The Great Golden Turd in the Sky

The Asahi headquarters is in Tokyo. Next to it is a very distinct building. A large black Dali-esque cube with a giant golden turd floating on top of it. Ok, so it is supposed represent foam coming off the top of a beer (a Super Dry I would think) but it really looks like a golden turd. On the first floor of this pinnacle of modern art is the La’ Flamme d’ Or, an Asahi owned restaurant that serves the microbrews of the Asahi owned Sumidagawa Brewing. From now on we will refer to both of these places by the name that Miyuki gave them –The Golden Shit Restaurant and Brewery.

The Golden Shit Restaurant has a great lunch deal. For roughly 900 yen you can get an entre and the salad and soup bar. Considering Tokyo, this is a great deal. The Golden Shit Restaurant features three Golden Shit beers, a Weizen, an Alt, and a Chocolate Porter (goes with the fecal theme). Of the three, the Alt is sub-par, the Weizen is decent and goes great with a meal, and the Chocolate Porter is a refreshing break from the normal restaurant/brewery that turns out the German-style beer.

First off all, I am partial to Chocolate Porters. Rogue Mocha Porter? Can you say breakfast in a bottle? Now, I don’t want to get your hopes up; Golden Shit’s Chocolate Porter is no Rogue Mocha Porter but, no chocolate porter is. I almost feel it is biased of me to review this chocolate porter, liking them as much as I do. When I go back to Tokyo, which I will in February and March 09, I will drink this beer again. Maybe more than one.

Even if you don’t care about chocolate porters or cheap lunch buffets, The Golden Shit Restaurant is worth visiting for the visuals alone. First is the giant golden turd on top. Second is the modern art exhibit that is the inside of the Golden Shit Restaurant. If you really want to be blown away, go into the bathroom. In there is real…golden shit! Well, not really, but the bathrooms are futuristically cool. I was afraid to go inside the stalls for fear I would be beamed to the mothership. And the men’s urinals are out of this world.

This building/restaurant/brewery definitely has an ‘unko’ theme going on, but is a must see if you visit Tokyo. Make it your number two destination. Get it? Number two? Oh, man…