Restaurants
O.NOIR
O.NOIR was undoubtedly the biggest dining gimmick to hit the Toronto restaurant scene in 2009. For those unfamiliar, the novelty of O.NOIR centers on eating in a pitch-black room and being served by blind wait staff. When I first heard about this place I had so many questions. How would my sense of taste be heightened? What kind of food would they serve? How would I react to the texture and flavours of my meal if I had no idea what it was?
My questions were going to be answered as I arrive at O.NOIR last week to celebrate my friend's 30th birthday. I place my order while seated in the cozy, film noir-inspired lounge area before heading into the dark. The menu is short but varied with starters that include grilled octopus or calamari; arugula salad with fresh mushrooms or grilled Portobello mushroom with Parmigiano and balsamic vinegar.
The main courses range from filet mignon to chicken with aubergine, pasta with tomato sauce and Veal al Limone. The only seafood on the menu is a marinated shrimp as apparently fish glows in the dark. Fruit sorbet, chocolate cake and a dark chocolate mousse with raspberry round out the dessert menu. For any of the courses diners are able to select the option to have a "surprise" course, meaning they bring you their choice from the menu.
I throw caution to the wind and order the full experience with all 3 courses as a "surprise". Prices are $39 for a starter, main course and dessert or $32 for a main course, and either a starter or dessert. A decent wine or beer is extra.
Despite flinging my first glass of wine across the table, I soon feel quite comfortable in the dark and begin to relax. I even manage to spread butter on some fresh, crispy rolls. When my surprise appetizer arrives, I realize how hard it is to use cutlery when I have no idea where my food is on my plate. I stab my fork downwards and shove a giant piece of smoked salmon into my mouth. The salmon is soft and fresh and I definitely feel my sense of taste heighten as I savor the smoky aftertaste. Unfortunately, I devour all the salmon in one mouthful, resulting in the rest of my arugula, spinach and caper salad tasting a little bland.
For my main course, I immediately recognize the crunchy zucchini and green beans, the soft, grainy potatoes and smooth, spongy mushrooms. I quickly touch the food on my plate before I'm certain that my main course is chicken. Despite the small portion, the chicken was topped with comforting, peppercorn gravy. I tried a forkful of the five-spice filet mignon as well and was impressed with the juicy, tender cut. The chocolate mousse for dessert was light and fluffy, and I left feeling satisfied.
Dining in the dark is a concept that has been around for a number of years; Dans le Noir in Paris and other cities, Opaque in California and the restaurant that started the trend, Blind Cow in Zurich. The owner, Moe Alameddine opened the first O.NOIR in Montreal three years ago and brought the dining in the dark experience to Toronto last June.
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i would have thought the menu to be more extensive but i guess it cant necessarily take reign over the experience. but then again, how heightened of a flavour can you really get from calimari or chicken???
did you happen to direct any food in your eye or nose? hehehe :)
was it loud(er) with cutlery smashing against plates? glasses falling on the floor?
The other issue is that we found a larger group making a TON of noise in this restaurant and you can't do the customary "glance over and stare at the table until they stop making noise" since they obviously can't see you. I had to verbally say "excuse me, there are other people in teh restaurant" but, I found that didn't help much. I guess certain people when they aren't "seen" will behave recklessly.
Actually, I was impressed at the scam - spending zero dollars on decor (ie. they've left almost all the previous 70's steak house aesthetic intact), fill a dark room with crappy, wobbly auction house furniture and serve mediocre, bland microwave food - and have people rave about "the experience" and pay extraordinary amounts of money for it.
Good for them I guess!
I really liked the idea eating in the dark/being served by a blind waiter.. But I was very disappointed in the quality of the food. To top it off it the tables were 'fold-out', and you could tell the utensils were cheap. It left me really wondering how the place looked if the lights were turned on. I'll not be wandering here again.
In Montreal, both my date and I chose the surprise menu. The food wasn't very memorable, but trying to figure out what we were eating based on smell, taste and texture alone was fun.
The restaurant was full, but I certainly wouldn't say the noise was too much or that anyone was "rowdy." Conversations spread around you and when the waiter at a nearby table mentioned a birthday, the entire restaurant broke out in the birthday song.
Also, I loved hearing the waiter calling my name as he brought over each course. I'm trying to remember the last time I was on a first name basis with a waiter in any other restaurant.
Although, starting the review with the term "gimmick" sets up for the reader that you're going to be cynical throughout.
AND IT WASN'T BY ACCIDENT
Quite entertaining, take or leave the food though.
I thought the food was decent for the price ($39 for 3 courses?!). I enjoyed my smoked salmon salad, filet mignon and chocolate mousse cake. I had the same issue with the smoked salmon and have to admit I resorted to eating with my fingers (sorry mom!). Of course you can find better cuisine elsewhere, but for the price and the unique experience I thought it was a great evening.
I agree that it won't be a regular dinner spot (it does get very loud when you can't see anything), but I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for fun night out with friends.
- The buns were good, too bad the food taste like poo
- The Chianti was very veryyyyyyyyyy gross...
- The cake could of been bought at a dollar store
waste of $
Gave it a shot this week - whats an awesome experience! Our server was great. The steak was perfect. Definitely a great place for a surprise dinner^^
I appreciated the comments, but I have a few more questions:
What do you do if you hear a familiar voice some tables away? In an ordinary restaurant, you can go over during the time between courses and say hello to this person -- maybe someone you haven't seen in twenty years. In O Noir, you can't do this.
If you're a guy with a date, how do you have any sort of an interesting conversation if you cannot see the expressions on your date's face as she reacts to what you have just said?
The absolutely most important question, though, is: How on earth do you calculate an adequate tip if you can't see anything? Most people, after all, calculate the basic tip, say 15 per cent, and then vary it up or down depending on any number of factors: the food, the service, the decor, etc. But if you can't even see the food, how can you calculate the tip?
That is all.
Why? Because the SIGHT of food is a very important aspect of eating - its a fundamental part of the dish. How a plate looks is supposed to affect the way that the food tastes. To me, eating in the dark is almost analogous to reducing all food into pill or paste form to eliminate the element of the texture of the food from dining.
Taking the visual aspect of dining away just seems like simplifying something that doesn't need to be streamlined, or reducing complexity where the complexity only adds to your enjoyment.