Dan Chung March 10, 2009

Taiwan’s flavours of the month

Taipei has made its mark on the culinary map with its penchant for bizarrely themed restaurants. Photographs by Dan Chung

Tai Pei restaurants: A380 restaurant — Pie in the sky? Except that meals in the A380 In-Flight Kitchen come without the turbulence. The restaurant in Taipei is modelled on the cabin of the Superjumbo Photograph: Dan Chung/Guardian

Tai Pei restaurants: A380 restaurant — Trolley service is included Photograph: Dan Chung/Guardian

Tai Pei restaurants: A380 restaurant — Every dish is served on a plastic tray Photograph: Dan Chung/Guardian

Tai Pei restaurants: DS hospital restaurant — In Taipei, the line: 'Do you like hospital food?' doesn't constitute a threat but an invitation to dinner. At the DS hospital-themed restaurant, customers order 'medicine' from a menu, which is then served from a drip at the table. Waitresses are inevitably dressed as nurses Photograph: Dan Chung/Guardian

Tai Pei restaurants: DS hospital restaurant — Shots are administered via syringe Photograph: Dan Chung/Guardian

Tai Pei restaurants: Ds hospital restaurant — Beer in sample beakers Photograph: Dan Chung/Guardian

Tai Pei restaurants: DS Hospital restaurant — As the evening heats up a customer is cooled down with the old ice-down-the-pants gag Photograph: Dan Chung/Guardian

Tai Pei restaurants: Hello Kitty restaurant — Hello Kitty has been imported from Japan and given a Taiwanese twist in this theme restaurant, which is popular with adults ... Photograph: Dan Chung/Guardian

Tai Pei restaurants: Hello Kitty restaurant — and children alike Photograph: Dan Chung/Guardian

Tai Pei restaurants: Hello Kitty restaurant — You can get Hello Kitty cakes Photograph: Dan Chung/Guardian

Tai Pei restaurants: Hello Kitty restaurant — and, more disturbingly, Kitty burgers Photograph: Dan Chung/Guardian

Tai Pei restaurants: Jioufen Old Restaurant — At the Jioufen Old Restaurant of Fishballs customers get to know the owner Lai Xiu-dan intimately through hundreds of portraits of her adorning the walls Photograph: Dan Chung/Guardian

Tai Pei restaurants: Jioufen Old Restaurant — It's a veritable shrine with, at last count, 499 photos on display Photograph: Dan Chung/Guardian

Tai Pei restaurants: Jioufen Old Restaurant — Customers are literally surrounded by Lai Xiu-dan's smiling face Photograph: Dan Chung/Guardian

Tai Pei restaurants: Modern Toilet restaurant — But plumbing the depths of themed restaurants is Modern Toilet, which features such delights as ice cream in a bowl Photograph: Dan Chung/Guardian

Tai Pei restaurants: Modern Toilet restaurant — Customers sit on toilets, eat from sinks, drink from urinal shaped cups and dry their hands on conveniently placed toilet rolls Photograph: Dan Chung/Guardian

Tai Pei restaurants: Modern Toilet restaurant — Toilet bowl soup, anyone? Photograph: Dan Chung/Guardian

Tai Pei restaurants: Modern Toilet restaurant — Or perhaps it's a novel approach to potty training Photograph: Dan Chung/Guardian

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