20 August 2022 - TREEPOD RESTAURANT - THAILAND

 

TREEPOD RESTAURANT

 - THAILAND -

G'day folks,

Here, you can eat dinner in the trees, and eat like a bird in a bamboo nest. 

The Treepod Restaurant on the island of Koh Kood, Thailand, may be the only eatery in the world where the servers wear harnesses.

 

Diners must make a short trek through the island’s beachside rainforest to reach their “pod.” These egg-shaped, handmade structures are built by a resident craftsman from locally sourced bamboo and rattan, and resemble the nests of native birds. The pods are hoisted by electric cables 36 feet in the air to float among the rainforest canopy. Patrons enjoy unobstructed views of the Gulf of Thailand while their waiter soars through the massang trees on zip-lines with their food. Much of the menu is sourced from the eco-resort’s organic garden, featuring Thai classics, seafood, and fresh fruit platters.

 

The real-life dreamscape is the brainchild of Graham Grant, manager of Soneva Kiri Resort, which owns the Treepod Restaurant. The eco-resort is true to its nature, sourcing its building materials locally and banning imported bottled water. Koh Kood is a large and sparsely populated island, allowing visitors to spend some alone time with the birds, like birds themselves.

19 August 2022 - TREEHOUSE RESTAURANT IN ENGLAND

 

TREEHOUSE 

RESTAURANT

 IN ENGLAND

G'day folks,

This giant wooden treehouse within a sprawling garden has its own eatery. 

The wondrous garden anchored by the Treehouse Restaurant was once part of the official residence of the Duke of Northumberland in the 11th century. Today, the land is known as the Alnwick Gardens, a bucolic setting featured in the early Harry Potter films. For the dendrophiles among us, the arborous building at the heart of these gardens is more likely something featured in your wildest dreams.

 

The 6,000-square-foot complex is a celebration of wood: pine, cedar, and redwood, all carefully intertwined to make a theater of natural elements suspended in the tree-line of the ancient forest. Growing trees literally spew forth from the floors while in the wintertime, a cozy fireplace lazily crackles. Need you guess what the tables and chairs are made from?

The menu boasts Northern English fare with an emphasis on seasonality and locality. While the menu reads beautifully, some diners note that execution can be spotty. Perhaps a warm drink by the fire would do a winter soul enough good.

 

For its design alone, the restaurant is well worth a trip from nearby Newcastle. You’ll surely work up an appetite gushing over all the wood.

15 August 2022 - UNDERWATER RESTAURANT IN THE MALDIVES

 

 UNDERWATER RESTAURANT

 IN THE MALDIVES

G'day folks,

Welcome to an underwater restaurant, surrounded by a coral reef. 

To enter the restaurant, visitors climb down a spiral staircase in a thatched pavilion at the end of a jetty. They enter the building, which has a curved roof like a tunnel, from above.

Secured five meters below sea level at the Hilton Maldives Resort and Spa, the Ithaa Undersea Restaurant is a mostly acrylic building that only seats 14. Offering a 270-degree panoramic view to its customers, Ithaa was designed and constructed by M.J. Murphy Ltd., a design consultancy based in New Zealand.

 

Opened in 2005, Ithaa (which means ‘mother of pearl’ in Dhivehi, the local language) charges a premium for its meals, but they might cost less than one would expect for an underwater dinner. They start in price at about $120 US for lunch for hotel guests. The restaurant serves contemporary fusion Maldivian cuisine with Western and Asian influences. Advance reservations are necessary.

Designed by the Kuala Lumpur National Science Center, the building qualifies as the world’s largest aquarium tunnel. After completion in 2004, Ithaa was taken to the Maldives on the back of an ocean-going barge. It took 16 days to arrive. It is estimated that the restaurant, which is placed in extreme conditions, will only last for 20 years.

 

16 April 2018 - FRENCH RESTAURANT ALLOWS PATRONS TO DINE IN THE NUDE

FRENCH RESTAURANT ALLOWS 

PATRONS TO DINE IN THE NUDE

G'day folks,

Now, here is an opportunity for you bold people. 

At the recently inaugurated O’naturel restaurant in Paris, France, diners leave more than their coats at the door. The country’s first “naked restaurant” allows naturists to enjoy classic French fare completely nude, in a comfortable and relaxed ambiance.

O’naturel is not the first nudist restaurant in Europe. In the summer of 2016, a pop-up nudist restaurant opened in London, followed by another in Tenerife. Their success inspired twin entrepreneurs Mike and Stephane Saada to try the same concept in Paris. Although they’re not nudists themselves, the brothers spotted a lucrative opportunity in a country known as a top naturist destination. 

“People only get to be nudists in the summer,” 42-year-old Stephane said, suggesting O’naturel lets patrons enjoy nudism all year year round.
 O’naturel features minimalist decor and a menu of classic French bistro cuisine, such as lobster, foie gras and snails with parsley cream sauce, although there are vegan options as well. The three-course menu costs USD 57.50. Diners leave their clothing and mobile devices (to prevent photographing fellow customers) in a cloakroom upon arrival, and then they are given a pair of slippers to wear. 

Finally, a server seats them at one of 20 tables in the small restaurant. The chairs feature black cloth covers that are discreetly changed between seatings, and a white curtain hangs in the window to protect diners from gawkers and curious passersby.

“Our role is to put people at ease,” Stephane told AFP. “As soon as they enter the dining room, we accompany them to their table, and we reassure them that it’s not like the whole room is looking at them.”

The twin managers, who also work as servers, are both clothed according to French laws regarding workplace conditions.

The restaurant is only open for dinner, and reservations are required to discourage the wrong type of customer. “We might reject someone, or explain to them that if they’re looking to hook up, they should go somewhere else,” Stephane explained. His twin Mike added, “Nudity doesn’t have to mean sexuality.”

 With around 460 designated outdoor nudist spots, nudism is pretty popular in France, but the recently opened O’naturel restaurant is not without critics. Neighbors have pointed out that it is located next to a children’s creche, although opposing opening hours renders the point moot.

However, Yves Leclerc, the president of the French Naturist Federation, was thrilled to be able to dine in the buff. “We’re in the heart of Paris, and we’re eating naked. It’s a little surreal. It’s like when we’re on holiday, but it’s even better,” he said.

 

Clancy's comment: I'd give it a try, providing the food and company is good. What about you? Don't be shy. Let's  make a booking.

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