- 6 months ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00With more than 15 million restaurants in the world, from uber-casual to who's paying for this, there's an unforgettable dining experience to satisfy your every craving.
00:12But sometimes, you have to dig deep, go far, and even get weird for a truly unique food experience.
00:20As a globe-trotting comedian, I've had some mind-blowing meals in one-of-a-kind places.
00:25But there's so many more dining adventures out there.
00:28Be my plus one, as we explore 1,000 ways to dine.
00:34Believe it or not, a restaurant is still a restaurant, even when it's a possibly painful game show.
00:41You'll be okay. You'll just cry a little bit.
00:45Or a laundromat.
00:48Or a subway that never leaves the station.
00:52Prepare to be fooled by some of the most creative restaurant concepts out there.
00:56Wait, that's a restaurant?
00:58Oh, yeah. Yeah, it is.
01:00On this episode of 1,000 Ways to Dine.
01:04Oh, my God.
01:09That's an alien brain.
01:10Hello, I'm Michael Yeo, and I want to ask you a question.
01:19What is a restaurant not a restaurant?
01:21If you can eat there, then it's a restaurant, right?
01:25Well, today, we're going to visit some deceiving dining establishments that beg to answer that very question.
01:31Good, because I'm already confused, and we haven't even started.
01:35Our first location is in Lower Manhattan, New York City.
01:44Is it a bizarre sushi bar?
01:46Definitely.
01:47Is it a fight club?
01:48I hope not.
01:50Is it a game show?
01:51It's that, too.
01:52It's Batsu.
01:53That's a restaurant?
01:54You know it.
01:55The ambiance at Batsu restaurant is a blend of kamikaze chaos, sake-fueled mayhem, and sushi roll frenzy.
02:06Welcome to Batsu!
02:09Host Brian Walters and the comedy troupe Face-Off have turned a full-contact comedy variety show into a real one-of-a-kind sushi dining experience.
02:23What did we order, I guess?
02:24I'm intrigued, yet terrified.
02:27Batsu!
02:27Batsu!
02:29Batsu is kind of like a secret.
02:32So when you get your tickets, you get your email, and it tells you to show up where the lantern is.
02:37And you walk in through the kitchen.
02:40Come right through here.
02:42Wow!
02:43Oh, my gosh!
02:44Whoa!
02:45Oh, my gosh!
02:47All right, it's time to roll out the rolls.
02:50Our house specialty is the Crouching Tuna Hidden Crab Roll made with kanikama crab, cucumber, avocado, spicy tuna, and spicy citrus sauce.
02:59Probably the best sushi that I have in New York City.
03:02Other favorites include the Crispy Tuna Taco Trio.
03:05Try saying that three times fast.
03:07A house-made tender tuna pokey nestled in lightly fried wontons, filled with fresh cabbage, and topped with Batsu secret sauce.
03:17Oh, wow!
03:18I like the fun!
03:20Did you hear that satisfying sound?
03:21I just enjoyed the sound.
03:24I heard it.
03:25The food is so fresh, it even talks back.
03:28Are you ready for Batsu?
03:30What?
03:30Typical night at Batsu looks like controlled chaos.
03:37Batsu!
03:38Batsu!
03:38Those mousetrap hands look like out of control chaos to me.
03:43So, what is Batsu anyway?
03:45In our show, we have four comedy warriors who come together to go through a series of comedic challenges.
03:51And if they don't make the audience laugh, or if they fail the challenge, my co-host Noriko punishes these guys.
04:00Batsu!
04:01Batsu!
04:02Batsu!
04:03Batsu!
04:03Batsu!
04:04I'm Noriko, and I do the punishment.
04:08Don't be fooled by her sweet demeanor.
04:11Noriko will mess you up.
04:13Batsu!
04:14Batsu!
04:15Batsu!
04:16Batsu!
04:17Batsu!
04:18Batsu!
04:19Batsu!
04:20Oh, damn, Noriko!
04:23Luckily, those balls are just foam.
04:25But still, what is this?
04:27Squid game?
04:28Folks, we've been doing this 10 years before a squid game, all right?
04:31My bad, my bad, you do you, Batsu.
04:35And later in the evening, the diners become the comedy main course.
04:39The social media moment would probably be our body sushi, Batsu.
04:45We have an audience volunteer and two of our warriors have to eat sushi off of this hairy dude.
04:52Batsu!
04:53Batsu!
04:55Batsu!
04:56Batsu!
04:57Batsu!
04:58Batsu!
04:58Batsu!
04:58Batsu!
04:58Batsu!
04:59Batsu!
04:59I've heard of omakase, but this is more like, oh, my God, say what?
05:08You thought that was painful?
05:10Behold, the dreaded hot wasabi challenge.
05:14There's a big layer of hot wasabi on top.
05:17It's awful.
05:17Do it!
05:18It's not supposed to be this much wasabi for anybody to consume, but you'll be okay.
05:25Um, you'll just cry a little bit.
05:27Hey, a few tears and a burnt esophagus is a small price to pay for big flavors, fun, and
05:34dancing ninjas.
05:36I'm not sure I'm ready to eat sushi off a stranger, but I'm ready to come on down and
05:42be the next contestant.
05:43Batsu might look more like a messed up self-defense class than a dining establishment.
05:48But believe it or not, that's a restaurant.
05:53Batsu!
05:54Batsu!
05:54Batsu!
05:56Batsu!
05:57Batsu!
05:57Batsu!
05:57Batsu!
05:58Batsu!
05:58Batsu!
05:59Batsu!
05:59Batsu!
05:59You think you're going to a restaurant, but when you get there, it's disguised as something
06:03else.
06:04Like a New York City subway?
06:06In Buenos Aires?
06:08Yep, that sounds like our show.
06:11Train arriving at Uptown in the Bronx.
06:13The owners are huge fans of New York City, so the challenge of Uptown was to recreate
06:22a subway station, like, for example, the tiles, the maps, the signs.
06:28This restaurant is so authentic to the New York City subway system.
06:32It even makes you feel like a lost tourist, because you really have to search around to
06:36find the entrance.
06:37Hello!
06:38Uptown is a spekisi, so customers can't see the bar when they get in the street.
06:42They go in the train car, and then they take some pictures, and they press a bottom, and
06:50the other doors are open, and the bar is revealed.
06:56Once you find your way inside, diners can kick back in leather chairs and sip cocktails
07:01and admire the street art, or feel like a real New Yorker in the cozy city apartment
07:07living room.
07:08And this train goes the extra mile to capture the vibes of the city that never sleeps.
07:14We have a great iteration of music.
07:17We love urban music, hip-hop, 90s music.
07:20Uptown in the Bronx leans into its New York City roots, with a menu themed to the Big Apple
07:26and its diverse neighborhoods.
07:27It's a unique way to dine, because our menu is inspired in important neighborhoods of
07:33New York.
07:36The restaurant captures the cuisines of some of New York City's iconic neighborhoods.
07:41It plays on the street eats and fast, casual foods of Midtown, with paper-wrapped burgers
07:46for walking, and fried chicken in fun-sized buckets.
07:50From Brooklyn's Greenpoint, this vegan dish of sweet potato and lentils with cilantro sauce.
07:57And because Argentina loves their beef, the meat-forward favorites of the meat-packing district.
08:04Amazing.
08:05I've never seen something like this.
08:08And last but not least, a twist on the godfather of New York City cuisine, pizza.
08:13I feel I just traveled to New York.
08:18The feeling of traveling without traveling.
08:21They are always shook and even amazed when they enter here.
08:27It's amazing.
08:28Uptown in the Bronx looks and feels just like the New York subway, except no rats, and you
08:35won't get robbed.
08:36It's a one-stop shop for all the things you love about the Big Apple.
08:40They've got the eats, the beaks, and a New York-style apartment so real, there's even a guy
08:45on the other side of the wall yelling, hey, keep it down.
08:50What do you think this is, a restaurant?
08:52Yeah, it actually is.
08:55So in New York.
08:57All right, it's Texas time.
09:01A few hours from my hometown of Houston, in College Station, is a unique Laundro pub known
09:06as Harvey Washbangers.
09:09That's right.
09:10People can get their clothes full of suds in the back while they scarf down tasty Tex-Mex
09:16in the front.
09:17Laundry in the front, party in the back.
09:20Taking a fun spin off vodka and OJ cocktail, Harvey Wallbanger, Harvey Washbangers is located
09:29just steps from Texas A&M University.
09:32It's a dream come true for college students and locals in need of clean clothes and a full
09:38stomach.
09:38Doing laundry is a boring chore.
09:41Most of us just stare at the walls and eat stale chips from a vending machine.
09:45So Washbangers fix that by serving exciting, delicious food.
09:50Harvey's makes laundry fun by getting you full while you wait.
09:54Brilliant.
09:57Having the restaurant with the laundromat helps keep customers around.
10:01It gives them a way to relax and eat while they're doing their laundry.
10:04And we do have a light board on our restaurant side that all the washers and dryers are tied
10:08to.
10:09So when your light goes out, your machines are ready.
10:11So you can sit down, relax, and not have to constantly check on your machines.
10:17Harvey's is a business in the front, but party in the back, just like server Dan's mullet.
10:24And get a load of these porkaholic cheese fries approaching your table.
10:30Oh, wow, look at this.
10:31Oh, wonderful, thank you.
10:33And food enthusiasts Sam and Nina are ready to dig in while they're closed bed.
10:40I've never had cheese fries like this.
10:42Oh, my God, look at that.
10:44Keeping true to the Tex-Mex theme, a chorizo burger grilled to perfection is a mix of freshly
10:51ground beef and garlic-spiced chorizo, then topped with a spicy pepper jack and cool, creamy
10:57avocado pico.
11:00That's a very sweet bun.
11:01Oh, that works so well.
11:03And that avocado in the middle.
11:05Hopefully Sam and Nina have saved room for the crowd favorite, the Frito Chili Dog.
11:11And hopefully they eat it before they start their wash cycle.
11:14That's going to leave a mark.
11:21For those who really worked up an appetite, the humongous Frito Pie Dog comes in a fluffy
11:28folded bun with house-made chili and a handful of Fritos.
11:34Corn chip royalty in Texas.
11:40The balance of the crunchy and the sweet and the chili and the onions and the sauce, this
11:46is so good.
11:47That's a happy food dance he's trying to contain right there.
11:52I know that dance.
11:53I know it will.
11:54A lot of the feedback we hear is how great of a concept this is.
12:00We get a lot of people that come in from out of town that are like, oh, this would do great
12:03in any college town.
12:05And people love the idea.
12:06So if you're like me and that Frito Pie Chili Dog is bound to end up on your shirt, then it's
12:11a good thing you're at Harvey Washbangers.
12:14Get your clothes clean, then get yourself dirty with some authentic Tex-Mex while you wait.
12:19Harvey Washbangers may be a laundromat, but yeah, it's also a restaurant.
12:26From the plains of Texas to the mountains of Thailand, next we're going to the city of
12:32Chiang Mai to a giant outdoor aquarium filled with 10,000 fish.
12:38It's also a rainforest and sort of a river wall.
12:41So wait, is that a restaurant?
12:44Yes.
12:45Carp Cafe is a restaurant.
12:48Wow.
12:49Serving Japanese, Thai, and Western fusion, this fish-filled fun house really lets diners
12:55get close to the main attraction.
13:02Guests enter this misty and mystical world over a series of bridges as nearly 10,000 orange,
13:08yellow, and red carps swim under their feet.
13:12Food enthusiast Jackie has taken us for a trek through this rainforest to take in the sights,
13:18sushi, and smoothies at Carp Cafe.
13:22Sushi and smoothies?
13:24I've never heard that combo before.
13:26Kind of has a nice ring to it.
13:28Come here, come here.
13:30It's a mini fish, right?
13:32Not only can you admire the fish from the restaurant's many scenic spots,
13:36you also get to dine right among them on tiny island tables.
13:41Wow.
13:42The menu is really nice.
13:44The Asian fusion menu leans heavily on fish, but thankfully, not the species swimming around you.
13:50To start, a traditional Thai spicy seafood soup called Tom Yam or Tom Yum with fragrant lemongrass,
13:58lime juice, fish sauce, and spicy crushed red chili peppers with all the freshest seafood available.
14:05Inside the soup, have the coconut milk, too.
14:11Really nice.
14:17Spicy.
14:18I think medium spicy.
14:20This guy right here, he really knows his soups.
14:23The next dish is a close cousin of the koi.
14:26Just don't tell him.
14:27A spicy stir-fried sea bass gets its punch from Thai chilies.
14:31This is from the sea brass, so looking good, eh?
14:37Really well known in Thailand.
14:40And this ice-cold smoothie pairs perfectly with hot mixed seafood and creamy yellow curry.
14:47Turmeric gives the dish its glowing color, while coriander, cumin, lemongrass, ginger, and coconut milk add extra flavor.
14:57Oh, now, food.
15:01Good.
15:01The seafood menu of fresh sushi and Thai dishes at Carp Cafe definitely screams restaurant.
15:16But the rainforest ambience with waterfalls and over 10,000 fish you can't eat says,
15:21are you sure?
15:22Some of you could argue that the places on today's show aren't restaurants at all.
15:29You could, but you would lose.
15:31Like this three-story Ode to the commode in Taipei, Taiwan.
15:41Modern Toilet might have a crappy ambience, but they serve amazing food.
15:46Modern Toilet serves Italian-Asian fusion, and to live up to its appetizing name, it's all about the presentation.
15:54Keeping with the latrine theme, keeping with the latrine theme, the menu is shaped like a doggy duty, and every guest is given the royal treatment.
16:01Everybody gets to sit on their own thrones.
16:05That's right.
16:05You get to enjoy your lunch while sitting on an actual toilet.
16:09I believe that's a first.
16:12Modern Toilet prides itself on presenting big, bold flavors and bowls shaped like porcelain gods.
16:19I've heard of dinner in a can, but never dinner in the can.
16:22Joanne, Kevin, and Jeremy are in Taiwan to see Joanne's mom.
16:29They've brought her along to find out what makes Modern Toilet number one, while serving food that looks like number two.
16:36At this restaurant, every cuisine will be put in a toilet to serve to you.
16:41Oh my God, it sounds so ridiculous.
16:44I actually really need to use the toilet.
16:48Is this your green tea?
16:49Yes.
16:50Oh, thank you.
16:52They really do go all in.
16:54That gives a whole new meaning to potty mouth.
16:57Now, Kevin, Joanne, and Jeremy are about to relieve our curiosity and are ready to order their poo-poo platters.
17:04So, we ordered green curry.
17:07This is a giant toilet.
17:12Ew.
17:13That feels so crazy.
17:15All right, I got my seafood pasta, but I'm just really fascinated about the serving tray.
17:21Fresh shrimp and clams and a tangy tomato and basil sauce.
17:25An Italian classic, except for the unusual way it's served.
17:30But hey, when in Taipei.
17:33What do you think so far?
17:34Oh my God.
17:37Don't poo-poo the idea of eating in this loo just yet.
17:41The desserts here are the royal flush.
17:43Single diners can go with the ever-popular chocolate ice cream swirl in a mini Japanese toilet.
17:49While this massive creation of defecation is made for sharing.
17:54We got cookies, shaved ice, ice cream, like chocolate balls, more ice cream, vanilla.
18:04And we have fudge and sprinkles all on top.
18:08Oh my God.
18:10Time to dig in.
18:12Wow.
18:12Wow.
18:13Indeed.
18:15Modern toilet might look like a three-story showroom for fancy thrones, but it's not.
18:20That's a restaurant.
18:23Overall, the experience and the theme is really cool.
18:27All right, time to go use the toilet.
18:28I hope you enjoyed these restaurants that aren't restaurants, but they are.
18:35From wasabi and pain, to the only rat-free subway in New York, because it's in Argentina.
18:43Tex-Mex, so deliciously dirty, it could only be served in a laundromat.
18:48Thousands of fish at your feet, but not on the menu.
18:52And a house of toilets that serve up more than just a great story.
18:56That's a wrap on That's a Restaurant.
18:59See you next time on 1,000 Ways to Dime.
Comments