Fairmont Dubai keeps diners in the dark

According to recent research conducted at Oxford University, in an increasingly visually dominated world, our eyes lead the way when it comes to eating, while our tongues (and other senses) merely follow. Based on these findings and teaming up with Sightsavers, an international charity helping the blind in developing countries, diners at Fairmont Dubai will be offered the chance to test their taste buds with dinner served in complete darkness.

“So much of our opinions of taste are influenced by how a dish is presented, even before we’ve taken a bite. Whereas plating [during normal circumstances] is fundamentally important from the guest perspective, everything is thrown out of balance at Noire with textures, smells, flavour combinations and even sounds taking precedence,” said Fairmont Dubai executive chef Lorraine Sinclair.

This intriguing and exclusive Dubai dining experience will turn the old saying of ‘first (visual) impressions count’ entirely on its head by encouraging guests to re evaluate their perceptions through a different thought process. Participants will experience a complete loss of vision for 1 ½ hours and will put their trust in the hands of executive chef Lorraine Sinclair.

The proceeds from each dinner will be donated to Sightsavers, with each evening limited to 30 persons.