Dine like fishes in Brussels’ new underwater restaurant

(Image: Reuters)

Restaurants with unusual elements never fail to amaze us. There is one where waiters serve food by gliding on roller-skates and another that provides food on mobile devices.

But have you ever wondered what it would be like to have food underwater? Maybe you discussed this idea with a friend, who ended up thinking you had gone bonkers. Or maybe you saw it one of your eccentric dreams that stick in your mind for a long, long time.

Well, that strange thought is now a reality in Belgium’s newest restaurant that offers an extraordinary dining experience underwater.

Known as The Pearl, the eatery, which is located 14 feet below water in a deep swimming pool in Brussels, opened towards the last year end, and charges about $140 for one-person, one-time meal, comprising a seafood salad and foie gras, coupled with champagne – yes, they provide drinks as well.

People have to dive into the swimming pool in order to reach the globular room, which is basically an air pocket allowing to eat freely. It is a strange compartment, very similar to a combination of space shuttle, the moon with its craters, and a spherical cheese wheel, and can accommodate four people.

The dining room became a success after a year of hard work and experimentation.

The pool was developed 12 years back by John Beernaerts, the restaurateur, who said that, “[…] the sphere, it's a bit like going… in a cocoon. You can talk, discuss, exchange – but all of this in a muffled atmosphere that sort of looks like our very early days,” nine.com.au reported.

While many people learn swimming at a young age, those who haven’t are given the chance to learn it to eat underwater and take pleasure in the eerie silence.

Interestingly, the world already has its small share of underwater or sea-related dining experiences. Israel’s Red Sea Star and Ithaa in The Maldives give visitors the option to dine 16 feet under the sea, with sea life right outside the walls.

Guinness Deep Sea Bar in the Baltic Sea is a 30-feet-tall tavern. On the other hand, Atlantis in The Palm, Dubai presents visitors the option to book submerged suites, something similar to Jules’ Underwater Lodge and Utter Inn in Florida, US and Lake Mälaren, Sweden, respectively.

The much-talked-about Poseidon Undersea Resort in Fiji, however, is still underway, having remained almost stagnant for over a decade.

We are still on the fence deciding if eating food in this very enclosed space would be a good idea or not!