers an experience that helps the senses connect and get the best out of themselves. But Noir is a special model when it integrates the social impact factor as most service workers here are blind and deaf.
According to statistics, in Vietnam the unemployment rate of blind and visually impaired people 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 evolved, there are so many other services such as spas, flower shops, cafes, but the goal of serving the community from the start is always there.
Journey of the Senses system, including: Noir. Dining in the dark; black. Spa and Noir. Coffee in the dark. — served by visually impaired personnel; Blanc — restaurant served by deaf staff; La Hoa (Flowers Speak) – a deaf flower shop.
Not a charitable organization, it is the professional and methodical way of doing business with the aim for society that has helped Noir to become a very interesting and new experience place with 1-0-2 who after once th dinners still want to visit again and again .
Source: CafeF
