A restaurant in Manchester is hosting a dining experience with a difference, giving its guests the chance to suspend one of their senses for an evening.
Sakku Samba, a glitzy Japanese and Brazilian fusion restaurant based on The Avenue in Spinningfields, is putting on a ‘dine in the dark’ experience where guests will be blindfolded for the duration of their meal.
Surrendering themselves entirely to the mercy of Sakku Samba’s wait staff, those taking part in the tasting experience will enjoy a special, secret menu while blindfolded – taking things up a notch from the usual candlelight dinner.
Spanning three courses with three different menus available for meat eaters, pescetarians, and vegans, guests will be asked to give up their sense of sight for the night as they dig into dinner.
In exchange, they are being promised a heightened sense of smell and taste, and even greater texture sensitivity – something that has actually been proven to work by research conducted by the British Psychological Society.
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Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Dining in the dark is not a new concept and has only grown in popularity since the opening of restaurants such as Blindekuh (Blind Cow) in Zurich in 1999 and the Unsicht (meaning invisible) Bar in Cologne, Germany, in 2001.
Closer to home, of course, in London, we have the famous Dans Le Noir – which opened in 2006 and still going strong today, offering its diners the chance to taste gourmet, creative and seasonal cuisine in complete darkness, accompanied and served by unexpected guides.
Whilst here in Manchester, restaurants such as the Albert Square Chop House and 20 Stories have previously dipped their toes into the water with one-off dinners hosted in the dark.
Those planning on heading down to Sakku Samba on 27 September can choose from two sittings for the dinner, the first starting at 6pm and the latter at 830pm.
Tickets are priced at £60 per person, regardless of whether you go for the red, blue or green menu, but it is not clear whether drinks are included or need to be purchased on top.
Greater Manchester restaurants are adding an extra £1 to bills to help fight homelessness this Christmas
Emily Sergeant
Dozens of local restaurants will be adding an extra £1 onto every bill over the festive season to help fight street homelessness.
People in Greater Manchester are once again able to give back while they dine at some of the best restaurants the region has to offer in the run up to Christmas, as the successful StreetSmart fundraising initiative is back for another year.
This year, 26 fantastic restaurants have come together to support local homeless charities as the campaign launched this past Saturday (1 November).
Manchester independents such as Mana, Erst, Climat, 10 Tib Lane, Ezra & Gill, Tartuffe, and Blue Eyed Panda are among those taking part in the campaign this year, alongside several city centre chain restaurants such as Lina Stores, Tampopo, Banyan, Manahatta, and San Carlo.
StreetSmart works by each participating restaurant adding an extra £1 to every bill they deliver throughout November and December, with all of the money raised going directly to local homeless organisations, thanks to StreetSmart’s official sponsorship from LandAid.
The funds raised by StreetSmart in Greater Manchester this year will support the crucial work of organisations such as CentrePoint, which funds Independent Living Advisors for young people, and Real Change Manchester, which plugs into the existing homelessness charities to provide that extra boost of funding that makes all the difference.
The StreetSmart team says it’s determined to deliver another record-breaking year in 2025, and provide much-needed support to the services that help some of the most vulnerable people in the city.
Manchester restaurants are adding an extra £1 to bills to help fight homelessness this Christmas / Credit: Supplied | Rifqi Ali Ridho (via Unsplash)
“The festive period can be an incredibly tough time for the vulnerable people in our community,” explained Glenn Pougnet, who is the Director of StreetSmart.
“StreetSmart provides a simple way for people to help some of our city’s most in need. Giving back whilst dining out at Christmas is what StreetSmart is all about, and we’re thrilled to have so many restaurants already taking part.
“Every £1 added to a bill adds up and makes a huge difference.”
Featured Image – John Carey (Supplied)
News
Police appeal for information after pedestrian killed on Mancunian Way followed earlier welfare concern reports
Emily Sergeant
Police are continuing to appeal for information after a pedestrian was killed on Mancunian Way during the early hours.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that the shocking incident occurred at approximately 12:50am on Friday 31 October when it was reported that a Volkswagen Passat had collided with a man in his 20s.
Sadly, the collision was fatal and the pedestrian died at the scene.
The driver of the Volkswagen, a man in his 40s, was subsequently arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
Following the incident, subsequent police enquiries have established that a call was made to the force shortly after midnight which reported concern for a man walking on the carriageway, and GMP says it believes the man in that report was the man who was involved in the fatal collision.
Officers were sent out as ‘high priority’ to carry out an extensive search of the surrounding area after the report was made, but it was said that they couldn’t locate him.
#UPDATE | Officers are continuing to appeal for information following the fatal collision on Mancunian Way this morning.
We have referred ourselves to the IPOC after reports that the victim was possibly spotted on the carriageway earlier that morning.
— Manchester City Centre Police (GMP) (@GMPCityCentre) October 31, 2025
Due to this earlier report, GMP has confirmed that it has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to look into its response to the search.
The victim’s family is aware, have been updated, and they are being supported by specialist officers at this time.
GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit is still appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the incident to come forward, and are particularly keen to speak to anyone who may have CCTV footage, dashcam, or mobile phone footage from the area in the moments leading up to the incident.
“This is a tragic incident for all involved and we express our deepest condolences to the family of the man who has lost his life, and whom we are doing our utmost to support at this time,” commented Sergeant Andrew Page.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact police on 0161 856 4741, quoting log number 111 of the 31/10/25, or by using the ‘report tool’ or LiveChat function on the GMP website – www.gmp.police.uk
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Georgina Pellant -
29th August 2023 
