5 restaurants from around the world that offer the most unusual experiences
- by Megha Sharma
From dining in the dark to places where the dress code is 'naked', scroll ahead for some of the best experience-based restaurants around the world
In a changing food landscape, a delicious and visually appeasing plate of food doesn’t always make the cut with thrill-seeking gourmets. After all, why would anyone settle for a regular dinner experience when you can hit all five senses with a hearty meal in a one-of-its-kind setting? To keep up with the ever-evolving culinary scene, a wide array of experience-based restaurants and bars have opened up all over the world to bring their A-game to the table (pun intended). If you find a three-course meal at a local eatery too mundane to get excited about, here’s where you should be headed to entice your tastebuds—and the rest of your senses.
Ultraviolet, China
Offering an avant-garde 20-course menu to 10 guests each night, Ultraviolet is a mysterious building somewhere in Shanghai. The exact location remains unknown—visitors are escorted to the venue from a designated meeting point. The dining experience takes place in a bare room with no decor, ornaments or views, but 360 degree wall projections, table projections, scent diffusers and a multi-channel speaker system instead, creating a meticulously controlled atmosphere to set the tone of your meal. Booking and waiting lists are opened four months in advance here, with 10 seats available for every night. The catch however is that these spots tend to get filled up in a matter of seconds, so make sure you head to their website precisely at midnight (Shanghai time) 120 days before your date of choice to grab a seat.
The Bunyadi, England
Image: Thebunyadi.com
This London restaurant gives the natural way of life new meaning with its USP—its diners eat completely naked. The Bunyadi first opened as an experimental pop-up experience in a quiet corner of central London, but the immense popularity it garnered has led to the promise of a permanent spot in the multicultural city. The restaurant encourages customers to disrobe while enjoying a “natural” dining experience. The servers, however, cover the essentials for logistical reasons. According to the owners, the experience is liberating as the venue serves as a no-judgement space for all its diners. To make things even more authentic, the restaurant doesn’t allow phones inside, has a separate menu for vegans, and hosts a kitchen that runs without gas and electricity.
Chillout Ice Lounge, Dubai
Image: Chilloutindubai.com
The first of its kind in the Middle East, the Chillout Lounge combines seatings and sculptures made entirely of ice with unique lighting to curate a spectacular experience at sub-zero temperatures. The seats have acrylic pads that prevent the extreme cold from passing through them, but you can also ask for a sheepskin throw if you’re still uncomfortable. Add a cup of their signature hot chocolate to the mix, and we’re sure you’ll be as snug as a bug.
Opaque, United States of America
After sweeping through Europe in the early 2000s, the dining in the dark trend found a happy home in the US at Opaque. Served by a crew of visually impaired waiters, the diners at this Santa Monica restaurant enjoy their meals in a completely dark room, allowing them to truly focus on their food. The experience is said to make visitors more sensitive towards certain aspects of their meal that might otherwise go unnoticed, like textures, odours or subtle changes in flavour. If you’re wondering about how you’d read the menu, don’t fret—you place the order in a well-lit room before being guided to the pitch-black dining area.
The Yurt at Solitude Mountain Resort, United States of America
A snowshoe trek through a moonlit forest finds its conclusion in a Mongolian yurt at this US-based experiential. Now, this may seem like an adventure straight out of a fairytale, but it’s actually a fine-dining experience in Utah. Just as you reach The Yurt, the chefs prepare a four-course meal right before your eyes. The experience usually turns out to be friendly, as a maximum of 24 diners can take the trip at a time.
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