Hello, and happy Tuesday, and hello short 4 day week!

Today I’m back and wanted to share another food blog post that I have recently discovered, tried and tested.

This mini food recipe is for something that I personally love to eat (and can eat a lot of) – Focaccia bread!

Now to be honest, this isn’t the healthiest of recipes, but seriously does it hurt to have a little of what you fancy occasionally?

This recipe is probably super easy to most people but I’m no Mary Berry so I found this slightly more difficult than most of the recipes I try, but at least I tried and the turn out was amazing (if I do say so myself)

Oh and the smell of fresh bread filing the house – is there anything better?

Of course this is NOT my recipe, I found this on a website called Bon Appetite (credit where credit is due)

This Recipe for 10/12 servings

Ingredients

1 envelope active dry yeast – (I used a Sainsbury’s brand)

2tsp. honey

5cups (625 g) all-purpose flour

5tsp Sea salt

6Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

4Tbsp. unsalted butter

Flaky sea salt

Step 1 – Whisk one ¼-oz. envelope active dry yeast(about 2¼ tsp.), 2 tsp. honey, and 2½ cups lukewarm water in a medium bowl and let sit 5 minutes (it should foam or at least get creamy)

Step 2 – Add 5 cups (625 g) all-purpose flour and 1 tbsp sea salt & mix with a spatula until a shaggy dough forms.

Step 3 – Pour 4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil into a big bowl that will fit in your refrigerator (I actually put mine next to a warm radiator which worked) as the dough is going to rise! Transfer dough to bowl and turn to coat in oil. Cover with a silicone lid or plastic wrap (I used cling film) and chill until dough is doubled in size (it should look very bubbly and alive), at least 8 hours and up to 1 day.

Step 4 – Generously butter a baking pan, Pour 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil into center of pan. Keeping the dough in the bowl and using a fork in each hand, gather up edges of dough farthest from you and lift up and over into center of bowl. Give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat process. Do this 2 more times; Transfer dough to prepared pan. Pour any oil left in bowl over and turn dough to coat it in oil. Let it rise, uncovered, in a dry, warm spot (like near a radiator or airing cupboard) until doubled in size, at least 1½ hours and up to 4 hours. I used my airing cupboard.

Step 5 – Place on a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 230 degrees. To see if the dough is ready, poke it with your finger. It should spring back slowly, leaving a small visible indentation. If it springs back quickly, the dough isn’t ready. Lightly oil your hands. Dimple focaccia all over with your fingers, like you’re aggressively playing the piano, creating very deep impressions in the dough. Drizzle with remaining 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake focaccia until puffed and golden brown all over, 20–30 minutes.

Step 6 – Remove from oven, let it cool, eat and ENJOY!

I have made this recipe 3 times now, first time went really well and I was super proud of my myself, second time I left it to sit for too long and it ended up being too crunchy, and the third time went like a dream.

Oh and my top tip – you should DEFINITELY accompany this with home made pesto – check out the recipe I tried out here. Once you try both of these I guarantee you won’t be going back to shop bought anytime soon.

@thelifestylelisa

https://lifestylelisa.com/

The post Easy Focaccia appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.

Back in the kitchen on a rainy, miserable and chilly Sunday afternoon I thought I would try making my very own burrito bowl! Knowing that I already had a few burrito bowl recipes saved on my Pinterest board, I decided to give one of them a try! Because I’m working with the ingredients that I’ve got at home, I adapted a little and took a few ideas from different burrito bowl recipes.

Here’s what I put into my Healthy Sweet Potato Burrito Bowl

Roasted Sweet potato cut into chunks seasoned with, garlic powder, paprika & cayenne pepper, sweetcorn, shredded lettuce, red onion, cilantro lime rice, pico de gallo, chopped olives, black beans (which I couldn’t get hold of so substituted for the 3 bean salad from Tesco supermarket), cheese and a spicy dressing to finish.

1) How to make pico de gallo – Okay this is a favourite of mine, and they serve it with pretty much everything in America which is fine by me because it’s so delicious. Because we don’t have it here in the UK, I thought I would try making it myself! It’s really easy, and the end result was mouth watering tasty. – Start by chopping half an onion into small chunks the smaller the chunks the better, next chop jalapeños (I used jalapeños from a jar) into small pieces, add the onion and jalapeños to a medium sized mixing bowl. Next add lime juice and salt to the bowl and let everything marinade for a good 5/10 minutes. While that’s doing it’s thing chop around 10 small tomato’s (or 6 if they’re large) along with some fresh finely chopped cilantro (which here in the U.K is better known as coriander!) add the tomato’s and cilantro to the marinade and mix all together, leave for a further 15 minutes to let the juices really soak in before serving and enjoying!!

2) How to make Cilantro lime rice – This was a complete “wing it” recipe but it actually worked! Firstly obviously cook a batch of rice, once its all cooked and drained I let it cool for around 15 minutes before putting it in a frying pan (don’t add any oil) I then made up a quick marinade of lime juice, garlic and chopped cilantro (coriander) I didn’t measure anything as I was “winging it” so my advice is taste as you go along and decided how you like it. Once my marinade was done to perfection I added it to the frying pan with my rice and fried on a medium heat, the aim is to make sure that all the juice is absorbed by the rice. Once the liquid has gone the rice is done!

3) Homemade dressing – I actually did pretty much follow a Pinterest recipe for this, but tweaked it in places. You will need 64g of Tahini, 55g of water, 1-2tsp of hot sauce (I used Tabasco) 2tsp of garlic powder, juice from 1/2 lime or lemon (I used lemon) salt to taste. I put all the ingredients in a bowl and mixed until I had a consistency that wasn’t like hummus, but more runny like a dressing should be. I tasted it as I went along and added more garlic and I added a bit more water when it started to get too thick. I also added a bit of paprika and cayenne pepper to add some colour, and a bit more flavour as I find Tahini can be quite bitter so I like to disguise the taste.

Making the burrito bowl is the fun part! It doesn’t matter how it looks, as long as all your ingredients are in there! The end result is an explosion of different tastes that complement each other so well!

I’m going to experiment with different options, I have some Quorn chunks, some Oumph! A few bits from the vivera range including meatless chicken, and for Luke who likes his meat I have turkey, so lots to play around with and see what I can come up with!!

It’s funny that I used to HATE being in the kitchen, but I’ve almost found a new love for it, I’ll take that as a positive from lockdown!

The post Healthy Burrito Bowls appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.

Let’s talk about FOOD!!!!

Hi I’m Lisa, and I am a girl on a mission to find the BEST lobster roll!

Okay most of you know me by now, but if you are new to lifestylelisa then you won’t know that I love lobster, more specifically I love lobster rolls, and I have kinda made it my mini mission to find the best lobster roll (in my opinion).

I have always loved seafood and being a pescatarian of course I eat fish but not meat.

My love for lobster comes from about 4 years ago when Luke first took me to burger and lobster in London’s soho. That is where I had my first (of many) lobster rolls! Now FYI I do love a whole lobster but it’s so messy, and time consuming, and takes forever to eat which is why I always opt for the roll!

So far I have eaten lobster roll at Burger and lobster (London), Nervous Nelly’s (Fort Myers Florida) The boathouse (Disney springs Florida) Columbia harbour house (Magic kingdom Florida) Epcot American pavilion (Disney world Florida) and bringing it back to the UK Madison restaurant in London.

Just before Christmas Luke and I paid a little visit to the Big easy in London, we had been to winter wonderland that afternoon and booked a table for early evening. This is one restaurant I had never been too but knew for sure it had lobster roll on the menu…. cue a very very excited Lisa!!

There are 3 Big easy restaurants in London, situated in Chelsea, Canary Wharf and the one Luke and I visited which was in Covent Garden.

We arrived a little earlier than our reservation time, so decided to have a drink at the bar whilst we waited. It was a very busy and very crowded restaurant with nowhere really to stand without being in the way. I also noticed that a lot of the tables were very close together, so it looked very cramped, almost like you were sitting on top on the the table next to you.

Finally Luke and I were seated on a small table, towards the back of the restaurant and were ready to order. Of course I had checked out the menu before hand online so I knew exactly what I was ordering – The lobster roll!

There were 3 rolls to choose from on the menu, lobster and shrimp roll, lobster and California roll or my Personal preference the original lobster roll – chunks of fresh Nova Scotia lobster served in a brioche bun with special mayo served with salad and chips, and a choice of either a glass of Prosecco, big easy brew or a slushy cocktail all for £22, really not a bad price at all!

Okay so here’s my take on the big easy lobster roll – I found the brioche roll a little on the stale side, and the lobster was a lot more fishy than in other restaurant’s, this is an important factor as Luke is not too keen on anything too fishy so he wouldn’t have enjoyed it (he tasted mine and agreed).

The roll itself was packed with lots of Juicy tender meat and I have to say I thought it was very tasty. Although there was no garlic butter!!!! The chips were nice thick chunky chips and the salad was also good, and standard. So apart from the stale roll which wasn’t to my liking the lobster was good, but not the best I have ever had.

Yes I would return to The big easy, but for a lobster roll it wouldn’t necessarily be my first choice.

I’ll give it a standard 7/10

PLEASE let me know where you think is the best place to pick up a lobster roll, I am UK based, but still it’s good to know!

Thanks for reading lifestylelisa

L xxx

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Once the exploring was done, I was starving….. thank goodness our table was ready!!

We’re at ‘Ohana!!  And ‘Ohana means FAMILY.

Ohana Restaurant

From the moment you enter ‘Ohana, you’re informed (or reminded, for returning guests) of the meaning of the restaurant’s name……Family).

This is a  family-friendly restaurant and is perched atop the Great Ceremonial House. Ohana echoes the Polynesian’s rich design, from fabrics to artwork to wood details. Tiki idols set the mood as soon as you enter the restaurant.

Let me start by saying, this up there on my top picks for dinning at WDW, I love everything about this restaurant, and the service we got was brilliant.

Once we were seated our server very quickly bought us over some pineapple bread (oh my god, I could eat this everyday!) and there special mixed green salad.Now there is no separate ordering here, you literally get everything on the menu!! There is SO much food! Thank god Luke and I didn’t have a big lunch!!!

Because the 2 apertizers were meat dishes (pork and chicken) I got hummus and pita breads, which is one of my most favourite starters! The menu here is different to other restaurants and there are not separate food choices, it is an idea to phone in advance if you have any special dietary requirements, and maybe even if you like me are a vegetarian.For the entrees your server will bring round a selection of skewers which will have chicken, steak and shrimp on, they will bring these round quite a few times during your meal so you can have as much as you like! To accompany this your server will also bring you over noodles and stir fried vegetables.

Now while you are sitting there stuffing your face full of DELICIOUS food, there is also entertainment! We had a great Hawaiian singer and dancer who kept us fully entertained during our dinner, he had everyone up doing the hula at one point, and we all got a pretty little flower garland after. The whole evening was fun and relaxed, and it was certainly something different!

For dessert it was all about the‘Ohana Bread Pudding à la mode topped with Caramel Sauce and Bananas!!! Quite possibly my MOST FAVOURITE dessert ever!! And even though I was stuffed, I still found a place for this bad boy!!

Ohana is a must do if you can get a reservation , the food, atmosphere and service I just cannot fault! Luke and I will definitely be booking this one again!!

The post Dinner at Ohana appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.

With that said it is still a day that Luke and I celebrate, not that we need a day to tell each other how much we love each other as we do that everyday, nor do we need a designated day to buy each other a little gift, because again, we do that when we like.

I guess it’s just something that we like celebrating, it’s in the yearly calendar and falls on the same day every year so why not indulge and celebrate it?

Okay Luke and I are slightly more extravagant than a card and some flowers and we have had to put a spending cap on it this year, because otherwise we both get carried away! But in absolute all honestly it’s not and never has or ever will be about the monetary value, and I know whether I bought Luke a Mulberry passport cover or a packet of peanut M&M’s he would love it no matter what, and vice versa of course.

What with Valentines day falling on a very unromantic Wednesday, we decided that we would wait until the weekend to go out and celebrate. Actually Luke had already planned a romantic meal for the Friday night, he wouldn’t tell me anything about other than the dress code so I at least knew what to wear!!

In fact Luke kept it a surprise until we had pulled up outside the restaurant! he really is so good at giving absolutely nothing away!! Where as I am almost bursting at the seams if I have a surprise for him.

The Restaurant that Luke had picked for our Valentines meal was Le Talbooth in Dedham near Colchester. Luke had been here before a few years before he met me, but I had never been.

Le Talbooth is located in the countryside, off the beaten track and quite easy to miss! Its a beautiful tudor building set in stunning grounds (although it was dark and I couldn’t quite see everything). Our table was booked for 20.45 but we arrived 15 minutes early, luckily our table was ready and we were seated straight away. Looking around I could see the restaurant was lively and busy. We were lead to a table for two which was unfortunately located right near the main walkway, and very close to the table next to us, so close in fact we knew they were having a domestic, it was a bit awkward and Luke and I spent the first 5 minutes just looking at each other!!

The service we received here was very prompt, we got given the menus and  the wine list first, although for me it was all about the bloody Mary’s!! Once we ordered we were bought over some crusty bread and butter, and Luke had a Vodka diet coke and I had……… a bloody Mary, and a very good one at that! 

The food was bought out in a timely but not too rushed pace, there was time in between the courses to let your food go down before the next course.

Up first were the Starters, Luke and I both opted for the Winter Truffle and Manchego cheese ravioli  with Mushroom purée, tahoon cress and trompette de la mort. This is a vegetarian starter and it was delicious, very rich and so tasty.

For our mains Luke went for the Fillet of dry aged Dedham vale beef rossini with Rosti potato, spinach and Madeira jus (from the A la Carte menu), whilst I had (from the vegetarian menu) Caramelised onion tatin with a Friacassé of broad beans, peas, baby gem and goat’s cheese.

Desserts was a tough choice but in the end Luke settled for the Belgium triple chocolate brownie with Macadamia nuts, salted caramel, tonka bean and maple ice-cream (a very popular choice from what I could see). While I settled for the Pecan and Chocolate pie with Mango, praline and lemon curd. Now I have to say mine was very delicious but pretty sickly and I couldn’t eat all of it as I was SO full!! I did have a taste of Luke’s and his was slightly nicer than mine, the brownie had more too it than the pie did. But both were very very nice!!

The atmosphere in Le Talbooth was very relaxed, it wasn’t too noisy that Luke and I couldn’t engage in a conversation or hear each other, we didn’t at any point feel rushed, even when we were only one of two tables in there at the end of the night. The restaurant was clean and well presented as were the toilets. And the staff I found to be friendly and efficient.

If I had to fault Le Talbooth, I would say

1) The vegetarian menu could do with some more dishes, and 2 of the 3 dishes contain egg, a confit egg and a quail egg, something I am not too keen on , and I am unsure whether or not there is a vegan menu as I didn’t ask.

2) The tables where we were sat really were too close together, a little more space would have been nice, especially with a little domestic going on next to us.

All in all I had a lovely here with a very lovely man, I would love to go back and here again and would most defiantly recommend it too anyone looking for a nice romantic dinner.

I can’t comment on the prices as I didn’t pay, although the prices are on the menu’s which I have linked in.

Thanks for stopping by

L xx

The post Valentines Date, Le Talbooth review appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.

Okay so here is where we’re at! I have noticed such a serious decline in my motivation and progression, and for the past 2 weeks I have felt extremely disappointed in myself. This week was my 22nd week, I have now officially been running for 22 long hard whole weeks. I’d love to say that it’s fun, that it’s easy, that I am doing so well, but I can’t. It’s a constant struggle, I don’t have the stamina and I am nowhere near where I should be at week 22. I have decided that running isn’t for me, it will always be a struggle and after my Tough Mudder in August I will be more than happy to hang up my running shoes FOR GOOD! Call it early retirement! Until then however I have to struggle through, because we are now in DOUBLE FIGURES in the countdown to the tough mudder! And the closer we get the more nervous I become!

So at the beginning of the week I decided that I was going up my game, disappointed with last weeks work outs, I mentally put together a plan that would see me out running at least 4 times this week. Obviously that never materialised, because as good as it sounded in my head, the reality was nowhere near as appealing! 

I managed to avoid any contact with running until Wednesday, Luke was going to be late, and had somehow managed to convince me to go out for a run, I was extremely reluctant of course, but I knew he was right and that I should get out there!! It was so humid out, my legs seriously did not want to work, but I struggled through and managed a pitiful 10 minutes! I’m not even proud of that! I don’t have the motivation to push myself further and further, and just constantly feel like given up!!!

And with that said that was actually my only work out this week! To be fair I was thinking of heading out Friday night but with his happened….???

??I’m not even exaggerating (for a change) it poured down, and we had thunder and lightning too. And I know for a fact the last place I should be is in the middle of a field when lightning strikes!! I mean health and safety before running right!!! I’m pretty sure if Luke had his way we would have been out there, but luckily I over ruled on this occasion!

So as much as I was relieved not to go out running on a miserable rainy Friday night, I couldn’t help feeling that little twinge of disappointment, I’m the only one who will suffer at the end of the day!

Okay well no point in dwelling on the past… it is after all the WEEKEND! And we all know how much I LOVE THE WEEKENDS!!  And this weekend was full of impromptu little things!!

Starting with a little visit to the Blue egg in Bardfield for lunch on Saturday. I love this place, particularly at Christmas as it has the cutest little shop which does the nicest gifts. However I am not so keen on the food (sorry) but twice now I have been there and would give it a mear 5/10 plus the tables never look cleaned. But definitely worth a visit for the shop.

Luke and I then headed for dinner to TGI’s with our friends for some gossip and cocktails! Okay I’m on a diet and really cannot afford the extra calories so I stuck to my bloody Mary’s (hoping that it’s at least slightly better than cocktails) We were actually home by 10pm as I don’t really seem to be able to party like I used too!!!!

Unfortunately Luke and I got home just after 10 and watched the awful events unfolding in London on tv. Truly very very sad, just as the awful attack in Manchester 2 weeks ago. I really am not keen on talking about these awful events on my blog as I feel that there is so much tragedy going on all over the world a the moment, I want to keep my blog posts as happy and upbeat as I can. But I will finish by saying my heart truly does go out to all affected

Our impromptu weekend continued into Sunday when we went STRAWBERRY picking! Luke and I have never been strawberry picking in our almost 4 years together!! So off we went too cammas hall farm near Bishops Stortford in the Essex countryside. Here you can pick your own (PYO) strawberry’s or Gooseberries! Now I’m not a lover of gooseberries but I love strawberries! So we took a basket and off we went!!!…. I have to say that Luke is far more thorough than I am, and he checks the fruit and makes sure they’re all looking good before they go into the basket …. I on the other hand just wanted to pick ALL the strawberries!!!!

So with a basket of fresh strawberries picked, it was time for a quick lunch at Nando’s (veggie option for me) and then cinema to watch Baywatch!!! (Very funny and highly recommended).

So with that busy day over with, it left a few hours in the evening to chill out before the working week started all over again.

Who knows what week 23 will bring, I’m hoping not to be so lazy and deflated, but that’s easier said that’s done!…. WATCH THIS SPACE!!

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The post A week of DEFLATION! (My Tough Mudder Journey) appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.

It’s been another lazy(ish) week for, but better than last week that’s for sure!!

Monday, Tuesday AND THURSDAY! (No class for me this week) I’m just going to write off, let’s just say I was in wind down mode for the bank holiday (that’s my excuse and I shall be sticking to it!)

So it got to Wednesday and I hadn’t done anything, and honestly I wasn’t planning on doing anything either! But Luke managed to persuade me, he gave me the “your only making it harder on yourself, by not running” talk. To be fair I knew he was right, and since I’d stopped running three times a week I had noticed a significant change in my ability to run. So I got changed and off I went….. on my own!! Now I hate running on my own, I find it hard to motivate myself and get going, and even though Luke goes off without me, I just like knowing he’s there not too far away! So tonight as well as being ridiculously hot, I was also running solo!! At first I thought to myself that I would try to run a full mile, then about 3 minutes into it, I decided that a small loop (roughly about 10 minutes) was all I could manage!! And it’s like I always tell myself……

So with that in mind I didn’t feel too bad!! I made it home just before Luke did, which gave me a few minutes to compose myself! I looked like one sweaty mess!!!! So attractive!!!

Moving swiftly on to Friday!!! (The bank holiday weekend is nearly here) and of course Friday only means one thing…. it’s run night!!! Another ridiculously hot day and I wasn’t really in the mood for a run (like when am I in the mood for a run?!) I had made my mind up earlier on during the day that I would not be doing a 2 mile run, and instead settled for a mile. Luke tried to persuade me to go the extra mile, but tonight I wasn’t budging, and sticking firmly to my guns!! So the first thing I noticed when we started our run was how many of those little flies were about, I had 2 stick to my lip gloss in the first 3 minutes! I then must have swallowed one because I then choked on something, which then made my eyes start watering, which then meant that A) my vision was impaired and B) my left eyelash stared coming unstuck!!!!! So now my mind wasn’t even on the run, it was on the fact that I didn’t want to lose my eyelash!!!! Can I also just say that this all happened within the first 5 minutes of my run (off to a great start!)

Luke obviously noted my struggle and had chosen another route for us to do, which would miss out the steep incline (which I have named Everest) and take us up a slightly less steep incline, which to be fair I tackled a lot better! Not to say that I was struggling because I was, but not as much as I did the week before when I almost gave up! I’m finding running in the heat extremely difficult, and we’re only in May! So I know for a fact it’s going to get worse as we head into summer which I am dreading!!!!!

Anyways I was SO happy to finally be on the home stretch of my Friday night run, I’m proud for getting out there and doing it, but I know I need to up my game! The best thing about finishing a run is running down the drive to my house and seeing Luke standing there perfectly composed like he’s just been for a stroll in the park…. But what’s even better is the big cuddle I get at the end of my runs! They are so worth the pain and torture.

So now that’s out of the way it was time to enjoy THE……

And we sure did have a great one, okay so the rain on Saturday did throw our plans out a little bit, but it all worked out in the end.

Included in this bank holiday was hanging out with the little gorgeous Amelia and Luke’s lovely sister Charlotte with a picnic in the park.

I had my brows and nails done at Shine hair and nails

How gorgeous do my nails look!!!!

Luke and I went to watch Alien covenant (I don’t recommend that at all, as it was pretty boring) before heading to chimichanga for some dinner. On the Sunday we also went to watch the new pirates of the Caribbean movie (which I do highly recommend, it was really good) and had dinner at pizza Express with Luke’s Mum and Dad.

Monday was for getting my car cleaned (it was filthy) and heading on over to the discovery centre for a bit of stroll. Before heading home for some lunch and spending a bit of time with the equally gorgeous Grace and Luke’s lovely sister Mel!!!

Oh and in between all that Luke and I have had some great long lay ins, and slept right through the thunder-storm that everyone’s been chatting about on Facebook today. 

I love weekends (all weekends) but especially long weekends, spending my time with Luke and both of our families is extremely important to us both.

Now it’s Monday night and I’m spending the last few hours with Luke, before we head back to work tomorrow and I miss him.

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The post Long Weekends are certainly NOT for exercising (My Tough Mudder Journey) appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.

On April 8th I took my handsome boyfriend to dans le noir  for a birthday lunch. It was a complete surprise to him and I am pleased to say I actually managed to keep it a secret since January when I booked!! I booked well in advance from their very user friendly website, and no deposit was required when booking.

From the outside Dans Le Noir (situated in Clerkenwell – London) looked closed and I had a brief moment of dread wash over me thinking that maybe I had somehow got the wrong date!…. to my relief I saw a couple walk in and the feeling of dread subsided. 

Luke who had been standing next to me the whole time, STILL had no idea where we were or what we were doing…. time to break the news I think…… CAN I JUST SAY THAT LUKE WAS REALLY SURPRISED when I told him, he had heard about the restaurant but didn’t really know much more than…. you eat in the dark…… I so get girlfriend points for this!!!

Upon entering the restaurant we were greeted by a friendly host who took our names and asked us if we had ever been there before. She then sat us down in the bar area and left to get us some menus.

When the host returned she handed us the menus and asked if we knew anything about Dans Le Noir. I knew a little as I had researched before booking, but Luke said he didn’t really know much about it.

The host explained- Dans Le Noir is a unique dining experience where guests eat in the dark, and are served by visually impaired waiters.

We were then told to choose one of 4 options off of the menu which were Red (Meat), Green (Vegetarian), Blue (Fish) or Yellow (Exotic). Luke went for red whilst I went for green, at no point was we told what food we would be eating, as of course that was all part of the experience!!

We ordered our drinks, which were brought to our table once we were seated inside the main restaurant. We were asked to then place all of our belongings, including mobile phones into one of the lockers provided. Our hostess lead us down a corridor, to wait for our server Jack to come and get us. 

Before Jack took us in, he gave us a health and safety briefing which included not getting up and going to the toilet or walking around. Instead if we needed anything we were to call out for JACK!!

So we were now briefed, had our food and drink all chosen, so it was now time to go in…. Jack instructed Luke to put his left hand Jacks shoulder and for me to put my hand on Luke’s shoulder, we were then lead through three sets of curtains, with the light getting progressively darker as we passed through until we were met with total pitch black darkness!!!

Okay I’m not going to lie I knew it was going to be dark, dimly lit maybe, but pitch black!! I wasn’t  expecting that!!

 So we are now inside the restaurant, which sounds like any other normal restaurant, I can hear talking, and laughing, and general chit chat, the only difference was I couldn’t see a thing! 

It was really unnerving, not knowing where I was or the lay out! Jack sat Luke down first then lead me round the other side of the table. It was at this point that I did panic a little as I wasn’t sure where I was being sat and wondered if I was anywhere near Luke!! To my relief when I was safely seated I realised that I was in fact opposite Luke (panic over!!) okay so now we’re sat down (Jack who had been fantastic and talked us through the whole process, had left to fetch our water) time to feel around and try to get a grip on our surroundings!

It was such a strange feeling to sit there in the pitch black where you couldn’t even see your hand in front of your face! Luke and I started to have a feel around and work out exactly what was what. 

Jack returned with our water, and left it down to me to pour, which was completely fun, to feel my way round the table to find the glasses, and then to fill the glass without spilling it, and hand it back to Luke!! It was a total giggle, and to be fair I wasn’t too bad at it!!

Our starters arrived pretty quickly, and we wasted no time in TRYING to eat them without getting most of it down ourselves (Tip-we wore our napkins like a bib….just in case!!) At first it was tricky, and I almost gave up with the knife and fork and opted for my fingers!!! however after a few tricky moments I seemed too have it more under control and felt a little more confident. I was surprised also at how quickly our conversation turned away from the experience and we chatted more about everyday things, just like this was the total norm!! 

By the time our mains and deserts arrived, I felt like a pro, I wasn’t even phased at not being able to see my hand in front of my face, let alone my food!! Luke and I spoke about everything from normal everyday things, to holidays, to the fact that we didn’t realise just how dark it would be in here!!! Every now and then if the conversation went quiet I’d ask Luke if he was still there!! (Well you never know, it would have been a great opportunity for him to ditch me!!) but he did make sure to keep one hand on my knee, just as reassurance!!! We had a great time listening to other people’s conversations too, especially the couple sat on my left, they were on a DATE!!! An actual date that wasn’t going too well by the sound of it #awkward!!! You could tell she really wasn’t interested and he was VERY keen!!!

The food I have to say was delicious, I can’t speak of presentation because obviously I couldn’t see a thing! But both of our starters and mains were thoroughly enjoyable, I wasn’t so keen on my dessert, although Luke seemed to enjoy it.

All 3 courses were brought out fairly quickly, and I have to say that Jack our waiter was absolutely amazing!! He talked us through everything, from seating us, to where he was placing the food, he checked in on us regularly and made sure we were okay and enjoying our experience.

One thing Luke and I keep speaking about still, is just HOW DARK IT WAS in the actual restaurant!!! I can’t even begin to explain it!! I never ever thought it would be as dark as it was!!!

I would say the experience was around 2 hours from start to finish, when we were lead out of the restaurant it took a few minutes for our eyes to fully adjust to the light!! After returning to the main waiting area, the host bought over the actual menus where we could for the first time see what we had eaten.

I don’t want to share that with you as it’s all part of the amazing experience. And obviously I have no pictures to add in anywhere either!!!

The price for 3 courses each, plus 1 Diet Coke, 1 soda and lime and a cocktail was £125.00, I think it was well worth it and I would quite happily return. It was an experience like no other, I felt like I took more time when eating my food, and it seemed to taste better than when I just absentmindedly eat it. It’s also the strangest feeling to be submerged in darkness, and just how vulnerable you feel, sight is something I take for granted, and being at Dans Le Noir makes you revaluate that.

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