Luckily for me, a serious fan of everything edible that comes out of the sea, I had the chance to be on holiday and having vast amounts of squid and fish. As for the ice cream floaties, let’s just say they’re not really the type of thing that ‘floats my boat’. Get it? Here is my review for Episode 9 of Restaurant to Another World.

Japanese Original Episode Title: シーフードフライ / クリームソーダ

Plot

Two dwarves are climbing up some really steep mountains to reach the top and have –as one of the dwarves said- fish and really, really good alcohol. Upon their arrival, one of the dwarves believes his friend has fooled him and led him to an abandoned cabin, only to discover that the magical door of the Nekoya lies there. They enter the restaurant and are being greeted by Kuro’s supernatural voice, take a seat, and order shitloads of fried seafood, beer, and whiskey. Apparently, human portions are way too small for dwarves. I feel you, brah. After leaving the Nekoya, the skeptical dwarf decides to improve the little shack where the door is being located, making it a resting spot for mountain climbers, and adding an extra feature to it: a heavy vault door. Because who the hell wants their favorite restaurant to be popular? I sure as hell don’t.

In the second part of the episode, we are being introduced to two nobles from the land of the sand (based on our own world’s middle-eastern deserts and their people), two siblings that have invented iced coffee using the magic their mother (and in the prince’s case, stepmother) taught them. The prince is infatuated with Adelheid, the sick girl who eats sweets, but cannot gather the courage to humanly interact with her, so he sends messengers and diplomats to her country to ask her in marriage. Is it just me or is this a really elaborate creepy behavior of a loser? I can’t talk to her, so let’s get married for diplomacy instead. Boy, she’s gonna love that. They sit on the same table and enjoy some really questionable quality sodas that look like they’re 300% refined sugar, along with a generous amount of delicious food coloring. That is some fancy food right there.

Episode Highlights

Fish in the mountain: Yes, dear (looks up his name) Guilhelm, it does make sense, eating fish in the mountains. There’s lakes and rivers and stuff, and some fish live there, including the very popular freshwater salmon. Surprise!

Minimalist dwarf: Despite his tendency to create (probably very ornamental) complicated glassware, Guilhelm feels somehow attracted to the simplicity and harmonious shapes of the large beer glass. Now either he’s on to something, or had had too much to drink.

So noisy: While the rest of the Nekoya’s customers are rather well mannered (unless they’re arguing about food or screaming for their food to hurry up), the dwarves consistently scream throughout their whole meal making their presence very well known to the rest of the customers. Feels like home.

Ice in the whiskey: Even though they chose the most appropriate of ice cubes to have with a glass of whiskey, what sort of serious, hardcore whiskey drinker has it with ice? SHAME! Have your whiskeys straight up please.

The map: Finally, I was actually curious to understand how the other world’s continents and countries are being arranged. Very informational, thank you.

Themes & Trivia

Dwarves: I’m always skeptical about analyzing western lore in anime (especially when it refers to things that are more or less based on Tolkien’s perception of western mythology). Dwarves are no exception. Very much like elves, first appearing in Germanic mythology before being internationally popularized thanks to all sorts of (sometimes very disturbing) fiction, they’re supposed to live under the earth and in the mountains, being natural craftsmen, artisans, and architects. Haven’t heard much about them being great brewers though. Maybe I’m missing out on some other (disturbing) fandom.

Japanese whiskey: If you know your whiskeys, you’ve probably tried a Japanese one by now. In my experience, they’re really… something. I cannot really understand why, but to me they tasted unlike everything I’ve ever tried. And I’ve tried quite a few. If interested, give Hakushu a go.

More squid please

Call me a food snob (okay yes, I am definitely a food snob, let’s just get this out of the way), but what sort of expensive restaurant serves varieties of ice cream floats?!  Even though I did enjoy the episode thanks to the seafood part and the mild romantic drama going on near the end, I am starting to believe that the Nekoya is not really a ‘good’ restaurant… it’s just a very average eatery, but people from the other world have such crappy food, that to them the dishes served there are of divine flavor.

Hope you enjoyed this review! Let us know what you think in the comments below and see you next week with another Restaurant to Another World review on MANGA.TOKYO!

NEXT TIME: Crepes / Natto Spaghetti (クレープ / 納豆スパ)

TV Anime Restaurant to Another World

Official Site: http://isekai-shokudo.com/

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