Dining in the Dark: A Journey in Taste in Bandung

Great dishes tantalize all five senses. Delicious aromas hit the nose well before food hits the tongue, while the sounds of sizzling meat or bubbling sauces can add to a wonderful gustatory experience. And for many chefs, of course, presentation is everything.

But what would the experience of eating be like if you took away the sense of sight?

The first restaurant to embrace the concept of pitch-black dining was opened in 1999 by Jorge Spielmann, a blind minister, in Zurich.

The idea was born of the many nights Spielmann had friends over to his house for a meal. Some of his sighted-guests would use blindfolds in honor of their host, and many of them said they greatly enjoyed eating while blindfolded because it sharpened their other senses during the meal.

Encouraged, Spielmann decided to open the Blind Cow restaurant, which quickly became very popular in Zurich.

Since then, the concept has spread to venues from New York to London where guests are asked to wear blindfolds or dine in a pitch black room. Now the concept has made its way to Bandung, with the opening of Blind Cafe and Restaurant.

“We wanted to offer our guests something different,’’ said Arie Kurniawan, the owner.

Arie said Bandung’s pitch-dark eatery is the only one in Southeast Asia, though he has visited restaurants with similar concepts in Beijing and Melbourne.

Blind Cafe and Restaurant
Cihampelas Walk Jalan Cihampelas, Bandung
Tel. 022 206 1082
Salads from Rp 19,000
Main courses from Rp 27,000
Desserts from Rp 15,000

Full article by Sylviana Hamdani
Bandung Hotels