Review Dans Le Noir ? - Auckland Central

Had the Company Christmas Party here last Friday. Very unique experience with delicious food. The wait staff was very kind and looked after us well in the pitch dark. The food was greatly done with interesting textures and tastes to compensate for no visual of what we are eating with great matching wines. Highly recommend for a special night out.

Amazing experience! Had the 5 course meal with wine matches plus champagne. Tamati was fantastic as a waiter - very entertaining, professional and inspirational. Sat with a random group which was all couples so it was a bit hard making small talk in pitch black so recommend going with a group of family or friends to make it more fan. It really is pitch black so great fun guessing the dishes, using a fork or your hands and trying not to spill your drinks. Definitely a memorable experience that everyone should do.

Us as a couple had dinner on pitch darkness with 4 complete strangers. Was a blast. Luke was an excellent host and made the experience fun. Food flavours subtle but decent. Wine good. Recommend it if you haven't been.

Amazing experience. Don't come expecting the most exquisite food. The dinner, cutlery and table is just a playground to enhance your senses and be able to enjoy this experience. Very recommended. Try to come with a group of people you know and talk about what you're feeling. Will make it all much better.

I was not to sure what to expect and admit to being a little nervous being led in a chain of diners through a twisting passage and several curtains into into the dark dining room. Our waitress and guide Mel was fantastic though and seated us and served our 3 course meal with matching wines. I admit you can easily get better food for the price at close by Auckland restaurants but I did really enjoy what was served. I was surprised to see the dishes which were revealed when we came out of the dark, the portions were much smaller than I expected. Feeling your way through the contents of your plate makes you much more mindful of what you are eating - it was as if my plate held never ending surprises and I was really full by the end of the meal even though the portions were not huge. Highly recommend experience!

First time! I was so excited about the experience itself that I set my expectations quite high before going there. Result is, it definitively matches them! Dining in the dark (I mean true pitch black!) is a mix of mystery, fun, discovery of your other senses, social experience (funny to "see" how people can behave when they know they can't be seen...) and I totally recommend it. The cherry on top: food is delicious and actually tailored to make you doubt about what you're eating / drinking, you have to Trust the chef on that one! If I would like to go back: yes clearly, there is no limit to experiences when you are a foodie!

I'm giving this 5 stars for experience! Really opens up your mind. Sadly the food isn't amazing, but that's simply because you've lost your sense of sight. It was funny though. honestly the dessert WTH?! Seemed like it had been slopped on the plate but when you see the photos after it's actually gourment food! The staff were AMAZING!! They really made the experience. Especially Pawveen our waiter for the evening, who talked to us throughout. If you are considering going, do it! It's a memorable experience that will stay with me for life. This is a photo of our table :)

Amazing experience! Definitely worth experiencing. Parween was a great host and shared stories with us. The food was tasty and needs were well looked after with great subtitutes if needed. Would highly recommend going for any occasion. Thank you!

Dining at Dans le Noir ? was an incredible experience. Everything was well-though-out : meals were delicious and sophisticated, the team was really nice and professional, and our guide made us feel very confortable in the dark. I really recommend to live this experience at least once in a lifetime. Thank you so much Dans le Noir ?, I’ll be happy to share this wonderfull initiative !

Great experience. Would recommend going with a group you already know. It was nice having the chef surprise menu, however the food quality didn't reflect the establishment. The staff were awesome.

Very interesting experience. I liked so much about this but I found the vegan main meal tasteless and uninspired. My husband really enjoyed his meal. The staff were excellent.

Fantastic experience and the food was pretty good too even if we didn't know what we were eating. Thank you to Luke, our waiter. You rock.

It was one of the best dining experience I ever had till now. Couldn't be grateful of the wonderful staff. Would strongly recommend.

We went with a small group of people to try this experience. Firstly, our waitress was great, she was really lovely and helpful. The food was, to put it frankly, pretty terrible. We didn’t really go for the quality of the food. But the cost was very high per person so I definitely was expecting more. <br/>Halfway through our dinner we had a hens party join us, they were so loud that it became difficult to talk on our table so the conversation sort of stopped from there which was a shame. Although they did quieten down towards the end. <br/>I would recommend going here for the experience, but just don’t get your hopes up about the food.

I was lucky enough to get a gift voucher for a dinner here and had always wanted to try it. I ended up going alone and after speaking to them if its super  awkward alone or not decided to give it a go.  It was slightly awkard at first but better when in the dark. so dont let it put you off going alone if you want to.  food was good although wasnt convinced i knew what I ate until i saw photos, was something different andd completely pitch black. length of time is about right, think i would go stir crazy if sat in dark any longer, as miss looking at things.  all in all good fun and worth a go. and I only spilled a small bit of food on myself haha. cant add any photos obviously, as couldnt see what I ate, got shown them when we left but wont ruin the surprise.  I had the trust the chef option with surprise wine

This is an amazing dining experience. Being in pitch black really heightens the other senses, which gives a very unique experience. Staff are friendly and helpful. The wait staff are open and friendly, really enabling you to have a glimpse into their world of no or only partial sight. The food and wine sections are great, always with something different and with a huge variety of textures and flavours to make the most of the rest of your heightening senses. This is a great night out, where you will get to know your table companions, those you came with and those you get seated next to. It's a night were you are totally focused in the now, with no distractions of phones or how to eat something gracefully as no one can see you! An experience to remember and to repeat when the menus selections change.

Sorry but we went as a group of 10, and not one of us enjoyed the meal or wine pairings. The wait staff were great, but a sweet white wine to start, a red wine, then another sweet wine is not what anyone would want. Dining in the dark opens you up to a greater sense of taste. Please make sure that you are getting the basics right and use good wine! Food was also not amazing, which we all expected it would be! Definite potential but lacked execution.

I can be a fussy eater... so I will say that the starter and the dessert was amazing!!!  So much so that I ran my finger thru the plate to make sure it was empty. The main was not my cup of tea, not that I disliked it all, but there were items that I did not enjoy - however, my partner and everyone else on the table raved about every single dish.The meal was very tasty and a real buzz to the senses.  I LOVED the experience and will recommend to all my friends.  It's a must do.

Went for Valentines Day. Had the 2 course Vegan meal. Matched my meal with a surprise cocktail and my partners was matched with a wine for each course. Was the most fun dining experience Ive ever had. The waiter was so accommodating and guided us all through it all, so there wasnt a single issue on my table of 12. The cocktail was amazing and my partner said her wines were well worth their price. Although it was a bit pricey overall, the meals themselves were great, we did use our fingers though to avoid any mess on the table (utensils were impossible to use). Will be back for another special occasion!

Loved every bit of this experience. Went in there without expectations. I really did not know what to really expect which made the experience even more exciting. Amazing staff! Jacintha was great. Bug yes what was unique was the experience and the feelings that came out of it. The gratitude for being able to see since on was born. But also discovering that when you actually lose one sense your other senses get stronger. Bringing also so much more mindfulness for those 2 hours. Being mindful pouring water; mindful eating, mindful of our gestures. And food was amazing. They tricked us well on the entree! We thought it was fish while it was meat! Just awesome!

Something different and exciting to experience so we had to try.<br/><br/>Ambience is dark. The initial ambience of the hotel is nice as well. The staff are very warm, friendly and accommodating, great service.<br/><br/>I had the "Trust the Chef" and the mrs had the Seafood menu. We were very happy with our choices, everything was delicious and brought out in a timely manner. For me though, I am a visual person so not having that, the food didn't amaze me but wasn't bad at all.

What an incredible sensory experience this was!  On a night out with my bestie, we went along somewhat apprehensively to the Dans le Noir waiting area.  We were introduced to our waiter, who was blind.  She was absolutely delightful.  Then came the part where we were led into the dark room - and it was really, seriously dark.  Overcoming an initial 8 mins of internal panic and an overflowed glass of water (senses required to know when the glass is full!), I settled down into the blackness of the room under the kind instruction of our waiter.<br/>Three courses were delivered and each course involved smelling and touching the food to understand what we were eating.  My friend and I had the Vegan menu and all courses were delicious, in particular the incredible cheesecake at the end.  Best part is you're in the dark so no one can see if you lick your plate!

It was a wonderful experience. We had a lot of fun guessing the food, and the waitresses were lovely, funny and so helpful. The food is truly delightful, and the portions very generous. Thanks so much

Can I do -5?<br/>WORST RESTAURANT I HAVE EVER BEEN TO<br/>NB: I have been to a similar dining in the dark restaurant in Singapore several times, so had high expectations.  We were looking forward to a combination of a unique sensory experience and excellent fine dining.  Unfortunately, at Dans Le Noir, we experienced neither.<br/><br/>The entrance was very temporary and cheap looking. The wine lined up on the reception counter was not high quality.  We arrived on time but had to wait 15 minutes before being seated.   Once inside the restaurant and seated, we did not get any explanation of how the table was set.  We asked for water but were not told we had any, finding the water jug after an hour already on the table.<br/><br/>My wife had ordered the vegan meal (classic) and I ordered trust the chef (5-course).  The quality of the vegan meal was very poor.  SPOILER ALERT<br/><br/>The starter was a combination of potato salad and popcorn, the dessert included a tinned peach and a tinned pear.  Under no circumstances could this quality of food be considered ‘refined’ dining, as described on the website.  It was bland, served cold and clearly prepared on a very tight budget.  I would describe my meal as ‘odd tasting’ and as I was seated so closely to my neighbour, I found the smell of my neighbour’s seafood menu overwhelmed any smell of my own food.  For my cheese course there was just one piece of cheese no way to cut it amd a large number of small crackers – something several other people at the table complained about.  The plates were inappropriate for eating in the dark – everybody had to end up using their fingers and there were frequency cases of dinners getting food on their clothes as a result. The pieces were often too big to eat and required cutting but not easy to use a knife in the dark.<br/><br/>Mistakes were made in serving food and wine throughout the meal.  One diner who had ordered a vegan meal was served a meat dish. This made me very uncomfortable about what we were being served as I have food alergies. I was later served garlic which they were aware I was allergic to. Luckily I smelt it before eating it...<br/><br/>My wife had ordered the wine pairing, and again mistakes were made about which diner was served which wine.  she was given a wine which Carolyn, the server, later told her was a trust the chef wine pairing.  She asked if my wife wanted to also have her correct vegan wine pairing, but then realised that would leave another diner without wine, so she gave her wine to someone else.  so she missed one of the 3 wines. one might assume the wine had been chosen to compliment the food, but as the wine was being given out indiscriminately, this was obviously not the case.  it was probably the same wine anyway. There were a number of cases of the servers knocking over drinks and food, and not enough glasses of wine or food being sent by the kitchen. The server would stand next to us on the radio complaining about it 2 or 3 times a course.<br/><br/>The biggest disappointment was the seating arrangements.  We had been given no indication in advance that this was group dining(my bad I should have done more research about the "french" version).  We were seated at a table of 11 people in total, and we were the only guests in the 60 person restaurant.  Despite this, we were seated so closely to the people either side of us – who we did not know – that it was impossible to talk to each other opposite. the guy next to me was leaning against me the whole time and I was hard up against a table leg the other side. One diner at the end of the table, from the moment we sat down, was drunk, loud and rude. The waiting staff did not make any effort to stop his conversation and it was embarrassing and uncomfortable in the extreme. PM me if you want to know the conversation details.<br/><br/>When we left the restaurant we immediately provided feedback to the french manager outside.  She was dismissive to the point of being rude.  She said it was not her fault about the offensive diner as she had not been in the restaurant, and yet it was apparent while we were in the restaurant that the server was communicating with colleagues outside. <br/><br/>We were then over charged as the bill showed 2 wine pairing. I had drunk one fruit juice before dinner and had no other drinks.  When we indicated the mistake, the same woman was again rude claiming we were mistaken about whether I had ordered the wine pairing.  I pointed out I was driving and it would be illegal for me to have been drinking and which point she agreed to amend the bill.  A service charge for using a credit card was a final insult at this stage.<br/><br/>When I have been to dining in the dark in the past, it was been a wonderful experience, providing insight into the world of those who are blind or visually impaired, and it has also included world class food.  Dans Le Noir at Rydges provided one of the worst dining experiences of my life. <br/><br/>The total bill was $246.33, which given the food quality we had was unreasonable. <br/><br/>Completely amateur!<br/><br/>After a complaint to rydges manager we were given a refund. While this was much appreciated we would like do our best to make sure nobody else makes the same mistake

Loved the dining experience. It was like no other and really took you away from the daily stresses in our day to day lives. The food, service and atmosphere was great. I would recommend this for everyone to try. Had the 3 course Trust the Chef option. Not only was it filling but tasty and fun to enjoy the food without knowing what was on the plate. The meats were done to perfection and I loved all the textures each dish had.  The only thing I might do different next time is to not be the sober driver and try out the wine accompaniment.

Food was excellent, Chef's Choice menu highly recommended, and the 2 guides with us all the time during eating in pitch dark were so kind, perfect to experience a true human connection. So great they are doing that in partnership with blind foundation!<br/><br/>Next time will certainly try one of the other 2 menus... wouldn't mind eating a 3-course vegetarian meal in the dark!

I have been to "Dans le noir" previous week and it has been for me an really surprising exprience.<br/>You will discover something totally new, the exprience is way beyond dining. It's a social experience where you taste the food, smell it, guess it but also socialize with the people arround and live for few hours as a blind person.<br/>Even if it can be a bit scary at the begin, you will be quickly reassured by the staff, the host and the waitress.<br/>you are now totally in the dark and can have your dinner and drinks.<br/>I choose the "Trust the chef" menu, you don't know what you will have, but i recommend it to you, you will not be disappointed. The food and bevrage was amazing.<br/>For me it's perfect for a couple as a date, a good experience to live together, but also with friends, workmate... challenge them to guess what food they are eating and what are they drinking

Last Tuesday we were invited by Dans le Noir for a unique experience : dining in the complete darkness! Dans Le Noir was started in Paris in 2004 and founder Edouard de Broglie took a bet on this risky project at first but has since enjoyed real success all over the world (Paris, London, Madrid, St Petersberg, Barcelona, Nantes and now Auckland).

What a night ! We were very lucky with my friends to be one of the first group trying this amazing experience. The darkness was first a little bit disturbing, but our guides, Etka and Jacinta, were awesome and very comforting. <br/><br/>First time I let a blind person guide me and not the opposite, that was impressive, moving. <br/><br/>Our host explained the 3 main dimensions of the experience ; definitely a human exchange with the relationship with the guides, but also a social diner (we met our awesome neighbours, without smartphone distraction...) and of course a sensory experience ; first time for me that I eat without the sight ; hello smell, hello taste ! :)) And that 3rd dimension is a huge pleasure since the food and wines are really nice, but I can't tell you more about that ! :)<br/><br/>Enjoy !