Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
Sheer novelty, fantastic food |
| Disadvantages: |
Not good if you're afraid of the dark ! |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
The Unsicht Bar, Cologne, is one of those rare restaurants that you will not experience the novelty of, if you do not happen to stumble across it on the internet or in a brochure. By happy coincidence, I did, and it was one of the best experiences of my life.
Unsicht Bar is a catchy German pun; 'Unsicht Bar' can be translated as the noun- blind bar, or the adjective unsichtbar, which means invisible. Both of these tag lines are equally appropriate, for the Unsicht Bar is a restaurant with a twist- all of the waiting staff are blind. Yes, BLIND. But it gets better- the meal takes place entirely in the dark. Pitch black. You can't see your hand in front of your face. Even if you're trembling at the thought at this stage, you have got to admit that the idea is very quirky. Let me explain further.
Background:
Since its start up several years ago, the Unsicht Bar has become very popular with both regular patrons and diners who wish for an unforgettable experience. There are now Unsicht Bars in Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne, and although this review deals expressly with Cologne, I would certainly venture to try out the others! Started by Dr Axel Rudolph as a continuation of his research into the coordination of blind people, it has developed a real cult following amongst those who have sampled the experience- since the full opening in Berlin in 2002, the brand has been recipient of much success. The idea of the total blackness is to inspire people to imagine what it would be like to be blind. It also allows a heightening of the other senses, causing acute hearing and of course, the most important ones in a restaurant, an improved sense of taste/smell.
Experience:
On arrival outside the Bar, we were nervous and didn't know what to expect, much as you might be after reading this review and deciding to book. We went in and were greeted by a receptionist who checked our reservation and took our coats in the softly lit foyer. We were invited to look at the menus that had been laid out for our convenience, and were advised to go to the toilet just up the stairs (there aren't very many so I think in general the Bar is probably accessible to wheelchair users) before entering. We were then informed of the rules, which incorporated: no shouting in the restaurant, mobile phones off, luminous watches etc removed to pockets and to remain there for the duration. We placed our order with the receptionist and waited for our personal waiter, one of whom is allocated to each group. Soon enough ours arrived and we were led through into a small room called a light lock. This works in a similar way to an airlock, except that instead of becoming used to an environment with or without air, the lights were dimmed to aquaint ourselves with a lack of light. Pitch darkness. You couldn't even see a hand a centimetre in front of your face. We were told to put our hand on the shoulder of the person in front, and were led in a chain to our seats. We took a while to figure out who was sitting in which place and where everything was. The waiter described the placement of knives, forks, glasses etc in terms of times on a clock, with 12 directly in front. Then we were left to talk, whilst courses werte brought and eaten. If you need the toilet you are led out by a waiter. The same for a cigarette break and at the end of the meal. Our party all agreed it was an amazing experience.
Menu:
The Unsicht Bar provides a choice of 6 set menus. Once again, there is a twist- you don't know exactly what you are eating! The 6 set menus give only a basic heading: Vegetarian, Cheese, Lamb, Fish, Poultry or Surprise, that give an indication of what the main course will chiefly consist of. The surprise is naturally just one step further- a mixture of all the headings and is therefore the most expensive option(see prices). There are detailed menu descriptions in German, however, I had hell with this because it is all written in terms of metaphorical clues as to what might come up. Really though, it is just as good not knowing.
Food:
Without doubt this was the best meal I have ever eaten. There is nothing more I can say- the courses were varied and ranged between spicy exotic dressings and cool, sweet fruit, from succulent lamb that melted in the mouth to crunchy salad, to soft souffle style pudding with a zesty sauce. I really could go on for a long time here, describing everything that was eaten but not necessarily recognised, but nothing comes close to trying it for yourself. Everyone else who we met on the night agreed, that, regardless of menu choice, the food was impeccable. We don't know if the chef was blind, but if he was- im speechless.
Service:
You would think, that, with blind waiters, service would be a problem. However, nothing could be further from the truth. The waiters have perfect knowledge of where each table is situated in the room and where the people that have ordered each dish are sat. They do this through a mixture of touch, but also something that my German didn't quite stretch to understand, about varying acoustics in the room. The waiters were kind and courteous and as each waiter is personalised to a group on arrival, did his (I couldn't see if there were female waiters!!!) best to get to know a bit about the group. The waiters speak some English and ours did his best to be engaging although the occasional recourse to German was necessary (if when you book you make it clear that you are English they will attempt to allocate you a German who speaks some English). All in all ours was very pleasant and we made sure to leave a decent tip at the end of the night (being students tipping is indeed a novelty).
Prices:
The prices range between about EU30 (£20.50) and EU50 (£34) per person, depending on choice of menu and amount of courses (3 or 4). Drinks are extra, and are reasonably priced at about EU3 (£2).
Booking:
Due to its immense popularity, the Unsicht Bar requires that you book in advance, either by phone or email. The reservation number is 0221 2005910 (which needs the German country code of +0049 if you do it from England) and is manned 24/7. Don't be put off if you can't speak German- the person who answered the phone spoke excellent English, although he let me muddle through my booking in German before telling me! The opening hours are between 6pm and 12 midnight, but it is recommended that you go between 6 and 8.30 in order to allow 2hrs to adjust to sensory deprivation completely in order to validate the experience.
Location:
The Bar is within easy walking distance of Cologne's extensive transport network. Ebertplatz Underground station is the nearest stop from which to walk (you can get here easily on the Underground from anywhere in the city). Alternatively you could take the tram network from the central station, Koln (Cologne) Hauptbahnhof to Hansaring. This line is found under the S (Strassenbahn- means tram in German). Directions from here can be found by looking at the map on the website (address below) or by typing in the street name into Google Maps (Im Stavenhof 5, Cologne, Germany).
Overalll:
If you get the chance to go, do it. It will be life changing.
