Most folk can only come close to imagining what it must be like to be physically disabled. While one can sympathize, the actual impediment to leading a normal life is simply unfathomable to the able-bodied.

With the chance to experience a handicap, however, people can gain a better understanding of the lives of the impaired. While it may be inconvenient to replicate certain defects, sensory depravation is comparatively easy to undergo.

A popular restaurant theme worldwide is to serve meals in a pitch-black environment. This gives diners a taste of having to go without sight for the duration of the meal and to rely on other senses.

"People with disabilities often compensate with their other faculties," said Kent Lua, part-owner of the Maoming Road Black Cafe. "The crippled often have stronger arms and the blind often have better hearing."

"What we want is for people to experience not being able to see for once in their lives. This way they will really have to use their taste and smell to enjoy the food."

The Singaporean and his two partners are looking to reproduce the triumphs of successful blind-concept restaurants in Zurich, Berlin, Paris, London, New York and Beijing, among others.

Black Cafe is essentially two concepts in one. Downstairs is a chic, black space called the Visual Room with floor-to-ceiling windows and glossy surfaces. This looks set to capture the city's cool crowd, with fancy cups and slick seating for 22. Patrons can enjoy a hot drink or a simple dessert in a cool environment that stands out from most other downtown cafes.

The thrust of the cafe's concept is upstairs in the Dark Room. This is the main event, the diner's raison d'etre. Here, up to 34 diners are immersed into an aphotic room and are guided to their seats by blind waitstaff. Already used to a life of darkness, the waiters glide across the room effortlessly and serve guests with one of three three-course meals, ranging from 168 yuan (US$21.70) for a chicken dish to 238 yuan for a fillet of cod.

"The hardest part was training the staff," said 39-year-old Lua. "We had to guide their hands to show them the exact placement of each utensil and crockery on the table."

Despite this inherent difficulty, the Black Cafe owners prefer to hire the visually impaired. "If we had waiters with night-vision goggles, then customers may feel a little uncomfortable floundering in the dark," the former San Francisco resident said. "We want people to really get into their food, to use their fingers even."

A concept like this sounds gimmicky on paper but can be a worthwhile endeavor with the right approach. The restaurant skimps neither on presentation nor quality, with imported ingredients plated in the same manner as they would be anywhere else.

Early signs are positive, too. Food lovers on the Net have already weighed in with accolades for both the dishes and the service, while fans of manufactured dessert will have little to complain about with the Bindi offerings.

The trio behind Black Cafe are focused on the unique (at least locally) experience they offer - this means no cheesy novelties tacked on like ghost stories.

Hopefully for many, this will be as close as it gets to actually being blind. At the very least, it should bring people closer to empathy for those less fortunate.

Black Cafe
Address: 65 Maoming Road N.
Tel: 021-52286575