Colourful fairy lights and tinted bottles hang from the wall of Dare to Eat. Though one may think it’s a regular café at first sight, it offers its customers something more than just regular food options. Fun activities and dining in the dark are among its USP.
Raghavendra Karthik, one of the investors in the café, briefs us what we will experience in the next hour. “Put your mobile in silent mode and remove your watch if it glows in the dark.” We follow his instructions and he hand each of us a cane. “You can use these and there are people to guide you inside. When you are ready, please enter this door.” We look at each other unsure of what lies ahead and I hear someone say, “I am gathering all my courage. I am scared of the dark.”
We step into a pitch-dark room. One by one, we follow the guide. (Another partner, RJ Prasanna, tells me that our guide is visually challenged.) I walk on a wooden bridge that shakes with each step and find myself locked into a room. “Don’t worry. You will have to find a way to get outside.” I search frantically. There are no windows to smash or no fans to remove, like in the movies. Then I step on something. Keys! I grab them and get myself out. My friends are still inside their rooms, searching for a way to escape. Many other fun games, where I crawled, listened and felt through my other senses, showed me how much we rely on sight.
Finger food and more
After one hour of such activities, we are led to the dining area. We are asked to whether we want the vegetarian or non-vegetarian menu and then left sitting in the dark. We find our seats and talk about our experience, as we wait for the food which arrives in a tiffin carrier. I open and smell each box to figure out what I am eating. The first feels soft and seems to be shaped like a triangle. A sandwich! I bite into its crispy fullness and taste fresh mint chutney and vegetables. Another box has crispy fries, vegetable nuggets and Bombay bhel.
It’s the original jigarthanda, say the partners
The last box of sweet and cool jigarthanda helps wash the food down. Those who had opted for non-vegetarian got chicken sandwiches and chicken nuggets. And then it is time to find the lights.
The café was started by 10 friends from engineering and business backgrounds. “Dark dining is not a new concept,” says Karthik. “We have it around the world. I had a chance to dine in the dark a few years ago in Bengaluru and I loved the experience so much that I wanted to bring it to Coimbatore.” They claim that their speciality is Jigarthanda. “It is authentic. We source it from Maurai.” The menu is customised for each group. “What we serve for one will not be served for the other. It is to keep the suspense intact.” They recommend their customers to come in groups of five to six people for maximum fun.
Facts you can use
Dare to Eat, 1626, Avinashi Road, Hopes College Junction Peelamedu
Open from 11.00 am to 11.00 pm
If you’re going only for the food, prepare to spend around ₹200. If you include the activities, then it’s about ₹350
Call 9789731012 for details
