Taipei's Modern Toilet restaurant is an out of the ordinary dining experience. Photo / Eli Orzessek
Taipei's Modern Toilet restaurant is an out of the ordinary dining experience. Photo / Eli Orzessek
In the middle of the maze of fashionable alleyways in Ximending, past cheap tattoo shops and stinky tofu, lies the flagship branch of Modern Toilet - Taiwan's notorious toilet-themed chain restaurant.
I'd seen the pictures online of dinners served in toilet bowls and curls of chocolate soft-serve resting in miniature"squatty potties" - the style of loo more common in Asian countries - and knew right away that it was a must-see.
Nothing could prepare me for the reality of this joint or the hysterical reaction of those around me as we approached the building with a giant lit-up toilet mounted above the door. It's popular with students, our tour guide tells us. The locals eating here are completely blasé as they chow down on their hot pot out of a pot.
It's a mixed up place, done up like a (thankfully) extremely clean bathroom, with turd-shaped lampshades glowing gently above. You can choose to sit on a toilet, or inside a giant toilet. A wide array of merchandise is on offer: pens topped with a poo, stress balls and scented candles, a urinal-shaped cup you can have your drink served in and take home as a souvenir. The bathroom sink is a urinal too, it's a bit disturbing.
The food is average, but really it's just about the experience. And what an experience it is when our shared dessert arrives - mounds of chocolate shaved ice, soft serve, chocolate biscuits and hot fudge, overflowing from the pan it's served in.
Inspired by my Modern Toilet experience - here are four more of the world's weirdest themed restaurants:
SoldatenKaffee, Bandung, Indonesia
Originally opened as a Nazi-themed café, SoldatenKaffee features portraits of Adolf Hitler, customers in uniform and "Nazi Goreng" on the menu. Amid controversy, the owner now claims it is simply a "WWII Cafe" and that he was just trying to attract customers.
He told the Jakarta Globe he doesn't idolise Hitler, but also claims there is no proof the Nazis were responsible for the Holocaust.
Cat and dog cafes were getting so commonplace, that Japan had to keep the ball moving - next logical step? Owl cafes, of course - where various breeds of stern-faced owl watch over customers eating cute owl-themed snacks. In some cafes, touching the owls is strictly off limits, but others are more relaxed. Besides cats, dogs and owls, Japan also offers reptile, goat and bunny cafes - and a penguin bar.
Disaster Café, Lloret de Mar, Spain.
At this Spanish eatery, people actually pay to eat a meal while experiencing a simulated 7.8 magnitude earthquake - the dishes are even extra-heavy to prevent them flying off the table. According to online reviews, it's so popular you need to book in advance - and apparently the food is pretty good too.
Hippopotomus Hamburger, San Francisco
Sadly, this avant-garde hamburger restaurant only existed in the 1970s - an eatery at which, "you may sit next to a black panther or a priest," the owner wrote, " a white-tie opera goer or a 'hippie,' a worker in soiled overalls or a whole Japanese camera clicking group."
I was lucky enough buy the restaurant's cookbook from a little old lady at the Pukekohe markets. It features an array of crazy recipes, including the Grassburger ("into the patty work your refined grass. Knead it in and enjoy the Laugh-In."), the Liberationburger ("A roast male chauvinist pig, sliced thinly") or the Stroganoffburger ("In this deal with the Russians... you win!").
Could it be time for a reboot? Check out the 1974 menu here.
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