Maria McAteer's blind date was unlike any other - not only was she unable to see her dining companion but she also couldn't see the waiter, the restaurant or even her food.

Maria does not have impaired sight, nor was she wearing a blindfold. She was eating at the Unsicht Bar in Cologne where patrons wine and dine in complete darkness.

The Unsicht (it means invisible in German) is staffed entirely by blind waiters and waitresses and takes diners on an extraordinary culinary adventure.

The experience left such a lasting impression on Maria, of Waterloo Street, Hove, that she is returning to make a TV documentary about it.

The restaurant turns normal life on its head. Any form of light is strictly "verboten", leaving diners stumbling through the blackness. In this venue it is sighted people who are blind.

Maria, a former film student at Sussex University, is making the documentary with fellow ex-student Iain Cox, from Worthing. They hope it will be screened on Channel 4.

Maria, 40, said: "Eating at the Unsicht was an amazing experience. It made me face one of my deepest fears - blindness."

Diners are given a deliberately vague menu which only describes the type of food they can choose from.

After ordering they are taken through a "light lock" and plunged into total darkness. They are led, stumbling, to their table by their blind waiter or waitress.

Maria said: "I thought I would be able to see something and my eyes were straining for even the smallest glimpse of light but there was none.

"Once in the dark, your other senses go into overdrive.

"The first thing that hit me was the smell. It was like dinnertime at school. Then there was the noise. The loudest and most confident voices were those of the staff. As a sighted person I associate darkness with night-time, quiet or even silence but the staff were quite raucous."

To help diners find their food in the dark, staff compare the plate to a clock face with suggestions like mashed potato at three o'clock, fish cakes at six and bread basket at 11.

Peas, prawns and spaghetti are left off the menu - they are just too difficult to locate in the dark.

When her meal arrived, Maria very quickly gave up trying to use the cutlery.

She said: "I was very thankful other people couldn't see my grotesque table manners and all the stuff I had spilled down my jumper. I was aware of every taste, every texture."

Once she had stopped straining to see, Maria began to enjoy the darkness.

She said: "When I got over my initial nervousness, I felt totally at peace with myself."

When Maria finally emerged into daylight three hours later, everything seemed duller than expected.

She said the meal had allowed her to temporarily experience being blind and she hoped her documentary would do the same for a wider audience.

The Unsicht Bar was started by Axel Rudolph who wanted to focus on the extra abilities of blind people, rather than their disability.

Maria and Iain, who has just finished a documentary on Professor Stephen Hawking, have received some funding for the documentary from HSBC but are looking for more.

Maria can be contacted via mariamcateer@gmx.net or on 07786 894745.