Let's Tour Taiwan! (And Eat At Modern Toilet!)

My mom and brother have been in town for the past three weeks, which has made it hard to get blog posts done.  On the bright side, this visit has given me tons of new stuff to write about!  My travel "genes" are from my mom. She and I have had some pretty amazing trips together.  She's a huge inspiration for any bravery that I have.  After college, she decided to go teach English in northern Japan, where she happened to attend the same Bible study as a certain Navy officer stationed at Misawa Air Base. The rest, as they say, is history!  To me, while growing up, Japan was this mythical, exotic, and romantic place.  You never knew what exciting, life-changing event might happen there...

When my mom decided to plan her latest trip to Japan, I knew she would be the perfect travel buddy for my trip to Taiwan.  My hubby is a great traveling buddy...if we are going to the beach, wine tasting, boating, napping, or pretty much anything that involves a cocktail and a reclined position.  Since Taipei (Taiwan's capital) has neither beaches, boats, nor wine tastings- and I wasn't flying over there just to nap- I vetoed Mr. TF as a travel buddy. He was grateful.  

Since Little TF was also along on this trip (as she tends to be), I had to make sure we sprinkled in some child-friendly activities.  She's used to my sightseeing pace by now, but throw my mom and me together?  If we can see it, we're going to see it.  Bring plenty of water, sunscreen, and bandaids for blisters, because we aren't stopping!  Luckily for Little TF,  I read a cnngo.com article about weird restaurants a few months ago, and a toilet-themed restaurant in Taipei made the list.  A toilet-themed restaurant?  Is there any almost-three year old in the world who wouldn't LOVE that?

The restaurant, Modern Toilet is a famous, Taipei attraction.  In fact, it's become so popular that other locations can be found all over Taiwan.  As such, it was clearly marked on the tourist map from our hotel.  After a morning spent at the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial and Taiwan's Botanical Gardens (complete with stunning lotus pond), we zipped off for an early lunch at Modern Toilet.

Located in a super trendy part of town, Modern Toilet fits right in with its surroundings.  Plenty of restaurants, Starbucks, and chic clothing stores line the sidewalks.  People-watch at one of the cute, outdoor tables, or beat the heat and check out Taipei's fun and funky department stores! Nothing was open, including Modern Toilet, until 11:30 am, so we grabbed a couple of iced teas from the Starbucks around the corner (It was hot.  Don't you dare judge us Americans and our Starbucks.).

11:30 am arrived and Little TF excitedly led the way inside!  The entrance won't leave you wondering what the theme of this particular food joint is...have you ever seen a cuter pile of poop?

Upstairs, the toilet theme goes bonkers!  Bathtub tables, poop light fixtures, bathroom tiled walls, and (what else?) toilet seats for chairs!  Little TF claimed a hot pink one with goldfish all over the lid.  My toilet was blue with starfish, and my brother's was black with barbed wire.  And yes, they are real toilets. Every five minutes, Little TF would make us all jump up and lift our toilet lids so she could look inside (don't worry, they aren't functioning toilets), which then made her laugh hysterically.  Is anything funnier than sitting on toilets to eat lunch?  She didn't think so.  

Of course, the lavatory fun doesn't stop there!  Our food began to arrive in the appropriately themed serveware, prompting more gales of Little TF laughter.  My mom ordered the chicken and vegetable curry, which came in a sparkling, baby blue potty.

The couple seated at our neighboring table ordered an unknown drink, which was served in a miniature urinal.  

Little TF's chicken nuggets and fries were served in their respective squatty potties.  I thought she was going to squirt her iced tea out her nose, these made her laugh so hard.  Modern Toilet was not only a great choice for Little TF's entertainment, but they also had great menu items for kids!  In addition to the fried stuff pictured here (and it was actually really good), there were spaghettis and cheesy gratins on offer.  

We were actually pretty impressed with the food.  Flavors were good and there was a lot of variety!

Of course, we couldn't consider our meal complete without enjoying Modern Toilet's signature dessert dish...

Need anything more be said?



The link to Google Map's pin of Modern Toilet can be found here.  If you are in Taipei and don't speak Chinese, it might be a good idea to ask your hotel to write down the name, using Chinese characters, for your cab driver.  Fortunately, we thought to do this, as our cab driver wasn't familiar with the restaurant!  If you are going there with kids, be aware that the restaurant is accessed via a flight of stairs to the second floor.  A small, lightweight stroller that you can carry upstairs is advised, as you will be unable to leave it in the very tiny, downstairs foyer.  Restaurant menus are also in English.  Circle your choices with the provided marker and pay in advance.  If your schedule is tight, try to arrive right at 11:30 when the restaurant opens.  The place was already filling up as we arrived, and by the time we left at about 12:30, it was packed!




Disclaimer:  I do my best to make sure all my information is accurate.  However, details may change or I may just be flat-out wrong.  Please let me know if something needs a correction.  Thank-you!