Dining in the dark

IN 1979, a blind clergyman created the Blind Cow, a restaurant in Zurich, Switzerland where diners were required to spend the entire time eating and drinking in the dark whilst serving staff were blind.

top ten of most played records on radio.

In 1980 de Burgh was the only international artist personally invited by then Chancellor Kohl to perform at the historic public celebrations marking the re­unification of East and West Germany.

De Burgh has had a busy few years, releasing no fewer than 26 studio albums and his latest will review and retell the legend that is Robin Hood.

Initially invited to produce a few melodies for a German musical to be produced next year about Sherwood Forest’s most heroic outlaw, he decided to go a step further and release a whole new album based on the hero and his merry men.

There will be a one off Spanish appearance at the Marbella Arena for de Burgh and his band on September 30 with tickets costing between €45 and €113 from https://marbellaarena.com/.

Thus, the concept of Dining in the Dark encouraged the sighted to see how their senses might change as they spend the entire time from entrance to exit without any light and guests are not allowed to bring phones or even luminous watches into the dining area.

Although the idea appealed to many, particularly in the USA, it is still something of a rarity in much of Europe but those who live near Malaga City can have the chance to try this novel way of eating on September 20, with two sittings at 8pm and 10pm.

According to the organisers Dining in the Dark immerses you in the mysterious and exhilarating experience of eating in the dark. Studies show that

80 per cent of people eat with their eyes and by eliminating this sense, the senses of taste and smell take over to elevate food to a whole new level.

There are three tasting menus at the Bendito Restaurant situated in the Hotel Malaga Premium, each costing €45 per person and the choices are; Green Menu which brings a taste of the garden to the plate, Blue Menu with a selection of fresh fish for those who don’t eat meat and Red Menu for the carnivores which will be guaranteed to satisfy the most de­ manding of palates.

Included in the price is a mask and guests are requested not to peek but to enter fully into the spirit of the evening.

This promises to be an intimate gastronomic evening where guests will be able to hear snippets of tantalising conversation from other tables whilst discovering the taste of their meal and working out what each mouthful consists.

To make your reservation visit https://feverup.com/m/ 135964.

One of the creators of Flamenco Chill, a very different style of music, Malaga born La Mari de Chambao will be performing in La Linea de la Frontera in October.

María del Mar Rodríguez

Carnero started singing for fun in the late 1990s with a boyfriend and his cousin, but this soon morphed into Chambao which released their first album Flamenco Chill in 2001.

Technically this was a ‘various artists’ album but as Chambao contributed eight tracks, it is fair to credit them with the release as they combined a passion and vocal style of traditional Andalucian flamenco with elements of electronica, especially chillout.

The group came to prominence at about the same time as Nuevo Flamenco bands such as Ojos de Brujo from Barcelona who had a harder cutting edge to their music.

The 2000s saw a huge wave of popularity for this style of flamenco fusion and Chambao released a further seven albums before temporarily disbanding in 2016.

The band and La Mari, as she is known by her fans, were nominated, or won a ream of different awards and were an important creative force even though the singer had to cope with cancer and all of the problems associated with conquering it.

In 2018 she performed a huge concert in Madrid which showcased 30 different songs and she welcomed numerous guests from the Spanish music scene although earlier In