First Bite: Bench Cafe

Bench Cafe?! Who would have thought that the retail giant Bench would open its own restaurant? The well-loved local brand that has an impressive global presence has finally got inside the food scene with its first ever restaurant in its flagship store in Bonifacio Global City. 

Hello, Bench Cafe.

Located at the busy Bonifacio High Street, it would be very easy to spot the Bench flagship store. Just look for a building with red lighted signage. 

My Dinner in the Dark Experience

When I was a kid, I loved building blanket tents and pretend that I’m camping with my stuffed toys and flashlight. I even remember the time when my dad bought me a Beauty and the Beast camping set (with tent and sleeping bag) and I would sleep there from time to time. It sure was fun playing in the dark and pretend that I’m in a jungle with only my flashlight as my source of light. But I never realized how scary it is to be in a pitch dark room and experience having your sense of sight taken from you.

It all started when my favorite Dragon lady, T, tagged me in a post about this Dinner in the Dark. I was still pretty high with the Murder Mystery Dinner post I saw a few nights before that made me do a bit of mental accounting to determine if spending PHP1,800 was worth it or not. (Then I saw another one for PHP3,500! But this one was hosted by EDSA Shangri-La Hotel.)

The Dinner in the Dark was actually pricier compared to the Murder Mystery Dinner as it costs PHP2,000. However, T convinced me that the Dinner in the Dark has more value for money as a portion of the money will be given to a partner NGO. And since I didn’t give back during my birthday last February, I thought that this might be a good start. Plus I get to experience something unique.

So, hello darkness!

Before the dinner, we were briefed by the organizer on what to expect. We were also told that it started in Europe and that all the servers inside are all visually impaired.  And in order for us not to be tempted to Instagram total darkness, we had to leave all our stuff in the waiting area along with our bags and other shiny accessories.

We entered the dark room in two batches. We all had to hold the shoulder of the person in front and form some sort of caterpillar. We were also told to touch the walls so that we won’t get hit on our way to our table. I had to admit, I was so scared! The last thing I wanted to happen was trip, fall and be stepped on by the person behind me.

After a few steps from the door, we were told to touch the chair in front of us. Of course, there was a slight confusion on who owns which chair as some of us grabbed the same one.