Dark Dining Wait Staff in Hong Kong

I have been Dancing in the Dark with Bruce Springsteen.  I consider myself often in the dark – sometimes as a result of a teenage son who won’t share information, sometimes when it comes to convoluted political processes.  And now, I want to dine in the dark.

Dans le Noir, a successful Paris-based restaurant chain, has capitalized on offering a pitch-black dining experience that is meant to engage all the senses.  The whole thing appeals to me on a visceral and slightly intimidating level.  Like a gastronomic adrenalin rush.

Dans le Noir is truly pitch black.  The wait staff is blind, thus eminently more suited for the experience than your average diner, who tends to spill wine and miss whole food items on his plate.  Dining is communal – which apparently makes for a free-flowing conversation and bonding experience.  Menus are selected ahead of time, and color-coded – red for meat; green for vegetarian; blue for seafood; and white for the supreme je ne sais quoi meal.

What is also interesting, is the fact that whenever this topic has come up in conversation, men immediately and strongly say Non to the dark dining experience.  The women, however, are enthusiastic to experience the sensations.  I am looking forward to dinner at Opaque, in L.A, where I can experience this dining trend first hand.  I’ll be dining with girlfriends, of course.

Click here for a Dark Dining Experience near you.

Dark Dining in Melbourne, Australia

Dining in the Dark - NYC

I am an unabashed fan of ramshackle chic. I love the way the words sound when spoken, with the two “sh” sounds punctuated by the crisp “kle” in between. I love the idea of ramshackle chic, which in my vernacular, refers to an effortless, slightly haphazard balance of comfort and coolness; an eclectic yet approachable style that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Chic on its own, while divine, strikes me as one-dimensional. But when paired with ramshackle, that is, the slightly-rough-around-the-edges, honest wear and tear of real life, warts and all, it becomes a vastly more compelling notion.

It is only recently that I have come to realize that ramshackle chic is much more than simply an eclectic style, it’s a state of mind – my state of mind, quietly sitting behind the scenes, calling all the shots. Thus it is no surprise that the partner I have chosen, friends with whom I surround myself, house I love more than anything, are all a testament to ramshackle chic – honest, stylish, artsy, colorful, interesting, approachable, slightly flawed, and immensely comfortable.

Of course, this extends to my travel choices, where the pursuit of ramshackle chic tends to have a strong correlative impact on the overall experience. In this context, the elusive balance of yin and yang, of style and substance provides me with a familiar sense of comfort outside my comfort zone, and enables me to connect with a destination on a deeper level. Whether intimate boutique hotels, funky eco-lodges or character-laden vacation rentals, I seek out places that feel good, don’t take themselves too seriously and don’t attempt to overshadow a destination with their own self-important sense of brand identity. Looking at a place through blue-colored glasses – even if they’re water glasses à la the Ritz-Carlton, is not the cultural immersion I’m after. For me, the beauty of ramshackle chic when traveling boils down to four key benefits.

Ramshackle Chic – Four Compelling Reasons to Adopt this Traveling Mantra

1. Affordability – Hotels that are ramshackle chic tend to be less expensive, often a testament to their lack of bells and whistles or “well-worn” features – OK – so maybe the full-length mirror in the room is more knee-length and slightly cloudy, it’s a Tibetan antique, so you make the necessary allowances. Who wants to see themselves that closely while on holiday, anyway?

2. Cool & Stylish – A strong aesthetic, seemingly effortless style and eclectic design sense are all key elements that create the chic-factor. They may not scream out at you initially, but that’s the beauty of it. Once you get the feel for the place, you start to see the God-is-in-the-details touches that create character and build an emotional connection.

3. Small & Intimate – Properties tend to feel more like a private home with interesting, like-minded guests hanging around. A plus if you want to tap into a shared traveler’s zeitgeist over a cold drink. Or you can sit on your terrace, light some incense (provided in the room – those details again) and read a book borrowed from the “Lending Library” shelf in the small, comfortable poolside bar. Either way, it’s not a bad scenario.

4. Warm, Efficient Staff – Because of the size and intimacy of many of these properties, a great staff is a key management priority and often, the most memorable aspect of the trip. Balancing warmth, efficiency and respectful distance is a challenge at best. My experience is that these places create a great opportunity to engage with staff, and get a sense of their life – which creates a stronger bond with the property while giving a snapshot into the local culture.

Of course, the challenge is in actually finding these places – sifting through the ever-growing, and frankly mind-numbing set of travel resources to stack up all potential destinations against a list of criteria as long as a your arm. This process can be exhaustive, but the pleasure achieved as a result of this singularity of focus, often accompanied by lack of sleep is often what makes the difference between a trip and a rebirth of the spirit.

April, 2009

Being an avid fan of the show “Ghost Hunters”, and never having ventured to Louisiana before, I thought it would be huge fun to take my 15 year old son, 16 year old French exchange student daughter along with my good friend and excellent traveling partner to New Orleans over Spring Break – do a little volunteering with Habitat for Humanity,  check out the town, and of course, head to St. Francisville and the Myrtles. Well, the Myrtles ended up being a highlight of the trip.

Here’s the skinny…first thing is to manage expectations. The rooms are basic and certainly have some wear & tear, but that’s all part of the charm. This is about the experience, so if you know that going in, you’ll be fine. We stayed in the Caretaker’s Cottage as only 2 people are allowed in the rooms in the main house, and I knew that there was no way one of us would be brave enough to spend a night alone in a room (most especially me). This was actually just perfect. The Cottage is about 100 steps from the main house, and is absolutely adorable, complete with picket fence and garden. Inside was verrry basic – queen bed and bunk bed, but fine for one night. We booked in on a Friday, and arrived about 4 or so. Check in a breeze and reception staff very friendly. Do have dinner in the restaurant on property. Not only was it good, but it allows time for a glass or two of wine to buff out the edges and loosen you up for the Ghost Tour at 8 PM. Our tour was led by Bree, (I think that was her name) who spun an excellent yarn with her knowledge and enthusiasm – very engaging and highly entertaining. Emphasis on entertaining – again, while the stories are certainly plausible, you should never let hard facts get in the way of good storytelling. After the tour, you are off to photograph incessantly, test for EVPs, and thermal image to your heart’s content. You can go all over the grounds (with the exception of the main house, unless you are actually staying in the house). No worries – lots of creepy places to check out, including the little island (watch out for the water snakes). 187 shots later, my son was convinced he not only captured orbs, but that he had uncovered a “portal”, as some die-hard, photographer vest wearing ghost hunter declared to him. Pay dirt! No ghostly activity experienced in our little cottage that evening, hence no need for the instructions to the kids about placement of nitroglycerine under my tongue when the heart attack comes on. We found out at breakfast the next morning though, that some guests had a situation with coins being moved in their room in main house, which apparently, happens quite frequently. Breakfast at the Plantation is particularly charming as you essentially eat in the kitchen with the cooks and staff, who are entertaining and great fun to talk to. The food was fantastic – eggs, biscuits, grits, sausage, juice – very authentic and very good. All in all, we absolutely loved our brief sojourn at the Myrtles – a very relaxing setting (in the day) with beautiful grounds, great food and warm staff.

FCC Angkor Pool Area

We were so so excited to stay at the FCC after countless hours of due diligence researching hotels in SR, but despite previous glowing reviews and high expectations, it was frankly, a disappointment.

Off the bat, slightly odd architecture with reception area off to side of driveway. Lovely reception staff, but English comprehension was an issue, and it appeared to be pervasive. You felt the staff wanted to accommodate, but the lack of training was, unfortunately, obvious. Room service orders were never correct. Calling room service became a giggle as the phone would be passed to various staff who might have a better shot at understanding you. In one instance, I had to go to the bar upstairs to order cocktails as the phone was not working again (no explanation) and no one was manning the pool restaurant. Ordering a vodka tonic and gin and tonic turned out to be like a game of charades – had to say vodka tonic about four times before the bar tender (or whomever it was that stepped up to the bar at that moment) understood, then a cacophony of different sized glasses and ice levels tried, (frequently ice to the top of the tumbler-sized glass), with me miming instruction and trying to show enthusiasm before they got it right. Just too much effort! Then, when I asked the price of the drinks out of curiosity as mixed drink costs were not mentioned on the bar menu, the bartender looked blank and embarrassed, and sheepishly admit he did not know. Unfortunately, variations of this happened the entire five days we were there.

Rooms – definitely small – all rooms open via a glass sliding door, which is part of an entire glass wall, facing onto pool or garden area. Thus, zero privacy so curtains are always kept closed, which creates a slight feeling of darkness and isolation. Garden rooms particularly so and particularly dark. Inside, minimalist chic, which is wonderful to look at, but there is no space to put or hang things, thus the room always feels cluttered with things on surfaces!!! Form over function. Bathroom good but not great – ours situated behind the bedroom with a glazed window that opened onto some sort of heating duct. Kind of creepy. And like the rest of the hotel, felt a bit tattered with paint peeling or marble stained or wicker tray broken. Mini bar allows you to buy normal sized bottles of spirits, with a hefty price tag. I believe a bottle of vodka or gin was $30 versus $7 in the stores.

Pool area another example of form over function. Pretty, but impractical – too small and steps at opposite side of pool from loungers, so essentially you have to walk around the pool if you want to get in or out using them. Loungers thisclosetoeachother. Great for reading your fellow lounger’s novel, but not so great if you don’t want to hear everyone else’s entire conversations. Food in restaurant pretty average and too expensive for what it was. In addition, a couple of boutiques/stores within the property were vacated, giving a feeling of a ghost town, further evidenced by the fact that the hotel was clearly struggling with lack of guests. Location great, however, right on the river, but considering all of the negatives, I just wouldn’t recommend it.

In terms of comparison, we looked at several hotels while there and would strongly recommend Viroth’s – low-key, comfortable chic. For a more up-scale experience, Raffles offered all the bells and whistles of the brand with excellent service, a killer pool area and for roughly the same price as the FCC. Hotel de La Paix, while undeniably well-done with a great aesthetic, just felt too over the top and wholly out of place for the area. La Residence looked nice and terrific location next to the river, as well, though didn’t make it there. I would skip all the hotels along the main routes, such as the Tara Angkor and even Le Meridien, which looked like tour bus meccas. Yuck. Also checked out the Pavilion d’orient – raved about in trip advisor – disliked location – verrrrry far away from things, not great area, and not well done enough to justify the negatives. I guess all boils down to the experience you want. While we would return to Siem Reap, we would definitely not check into the FCC.