A Toilet for Two?
Would you lunch from a lavatory, scoff at a school desk or dine with dogs? Dorothy So puts aside her table manners and ventures into the quirky world of Hong Kong’s oddest themed restaurants.
1. Modern Toilet
Modern Toilet restaurant does a complete flip on the “what goes in must come out” philosophy. This novelty theme restaurant from Taiwan offers a large range of suspiciously coloured food items, which are brought to the table in toilet or urinal-shaped containers. “We also have serveware shaped like old-fashioned squatting toilets,” says Sally Ng, who manages the Mong Kok restaurant. Wow, talk about being spoiled for choice.
With its dim lighting and deep brown leather seats, the newly opened Modern Toilet in Causeway Bay is the more glamorous (if you could say that) of the two Hong Kong branches. Not only is it bigger than the one in Mong Kok, it’s also divided into several separate sections, each with its own unique sub-theme. For example, customers can park their rears on the cushion-padded toilet seats in the “shower room” or huddle inside the giant sewage pipe-shaped dining booths. “The branch in Mong Kok is probably more suitable for younger kids while this new branch is more sophisticated,” says Ms Ng. When our yellowish brown curried chicken arrived, still bubbling in its toilet bowl container, we realized that Ms. Ng is using the term “sophisticated” very loosely.
4/F, Capitol Centre, 5-19 Jardine’s Bazaar, Causeway Bay, 2895-6288
2. DaHoops
Ted Yiu opened DaHoops half a year ago as a response to the lack of venues showing basketball in Hong Kong. Not only is there a big screen TV showing the latest NBA games but the cafe is decked out with basketball posters, jerseys and autographed images, all from Ted’s personal collection. While DaHoops Café may be small, the place is cosy and looks more like a friend’s living room, making it perfect for private parties. “A lot of people come here to watch the games but we also get a lot of non-basketball fans who come because they like the comfort and privacy of the venue,” explains Yiu.
The food is also a draw. “At the end of the day, the NBA theme is just a gimmick. If the food is not good, customers won’t come back,” says Ted, who used to work at an American restaurant in Canada. DaHoops is a perfect hangout for basketball fans, serving up your typical diner fare with NBA-related names, such as the Legendary Jordan’s Burger and Steve Nashchos, which are all made fresh to order. It also has a full liquor licence. And, as a side note to all the Canucks out there, DaHoops serves Tim Horton’s coffee.
11/F, Radiant Center, 7 Cannon St., Causeway Bay, 6773-2090
3. Van Gogh Kitchen
Hand-painted recreations of Van Gogh’s works adorn the walls of this fine-dining restaurant, and in the waiting area, next to the main dining room, sits a snooker table which owner Vincent Fung had custom-made to look like the one from the famed artist’s Night Café painting.
Fung, who also owns the popular upstairs café Small Potato, opened Van Gogh Kitchen almost a year ago. “Van Gogh Kitchen is as much about the food as the concept,” says Fung. The restaurant’s chef formerly worked at Wildfire and Water Margin and all dishes—from the house-cured rib eye to the Australian lamb shoulder—are prepared with the artistic flair you would expect from a restaurant themed after the legendary artist. “I really admire Van Gogh’s determination. He never gave up painting even though he never met with success during his own lifetime.” Fung shares Van Gogh’s sense of determination—he is a fulltime government employee, runs three upstairs eateries in Causeway Bay, and, to cap it all off, has put out three issues of his own comic book—all with both ears intact.
2B, Shing Wah Mansion, 451-457 Hennessy Rd., Causeway Bay, 3528-1333
