NOX- Dine in the Dark

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Have you all dine in the dark before? We all heard a fair bit about the concept of dining in the total darkness, haven't we? I think NOX need no further introduction.NOX is located along the shop houses of beach road occupying 2 level of shop space.The service staff welcomed us into the lounge and gave us a drink menu to choose upon. The moment I sat down, the plushy sofa seat reminds me of Gold Class Cinema lounge, quite similar in a sense. Servers explained there is no food menu to choose from, rather there is a secret menu at $88++ per pax that consists of 12 dishes spreaded into 3 courses, appetizers, mains and desserts. Restaurant menu will be change every 6 - 8 weeks and should you have any dietary preference, e.g. vegetarian, please highlight to them.MocktailA citrus combination of orange with a bittersweet finishing taste from a pomelo. Its more sour than sweet per say with grapefruit, lemon juice, simple syrup and Grenadine that give a tart and sweet flavour to the naturally sour fruit.The zesty and minty flavours make this quencher such refreshing. Out of 3 drinks tasted, I rate this the best. Ingredients were close to other drinks with passionfruit, simple syrup, lemon juice, lime juice, fresh mint leave and ginger ale.Being described as not the ordinary strawberry milkshake, it really make me wonder how does it taste like. Drink was milky pink served with little ice cubes and a strawberry. It was more of sweet and less of the sour taste with fresh milk, vanilla syrup, simple syrup, lemon juice and Amaretto Almond Syrup.StartersWe were served with the starters with a vegetarian on the left and 2 mini cones on the right for the non vegetarians. The fried vegetarian had a pleasant scent of truffle oil smell and looks good with its creaming sauce at its base.Starters for the non vegetarian was miniature. Raw salmon was served in the tip of the ice cream cone biscuit added with caviar. The presentation which depicts some plants on the soil had totally taken me away.Before Proceeding into the darknessWe was told not to bring any of our belongings to the dining area and had them kept in the given lockers, not even our handphones or watches with illumination / glow in the dark function. Instagrammers, sorry! For those who needs to go toilet, its best to have the "passage" clear before entering into the darkness.Entering the DarknessWe were quite excited while the door to the dining area swung open and we were greeted by the service staff. Have you wonder how to walk up a flight of steep stairs in total darkness? Well, we conquered the first stage by having 1 hand tapping to each other shoulder in a line and walk up the stair and into the dining.Dining in the darknessIt all started with uneasiness, getting ourselves up at the dining area. When we reached our table, we were led to the back of the chair and have to figure ourselves to take a seat under the clear instructions of course. We were briefed to locate our cutleries (spoon and fork) and the position to place our drinking glass on the table. With every course served, we was told to lean backwards to our chair as these visually impact servers placed the dishes onto our table accurately. Each course consist of 4 dishes served in a wooden tray and placed in a "t" shape. The rule to dine is to start with the dish nearest to ourselves at the "6" needle base on a analog clock and go clockwise.It was a challenge as well as fun locating the dish and place our spoon correctly into our mouth without dropping off the food, afterall this was my 1st time ever dining under such environment. I vividly remembered that our appetizers consist of rocket salad, foie gras, fried calamari, chick peas, lentils etc. While the mains were duck confit, wagyu beef cubes, cod fish. Meat was tender and tasty. Desserts was lava chocolate, popcorn ice cream, lemon sorbet and strudel. Finishing the mealWe stood up and walk a few meters on the carpeted ground using the same "tapping shoulder method" in a line before heading back to the stairs. Luckily the stairs were dimly lit and we could see and walk down under the shades of light. As we proceed back to the lounge, our eyes were tired and as though we had just woke up.We were told to fill up a questionaire to recall and guess what we had eaten. After which, the person in charge will come with an ipad, showing the pictures and naming out the 12 dishes we had. We were surprised by our guesses as it really gave our taste buds a good test.ConclusionAll in all, it was a good 1.5 hours session of experiencing the life of a visually impact human, coping with darkness in their moves. We took our 5 senses daily for granted and being in such environment really gave us a good reminder of how lucky we are to be able to see, hear, touch, taste and feel. Not only that, such dining concept keeps us away from the usual social media / electronics distraction we had during our meals with our friends / partners / families.The only disadvantage here I could ever think of is perhaps not to bring someone here for a first date where you cannot see each other. Ha!We spent about $120 including drinks per pax and reservation is recommended. continue reading

When I first heard that Nox Dine in the Dark was launched in Singapore, I wanted to try it immediately but the cost of $78 per pax threw me off the chair. Recently, I had the luck to save some buck to dine at Nox after I won an Openrice contest for two! Thanks Openrice!!In a gist, the concept is dine in the dark. The menu is unknown to us. The server asked if we had any dietary restrictions or allergies. After the dinner has ended, we were brought back to a lit room where we make a guess on what we have eaten. The menu was then revealed to us. That’s when bragging rights belong to the most acute taste buds #ChallengeAcceptedBefore our dinner and while waiting for our guide, we were served the Amuse-Bouche - salmon cod fish with roe (below). This is the only food picture I have as the rest of my dinner was held in the dark. For the Instagram addicts, I am sorry but you have to try to curb your Instagram withdrawal symptoms for this dinner. It was a while before we were informed that our guide Halimi is ready. I was absolutely thrilled! The feeling was just like the moment before I boarded on an aeroplane for the first time. I knew it was going to be an adventure and finally the moment has arrived. The dining room was a total pitch-black. We ordered a glass bottle of still water. The challenge was to make sure the table (and the floor) was not wet after the dinner. Nevertheless it was less stressful when we sensed that the cups were made of plastic instead of glass. Dinner was a 3 course prix fixe menu - Appetizer, Main Course, Dessert. Each course had 4 smaller different bowls of food, which were placed on a tray. It's bizarre how our other senses (hear, taste, touch, smell) were heightened when we can't see. I thought my taste buds were more sensitive in the dark as everything I ate tasted very strong. For example, saltier, sweeter, more sour. I could also smell my food before it came, especially the truffles.And it’s a rare occasion where you aren’t distracted by Whatsapp or busy catching up on Candy Crush. I can’t remember when the last time I gave full attention to my dining companions. And girls, this is also probably the only restaurant where your BFs can't look at other girls.We weren't sure how Halimi was going to know when we had finished eating. I joked, "Maybe let's just raise our hands." OK I know that's lame and I was quite sure my friend rolled her eyes even though I can't see that. We waited quite some time after our last desserts before Halimi returned.After we finished, we were brought to the reception area on first floor where we then filled up a questionnaire on what we think was the food we ate. When the server revealed the menu and photos of the food that we ate, we were really caught by surprise by some of the ingredients. We couldn't take pictures of the menu/photos as the restaurant only changes the menu every four weeks and it won't be fun for the rest if we revealed.Be prepared to pay top dollar (S$78++ without drinks), but be rest assured that you will be served high quality food. The ingredients are worthy of the price you will be paying. There is so much emphasis on food presentation nowadays and sometimes I am guilty of letting it confuse the taste buds. This is a chance where you can focus on just the taste. I must highlight that the food served was enjoyable and I loved all of them, except for one of the main courses which was due to a personal preference.Not to mention that the service you will get is top-notch. Our guide Halimi is not just a waiter, but an inspiring character. He was formerly a Singapore Airlines crew member but had to undergo an operation to remove his brain tumour. Although he became visually-impaired after the operation, he was never despaired and continued to live life to the fullest and continue to do what he loves - customer service. To many, he might be physically handicapped but actually I think he is no less handicapped in terms of his personality.Overall, if I could only describe my experience in five words, that would be: "eye-opening", once-in-a-lifetime, amazing, unique, touched. In fact, I am thinking of going back there again after the menu changes.Some tips :1) Use the toilet before the adventure as it would be difficult if you need to use the toilet in the middle of the dinner. Don't worry, the toilets are lit.2) Wear clothes with pockets so that you can keep the locker key. That’s because we also had to keep our bags, mobile phones, cameras, and anything that can gives off light in the lockers.3) For the klutz, wear dark coloured clothes to prevent food stains.4) Wear flats/low heels as you would need to climb the stairs to the dining area on 2nd floor. continue reading

A special fine dining place to dine in the total darkness. No Hp is allowed but a locker will be provided to lock the belongings.Waitress are partial blind or totally blind. A great experience to understand how the blind lives n dine in total darkness.Lesson learn dine in total darkness:1) How to pour water;2) How to eat with the fork n spoon;3) Since no HP is allowed sense of tasting of food is strong as no distraction.3 course prix fixe dinner @$78++ per paxCocktail@ $20++The menu will change every month. Dishes are mystery.Appetizer- 4 small dishesMain Course- 4 small dishesDessert- 4 small dishesAll the dishes are very nice especially the dessert.Tips: A must to make reservation as quite fully book.Email what kind of food you do not eatA great idea for birthday celebration.Remember the dishes well as the staffs will test what you have eaten. continue reading

My gay BFF, who went to Nox with his partner, said to me, “When I realized the blind servers live their lives in complete darkness and have no choice, I cried. It’s not the same as just shutting your eyes. I emotional person hor. Don’t judge.”This “dine in the dark” concept was first developed in France in 1997 for people to understand what the visually impaired go through – a lesson that my BFF learnt. Furthermore, dining in the dark heightens other senses so that we can appreciate the food better. The food, by Chef Desmond Lee who worked at Ember and Private Affairs, changes frequently so customers can often return. Although the 3-course menu, priced at $78++, is fixed for most customers, the chef will adjust the food for people with special dietary requirements. Please inform the staff during reservations or before the meal.At the entrance of the dining area, a visually impaired guide will introduce himself or herself to you. Ours is named Rahamat whose voice is mellifluous. He led us to the pitch-black dining area with our hands on his shoulder, forming a conga line.Each course–starter, main and dessert–comes with 4 tasting portions of different food, making it a variety of 12 different dishes. The server won’t tell you what the food is, you’ve to eat and guess yourself.Being an anti-establishment rebel, I normally avoid gimmicky restaurants but having experienced Nox, I strongly encourage everyone to go. It was educational; the service was impeccable; dining here can be considered as helping disenfranchised fellow humans; the darkness and no handphone policy create a social ambience where people can talk honestly and freely; and even the hypercritical Chiobu said the food was good. We guessed the set meal would cost $68+, and we later found out it was priced at $78++, so the pricing was rather reasonable. All these factors point to a promising beginning of a longstanding establishment.For full review and more photos, please visit http://rubbisheatrubbishgrow.wordpress.com/2013/09/23/nox-singapore/ continue reading