Talk about “crappy” food…

Figure 1. Poo ice-cream. From “Onestep4ward,” by Johnny, 2017 (https://onestep4ward.com/eating-poo-modern-toilet-restaurant-taipei-taiwan/). Copyright 2017 by Johnny.

A few years ago, I went to Taiwan with the hubby and kids to visit his extended family. While we were there, we decided to tour the sites. While on the streets of Taipei, we stumbled upon a restaurant based around the theme of a toilet. No–really. It is called the Modern Toilet Restaurant and as its name suggests, serves potty food.

Everything from the decor to its menu revolves around toilets. If you thought Japan was weird, this toilet restaurant proves otherwise. The restaurant is pretty hard to miss and once you enter the restaurant, you are greeted with tables decorated with toilet seat well–seats. The chairs mimic the toilet seat design. Back when I went to the restaurant, it was pretty desolated. I mean–it’s an obvious tourist trap that makes its profits from the novelty of the idea.

Figure 2. Menu. From “Moderntoilet,” by Moderntoiletrestaurant, 2006 (http://www.moderntoilet.com.tw/en/menu.asp#). Copyright 2006 by Moderntoiletrestaurant.

My kids were enthralled by the toilet theme because well–it’s not everyday that you get to eat in a toilet restaurant is it? The menu has all the usual food items of pasta, hot-pots and side-dishes of fries. The normal looking food becomes unique when served on quirky bowls that replicate toilet bowls. Geddit? Well–anyways, I ordered the spaghetti with cream sauce and was anticipating it. But my expectations were quickly crushed.

The spaghetti was bland and it felt like they had poured a tub of oil when cooking it. I wouldn’t consider myself to be a picky eater but wow, it was tough to finish the meal. It was so tasteless–my tongue was numb by the end of the meal, not from the spice but from the lack thereof. I asked the rest of my family, and they more or less felt the same about the food.

Figure 3. Spaghetti. From “Tripadvisor,” by Su1d, 2018 (https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g13806775-d6147518-i345796250-Modern_Toilet_Restaurant-North_District_Taichung.html). Copyright 2018 by Su1d

However, not all hope is lost. The ice-cream was surprisingly decent. I mean, it was served in the shape of a literal doo-doo and with the toilet bowl, it was very cute. It was a refreshing cleanser after the lacking spaghetti. I’ve tried reading other reviews and some people seem to enjoy the food much more than I did. Well, feel free to be the judge yourself. If you’re in the neighbourhood of Ximending, visit the restaurant at 2F, No.7, Lane 50, Xining South Road, Taipei 108 Taiwan.