稀奇古怪的餐厅

2014-03-12ByMarthaLi

新东方英语·中学版 2014年2期

By+Martha+Li

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant， Conrad

Maldives Rangali Island， Maldives

马尔代夫港丽伦格里岛的海底餐厅

Located at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island Resort， Ithaa Undersea Restaurant is a gorgeous and intimate underwater restaurant （seating capacity is 14 people） that is more than 16 feet below sea level. Opened in 2005， the all-glass restaurant has a menu consisting of fresh seafood， beef rib eye1）， veal2）， and other delicious dishes. Encased3） in a transparent roof， the restaurant offers its diners a 270-degree panoramic4） view of sea creatures swimming in the Maldives' crystal clear waters. While a zinc paint5） coating protects Ithaa's steel structure from corrosion6）， the saltwater and marine growths adhering to7） the paint will eventually break it down. Make a reservation while you still can.

坐落于马尔代夫港丽伦格里岛度假胜地的这家华丽而宁静怡人的水下餐厅（可容纳14人就餐）位于海平面下16英尺多的地方。这家全玻璃的餐厅于2005年开始营业，提供的菜肴有新鲜的海鲜、肋眼牛排、小牛肉及其他美味。这家餐厅被密封于透明的穹顶之内，食客们可以270度全景观赏那些在马尔代夫晶莹剔透的海水中自由徜徉的海洋生物。尽管有含锌油漆涂层保护，海底餐厅的钢架结构不会被腐蚀，但是海水和黏附在油漆涂层上的海洋植物最终会将其侵蚀掉。所以，在这个海底餐厅消失之前赶快预定吧！

Dinner in the Sky， Montreal， Canada

加拿大蒙特利尔的空中餐厅

Got an appetite for high altitude？ Originating in Belgium， the concept involves a crane8） hoisting9） guests， who are securely strapped10） into "dining chairs"， 160 feet up in the air along with a table， wait staff， and everything that's required to enjoy a meal floating above the ground. The novelty-based mobile restaurant has gained popularity worldwide and is now offered for limited run periods in cities around the globe， including Montreal.

喜欢在高空就餐？高空就餐这一创想源自比利时，需要用一架起重机将被安全带固定在“餐椅”上的客人、餐桌、服务员以及一切享受高空就餐所需的东西一起升至160英尺高的高空中。这种创意新颖的移动餐厅业已风靡全球，如今在全球包括蒙特利尔在内的众多城市限时营业。

Cat Cafe Nekorobi， Tokyo， Japan

日本东京的猫咪咖啡馆

Now this is an unusual， or shall we say different， way to have a coffee break. Nekorobi is a popular cat café located in Tokyo's entertainment district of Ikebukuro， where you can spend time with friends of the feline11） kind. Regular customers enter through modern glass doors into a dimly lit joint12） where cats prowl and sprawl out， and where a drinks vending machine13） offers a variety of hot and cold beverages14） including coffee， royal milk tea， green tea， and instant miso soup15）. Visit in the evening and you'll have a chance to witness the dinnertime ceremony where the kitties feast on cat food in glass food bowls arranged in a circle around a floor lamp. For feline lovers， this place is no doubt the "cat's meow".endprint

如今这是一种非同寻常的或者说是非常另类的茶歇方式。Nekorobi是一家很受欢迎的猫咪咖啡馆，位于东京池袋的娱乐区，在这里，你可以和猫咪朋友们共度美好时光。老主顾们穿过一个现代的玻璃门就来到了一个灯光微暗的休闲娱乐场所，这里有许多猫咪懒散地踱着步，伸着懒腰，另外还有一台饮料自动售卖机，提供包括咖啡、皇家奶茶、绿茶和速溶味噌汤在内的各种热饮和冷饮。如果晚上来到这里，你还有机会目睹猫咪们的晚餐仪式，看它们尽情享用盛放在玻璃饭碗里的猫粮——这些碗围成一圈，摆放在一盏落地灯的周围。对于爱猫的人来说，这个地方绝对是“喵不可言”。

Safe House， Milwaukee， USA 美国密尔沃基的“安全房”餐厅

This Midwestern U.S. restaurant has a rather nondescript exterior， but that seems to be precisely the point. Everything related to the spy-themed restaurant is based on the CIA definition of a safe house， which is meant to be a seemingly innocent place where an intelligence organization would conduct its covert operations in relative security. Nowhere will you find a sign advertising "Safe House"， and you even need to know the password to enter the establishment. If you ever find yourself in Milwaukee， this top-secret restaurant is worth seeking out： though remember， you didn't hear it from us.

这家位于美国中西部的餐厅有着相当普通的外表，但这似乎就是他们想要的效果。所有和这个间谍主题餐厅相关的东西都是基于中央情报局关于“安全房”的定义，即“安全房”一定是一处看似普通的地方，这样情报组织才能相对安全地进行秘密行动。你在任何地方都不会找到写有“安全房”字样的餐厅招牌，你甚至需要知道密码才能进入这家餐厅。如果某天你来到密尔沃基，这家绝密餐厅值得你去寻找一番；但是千万记住了，你可不是从我们这儿听说这家餐厅的哦。

Modern Toilet， Taipei City， Taiwan， China

中国台湾台北市的便所主题欢乐餐厅

The idea for this odd restaurant was figured by one of the owners while he was reading while sitting—where else？—on a toilet. Initially it only sold chocolate ice cream in containers shaped like a squat toilet16）， but once the humorous spin became a great success， a full-fledged17）， bathroom-themed eatery18） emerged. Today， Modern Toilet is a chain with locations across Asia and it has plans for further expansion. If the idea piques19） your curiosity， drop in to have a seat at one of the （non-working） toilets where meals are served in toilet bowl-shaped dinnerware.

开办这家另类餐厅的主意是其中一位店主坐在——还能是哪儿呢？——马桶上看书的时候想出来的。最初这家餐厅只出售盛放在便池状餐具里的巧克力冰淇淋，但是这个幽默的创意大获成功之后，一家发展成熟的、以厕所为主题的餐厅便应运而生了。如今，便所主题欢乐餐厅已经成为店面遍布亚洲的连锁店，还在计划进一步拓展市场。如果这个想法激起了你的好奇心，那就顺便拜访一下这家餐厅，坐在（不使用的）马桶上享用盛放在整套便池状餐具里的美味吧。

De Kas， Amsterdam， the Netherlands

荷兰阿姆斯特丹的温室餐厅

Less weird than amazing： imagine a restaurant where the menu selections are prepared using the freshest possible ingredients， and by freshest we mean harvested in the field at sunrise of the same day you are dining there. Welcome to De Kas， an old greenhouse in Amsterdam that was due to be demolished in 2001 but was saved by an ambitious Michelin-starred chef20）， Gert Jan Hageman， who converted the unique 26-foot-high glass building into a restaurant and nursery21）. Mediterranean vegetables， herbs， and edible22） flowers are grown and harvested at the greenhouse and garden near the restaurant， and Hageman can be found in De Kas' nursery daily， working the soil， planting， weeding23）， and harvesting herbs and vegetables.endprint

与其说这家餐厅古怪，不如说令人吃惊，想象一下，一家餐厅所有的菜品均由最新鲜的食材做成——所谓的“最新鲜”是指在顾客用餐当天日出时从田里采摘下来的。欢迎来到De Kas温室餐厅，这是一个位于阿姆斯特丹的旧温室，本来应该在2001年被拆毁，但让一位雄心勃勃的米其林星级厨师格特·扬·哈格曼救了下来，他将这座独特的26英尺高的玻璃房改造成了一个带苗圃的餐厅。地中海蔬菜、香草和一些可食用的花卉都在这个温室和餐厅附近的菜园里生长和收获。哈格曼每天都要来温室餐厅为苗圃松土，播种，除草，采摘香草和蔬菜。

O.NOIR， Toronto， Canada 加拿大多伦多的黑暗餐厅

Dining in the dark has been around for quite some time in Europe， but the concept was only introduced in Canada in 2006 with the opening of O.NOIR in Montreal， and then a second location in Toronto in 2009. O.NOIR's philosophy is that a diner's enjoyment is enlarged when his sight is eliminated as the other senses become heightened. Flashlights， cellphones， and luminous watches are prohibited from the dark dining establishment. The evening starts in a lit bar where guests place their orders； then they are led by a server into an unlit dining room， where a two-hour seated dinner service begins with servers explaining where everything is placed on the table. This amazing experience certainly puts a new spin on24） the term "blind date25）".

摸黑就餐已经在欧洲流行相当长时间了，但是直到2006年第一家O.NOIR黑暗餐厅在蒙特利尔开业，这一创想才被引入加拿大。此后在2009年，第二家O.NOIR黑暗餐厅在多伦多开业。O.NOIR黑暗餐厅的经营理念就是，当食客“睁眼瞎”时，其他感官就会增强，其就餐的乐趣就会大大增加。客人到黑暗餐厅就餐时，手电筒、手机、夜光手表都是不准携带的。黑夜从明亮的吧台开始，客人在这里点餐后被一位服务员带到没有一点光亮的餐厅就餐。在长达两小时的晚餐开始之前，服务员会向客人说明餐桌上所有东西的摆放位置。这种神奇的就餐经历无疑为“盲目约会”做了一次新的阐释。

1. beef rib eye：肋眼牛排，取自牛的第6～12根肋骨附近的肉，特点是多汁、肉嫩，而且有许多脂肪夹杂，红白相间，像大理石纹一样。

2. veal [vi?l] n. 小牛肉，即来自小牛的食用肉

3. encase [?n?ke?s] vt. 围住

4. panoramic [?p?n??r?m?k] adj. 全景的

5. zinc paint：含锌油漆

6. corrosion [k??r???n] n. 腐蚀

7. adhere to：黏附

8. crane [kre?n] n. 起重机

9. hoist：请参见P58注释8

10. strap [str?p] vt. 用带子扣住

11. feline [?fi?la?n] adj. 猫科的

12. joint [d???nt] n. 娱乐场所