If you don’t already know, Gudetama is an anthropomorphic Japanese egg yolk characterised by its laziness. It only made its debut in 2013, but has since gained “recognition” globally. We kid you not. From cushions to notebooks, Gudetama’s iconic sluggish body is now imprinted on almost every object thinkable.

So it is without surprise that an entire restaurant dedicated to the Gudetama has opened in Taipei’s Da’an District. The new Gudetama-themed restaurant—called Gudetama Chef—is currently Taipei’s latest craze and bookings are mandatory.

No expenses have been spared to ensure that an apathetic Gudetama is in both your central and peripheral vision at every possible angle. Food aside, even the ceiling lamps, furniture, plates and waitresses’ uniforms at Gudetama Chef are intentionally emblazoned with the world-famous lazy egg.

We dropped by Taipei’s newly opened Gudetama Chef restaurant on a Monday afternoon, only to be politely turned away.

“Gudetama Chef is fully booked for the rest of today,” the Taiwanese waitress—donning an egg-yolk hair clip—apologised. She then proceeded to apologise and reject several others who were all hoping to score a seat at the kawaii restaurant.

Time check? It was 1.45pm. We were expecting it to be quiet then, but the reverse was true.

Fortunately, we managed to score a reservation the following day at lunchtime. Interestingly, we watched the same saga unfold—endless people being turned away. Gudetama Chef’s overwhelming popularity is truly astounding. Everyone was on snap happy mode; patrons posed with the yellow-bricked walls as if the eatery’s façade was a Taiwanese landmark.

The menu features a comprehensive selection of salad, burger, pasta, pizza, risotto, pancakes and desserts. Needless to say, every dish will feature at least one idle Gudetama.

Our Tricolour Slush (NT$260) came in a Gudetama-printed plastic bottle. Yes, you can take the bottle home!

We had the Deep-fried Platter (NT$480) and Butter Fried Rice (NT$320)—the former comprises a basket of French fries, Taiwanese sausages, boneless chicken chunk and scotch eggs; the latter consists of Gudetama-shaped butter fried rice, fish and mixed vegetables. The menu claims that the fried rice would be ‘Best in the World’ but we beg to differ.

All in all, the food was fairly decent but there is honestly nothing much to shout about. Evidently, its success lies in the novelty of dining in a Gudetama paradise.

Taipei is too far away? Fret not. Singapore is jumping on the bandwagon and will be opening a Gudetama Café in Suntec City at the end of this November.

Gudetama Chef
No. 12, Lane 236, Section 1, Dunhua S Rd
Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106
Tel: +886 2 2752 9520
Daily: 11am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Zhongxiao Dunhua

The whole world is crazy over the cat without mouth: Hello Kitty, the cat with the highest commercial value. Said to be born in London on November 01 1974, she is as tall as five apples, and weighs as much as three apples. And because she is portrayed as such a bright and kind-hearted girl who is always surrounded by many friends, Hello Kitty is a world phenomenon today.

Anything that has Hello Kitty stamped on it becomes a collectible, anywhere with Hello Kitty attracts great crowds. And this includes the ever popular Hello Kitty Sweets at Taipei – visited by endless crowds everyday from all over the globe.

With its signature pink decor, the cosy little cafe can be spotted from afar. Upon stepping it, we felt like we entered another world – a world so fascinating and unbelievably gorgeous. The cafe was lined with pink and white furniture, the scent of the sweet desserts filled the air, soft piano pieces looping in the background, and all the waitresses were exceptionally cutesy with their frilly French-maid inspired uniforms.

We were ushered to a booth seat, and given a menu full of Hello Kitty-themed desserts. It was surely no mean feat to decide on our orders, because everything looked so pretty and tantalizing! We finally settled on ordering based on what would look best in pictures.

Prior to our visit, we heard from many friends that the desserts were awful. But much to our surprise, they were anything but awful. If any, some were beyond decent!

Our favorite had to be the Chocolate Mousse Cake with Strawberry Choco Balls, and the Layered Fruit Cake. The former was rich, but not overly sweet; the latter was a simple vanilla chiffon cake with fresh fruits generously stuffed in between the layers. The desserts are priced between NT$300-360 (S$12.50-15), and each set comes with a drink.

And with every order, you get a complimentary custard pudding – in the shape of Hello Kitty’s head, of course!

It was lovely to just sit there and chat the afternoon away, and to enjoy the thematic atmosphere together with all the fans who were crazily snapping photos all over the cafe.

Hello Kitty, oh Hello Kitty. How you make every girl go weak in the knees! I promise I will come back to try more desserts the next time I am at Taipei.

Hello Kitty Sweets Cafe
No 90, Section 1 Daan Road
Daan District, Taipei
Tel: +886 2 2711 1132
Daily: 11.30am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Zhongxiao Fuxing

Words by Melody Yap, photographs by ladyironchef