We visited Clarences for dinner about four weeks ago. I know we had a lovely meal, and that the service was great, but other than that I really can’t remember much of the details. Could it be that the restaurant’s ultra-low lighting may be affecting my memory of the food?

I’m not just another food blogger complaining that it’s too dark in there to take photos without a flash, because as you can see, I have some ok pics. And I’m all for romantic, mood lighting, especially if I have a pimple that I don’t want anyone to see. But the level of light in Clarences made it difficult to see my meal, which lead me to investigate if there’s any correlation between vision and food.

Many people are aware that when eating, it’s their sense of smell and their taste buds working closely together that provide us with a sense of flavour. Studies have also shown that vision plays a large part in the perceived intensity of flavour.  For example, one study shows that identical cherry-flavoured drinks with differing levels of red colouring, ranging from light pink to bright red, are perceived differently.  People believed that the redder the drinks, the greater the intensity of  cherry flavour.

So what does this mean for a meal at Clarences? Well, like I said, we really did enjoy everything we ate, especially the pork belly dish (pictured above) and one of the side dishes made up of kipflers, bacon and savoy cabbage. But could it be possible that the restaurant is short changing itself by inadvertently diminishing the intensity of flavours, all for the sake of ambience? Perhaps.

Clarences
566 Beaufort Street
Mount Lawley, WA 6050

P.S. For those travellers wanting to experience a meal in complete darkness check out Dans le Noir, restaurants where you eat in pitch black for the duration of your meal.

Crispy soft shell crab, corn, avocado

Pan fried barramundi, fennel, blood orange, chorizo

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