Had some fun with my Deepsea at lunch with co-workers today!

[Whiskey]

Out of thanks for all the hard work and overtime we had been doing this past year, the assistant VP to our group asked to take us all out to lunch on the company's tab. One guy in our group heard of this restaurant called "O'Noir". Their theme is that you eat dinner/lunch in total pitch-black darkness and the servers/waiters are visually impared!!!! Apparently these restaurants are found all over the world. I'd never heard of it till it was brought up that a bunch of the girls heard about it and wanted to try it out.

Well, we had that lunch today. It was great! Lot's of fun and yes you really do eat dinner in total darkness.

The restaurant was located in the basement of a building not far from where I work. As it's in the basement of the building, there are no windows and no light can get in unless it's from a bulb.

We came in to the restaurant as a group of 15. The way it works is you order your food in the lounge area where there is light. Then you are introduced to the visually impaired waiter. The seating arrangements were 8 people to a table, so what they did was form us into two groups and arrange us into a line. You then put your right hand on the shoulder of the person in front of you, and all of you are led by the waiter into the first darkroom. Once the door closes behind you and the light disappears, the diningroom door is openned and you're led in as a human chain. IT'S PITCH BLACK!!!! You're all lead to the table and carefully seated.

Cellphones, Blackberry's, flashlights and anything else that can be used as a light source is STRICTLY forbidden.

I thought I was s$% out of luck before I realized once I sat down that the lume in my good ole trusty DEEPSEA was glowing brilliantly in the dark

It didn't take long before everyone else noticed it. The lume is fantastic! Although I couldn't see exactly what I was eating, with the glow of the lume I could see the plate, napkin, silverware, drink, etc etc etc. Yeah, I know the watch probably detracted from me getting the full experience, but it was some what a relief as sitting in the dark you feel so isolated, even with people sitting right next to you. Other's were laughing at me and the cutie that's been chasing me around the office lately and was sitting next to me at this shinding was quite relieved that there was some small source of light in all that blackness. She mentioned that sometimes she can only get to sleep at night with the glow of the tv screen in her bedroom, so the Deepsea was like a nice "night-light".

I had one girl tell me I should consider turning it off, but I told her it was a luminova-dial and it couldn't be turned off.

I was worried someone was going to ask what kind of watch I had on that could glow like that as it would be uncomfortable to say it was a Rolex. No one mentioned it and I think that's because they already knew what the answer was.

Anyways, it was a great experience and if you get a chance to eat dinner in the dark, I advise you try it out..................Oh and bring your Rolex along to.

Who said the Deepsea was only good for diving!

[kyle L]

Weird story, but it was entertaining.

[bandityo]

sounds fun....good thing the waiters were blind or they would have made you take it off if they new it was glowing so much!

[ParisDakarBmw]

I don't know that I'd ask for a refill in that place. You might get a lap full of ice water!

[bandityo]

oh no.I just looked at their webpage..it says no luminous watches!

(But O.NOIR does more than just fire the imagination and stimulate the senses. After a few hours in complete darkness (that's right, no flashlights, matches, cell phones, cigarette lighters or luminous watches), customers gain a better understanding of what it's like to be blind - just like the restaurants' entire wait staff.)

youre in trouble!

[Whiskey]

Originally Posted by ParisDakarBmw

I don't know that I'd ask for a refill in that place. You might get a lap full of ice water!

I hear you on that one. I specifically wore dark colours today as I was afraid I'd spill or drop food/drink in my lap. None of that happen at my table as everyone was very careful.

However, at the other table, someone did spill a glass and after dinner, the unfortunate guy who got it was still checking his pants to see if his lap had dried.

As for the danger of refills, the restaurant tried to eliminate that by just bringing you a new glass of water/soda/drink every time you ordered and the waiter would take away the extra glasses often to ensure that the tables remained clutter-free.

FYI, the price per person at this restaurant was $39. It was a 3-course meal of appetizer, main-course, and dessert. Each course consisted of 5 choices. My app was grilled protobello mushrooms on leafy-greens, my main course was filet minion with potatoe and veggies, and I had chocolate mousse cake for dessert. All in all the food was good. Ordinary fare really. The basis of the dinner was to sit in the dark and eat it. Apperently, all of your senses are heightened including you sense of taste. You're supposed to better taste your food in the dark and appreciate the flavours.

[Singslinger]

There was an episode of CSI (Las Vegas) about a restaurant like this a couple of seasons ago...anyway, thanks for the interesting story!

[acadianl79]

I'm not sure but i think there is also a O'NOIR restaurant in Montreal.

I will have to check it out, seems like a fun experience !

[fkl118]

Interesting idea. I might try it out. I wonder if people try to sneak in a bottle of wine?

[ParisDakarBmw]

Once again, I think I'd saw my finger off mistaking a digit for a chunk of steak. I don't know if I want to eat food cooked by someone who can't see it. I think it's cool the staff has come through a disability, but cleaning, expiration dates, wrong containers and the like could make for a bad meal. What if you need to use the restroom? Do they help you out? or are you in the corner? I don't guess anyone would know. How about paying? Do you just give them your wallet and hope for honesty? Plus I know a few folks who double dip, and this is a breeding ground for such things...

[acadianl79]

Did the cutie tried to make a move on you while it was pitch black ?

[ParisDakarBmw]

It could have been the old guy Earl!

[Psmith]

Reminds me of the 'Black Out' restaurant in Melbourne...
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/20...548159581.html



Cheers

[phantom357]

Good stuff, thanks for sharing.

[Brunotheboxer]

What if you order the chicken and they give you like a fried bat that just tastes like chicken.

[Sonny Crockett]

Cool story

[acadianl79]

Originally Posted by Brunotheboxer

What if you order the chicken and they give you like a fried bat that just tastes like chicken.

Picture a blind waiter with busted knee caps...

[carlhaluss]

Great story! Have to look that place up when I next get to Toronto.
Cheers,
Carl

[ParisDakarBmw]

It's a choice of "Pot luck" or "Toss of the dice" and your choice of a liquid drink, misc. desert. I guess the menu could be blank for all we know. I think the overhead would be low.

Basement rental
No lights
No menu
No fancy garnishments
No food coloring
Clean napkins ???
Clean plates ???
Food inspector ratings?
No Bathrooms
No sweeping floors
No wiping tables
Just plenty of trust!!!!!!!

[ParisDakarBmw]

All joking aside. Has anyone ever repaired a brail watch? Most of the ones I've seen online have the flip top, and brail numbers. Are the hands sturdy? You'd think the real delicate hands would break. I was just looking. I never thought about it, but I'm sure those need fixing too. The pictures aren't clear as to any movement differences.

[Whiskey]

There's quite a few misconceptions going on here about this restaurant, so I'll try and iron things out here and make things more clearer;

1. With regards to using the restroom, one mearly asks one of the servers to escort them out of the diningroom area into the brightly lit lounge/bar area. From there the washrooms are across the lounge which is also lit. Please understand, the only darkened room in this establishment is the diningroom.

2. When it comes to paying the bill, again, at the end of the meal, everyone is escorted out into the lit lounge/bar area and payment is made at the bar. It IS NOT paid in the diningroom.

3. Only the wait-staff is visually impared. Chefs/kitchen staff are not.

4. With regards to cleanliness, the City of Toronto has strict regulations and officers are routinely sent out to eateries to check up on codes and standards. ALL Restaurants in Toronto must show a City of Toronto Health Card in the front window of the establishment which clearly is marked if the eartery received a PASS, Conditional, or FAIL (Which in this case the eatery would be shut down until the appropriate measures of clean-up are undertaken and another inspection is made to determine if a PASS should be granted). The Healthcard is dated and inspections are done via surprise. The Report card is dated on the day the inspection took place. Eateries in Toronto must be inspected at least once a year.

5. As this was a private party, one of the girls in our group for kicks pulled out her Blackberry and turned it on so that we could get a look at the diningroom area near the end of our stay. The diningroom was quite simple and clean. It looked just like any other simple diningroom except not decorations and other needless clutter than would hamper the waiters and dining guests from moving around. On an interesting note, while her blackberry was on, I looked at the floor. It was carpeted, however, going up the aisles perfectly and MARKING the center of the aisle was a strip of duct tape. Under the duct tape in in it's center was a slight hump which to me looked like a length of rope was under the duct tape. I realized that the wait-staff probably wear thin-soled slippers and can feel the rope under the tape. The rope would act as a point of reference and the waiter can tell approximately how far each table in the aisle is from that rope on the floor. Also, once we were seated, the waiter came around to each of us to make sure our chairs were pushed in to a minimum point so that he could get around the table during service. When it came to service time and the doling out the plates, you're expected to work in tamdem with the waiter. He calls out the meal he has, you respond if it's yours, he then makes his way over to your seating place. He steps up behind you to your left. He puts his right hand on your left shoulder. You then put your hand on his or just touch in and he brings up your plate with his left hand and you accept it and take it from him. You must be careful so as to make sure you get a good grip of your plate.

6. You are NOT allowed to get up and walk around and stretch your legs in the dark. It's dangerous to you and the waiter. If you need to get up and stretch, simply call the wait staff and they'll escort you out to the lunge/bar area.

I guess like at any eatery, you are submitting some faith and taking some chances when you allow someone else to prepare your food.

I am of the opinion that at a restaurant such as this, cleanliness and sanitary precautions are more strongly adherred to more so than at a standard restaurant due to the vulnerable state that the diner is being placed in. I can assure you that if a restaurant such as O'NOIR were to get a FAIL for unsanitary conditions, this place would be forever out of business the very next day.

I can assure you, I was nervous going to this place, but once there I felt completely at ease. This place is very well run, is VERY cozy and it is clean and professional.

For an eating experience, I rate this place 2 thumbs up, 5 out of 5, 10 out of 10. The only way this can be outdone is if you can eat a three course meal while parachuting out of an airplane.

I hope this puts some of your minds at ease.

[ParisDakarBmw]

It sounds really interesting. I figured the dining area was the only place in the dark. The theme is something I would like to take my friends to. You know I was just playing. I've never heard of this before, and it sounds cool.
Back to your topic. Do the hour markers on your watch glow blue? I've seen different pictures of the DSSD. The fake ones are the only ones showing the lume shots. However I thought that was the neatest thing. I was interested in whether the real DSSD was lumed in GREEN hands, and BLUE markers. I'm interested to know. Thanks!

[Whiskey]

The Deepsea has both the markers and the hands done up in the same uniform blue lume. In total pitch dark, the lume came up as an aqua colour. There is a slight greenish tint to it. It is not completely blue (unless I'm colour blind). Since owning it, I've noticed that when I walk in the sun with it and then walk into a shaded alcove, the lume will glow blue, but the darker it gets, the lume changes it's shade.

My old SD4000 which was a Z-serial and I purchased it brand new, clearly would come up sprearmint-green in colour. I'd notice this in the movie theatres.

The Deepsea's lume colour does not come up to match that of the SD4000. It's clearly different.

Both watches were purchased brand new, by me, from very well respected and known Rolex AD's. In fact, the Deepsea was purchased from the oldest (original) serving Rolex AD in Toronto, Canada.

[Whiskey]

Originally Posted by acadianl79

Did the cutie tried to make a move on you while it was pitch black ?

Actually yeah, she was quite "hands on" throughout the meal. Plenty of time she'd rest her head on my shoulder or drap herself on me, but you know, she pretty much does that to me in the office also. Her hand was on my lap a couple of times and she was asking to have some of the greens from my appetizer. She's cute, the thing is, I'm a little hesitant to get involved with someone with whom I directly work with. Decisions decisions..............

[rescue7]

Originally Posted by Whiskey

Both watches were purchased brand new, by me, from very well respected and known Rolex AD's. In fact, the Deepsea was purchased from the oldest (original) serving Rolex AD in Toronto, Canada.

You mean the city above Toronto, Vaughan.

Glad you enjoyed yourself at O'noir, i've heard alot about it. One day when I actually make it downtown i'll take wifey and a few friends for dinner there.

I take it your enjoying your DeepSea!

[Whiskey]

Originally Posted by rescue7

You mean the city above Toronto, Vaughan.

Glad you enjoyed yourself at O'noir, i've heard alot about it. One day when I actually make it downtown i'll take wifey and a few friends for dinner there.

I take it your enjoying your DeepSea!

Yep. Love the Deepsea man.

It worked great this afternoon. LOL

If you decide to go to O'Noir, make sure you call and make reservations. I believe the restaurant is set up for "Special Seatings" only, so you may need to go with another couple as the tables are set up to seat minimum 4, maximum 8.

I don't know if this dining experience would be very romantic as eating in complete darkness tended to make the group I was in a little boistorous and loud as it was a funny experience more than anything.

I can't say how much fun it was. With the right group of people who are open to a new experience, it's a blast.

[iwantagmt]

I had a similar experience in Mammoth Cave with the lume on my PO! I enjoyed the story!

[bodybump]

cool story...wait till you get a Ball Watch or a Lume Tec..those are serious Lume's..and ooopssss a Panerai also...

[Deep Sea]

Sounds like an interesting experience. Thanks for sharing.

[Earl]

Originally Posted by ParisDakarBmw

It could have been the old guy Earl!

No, No, No, I swear it wasn't me!