In a city known for innovation, culinary extravagance, and experimental fine dining, a restaurant in Shanghai has taken the concept of nature-themed dining to a level few would have imagined.
Offering a 15-course rainforest-inspired meal for a staggering US$550, this eatery’s final flourish is something that has left many diners—and the internet—gobsmacked: an Elephant Poop Dessert. While the restaurant claims to celebrate nature and ecological fusion, questions regarding hygiene, safety, and taste have sparked a lively debate.
Elephant Poop Dessert
The most controversial item on the rainforest menu is undoubtedly the dessert named “Flowers Inserted into Elephant Dung.” According to a food blogger known as “Mixue’s Culinary Notes,” the dessert consists of crispy elephant dung crumbs infused with herbal perfume, paired with fruit jam, pollen, and honey sorbet.
To make it an immersive experience, guests are invited to customize their dessert by selecting their preferred perfume and jam in what the restaurant calls a “dessert tour.”
The elephant dung is reportedly sterilised to meet hygiene standards, though critics and food experts remain sceptical about its safety. According to China’s Food Hygiene Law, all food served in eateries must be non-toxic, harmless, and nutritionally sound. Whether sterilised elephant feces meets these criteria remains a hot topic of debate.
Read : Cow Dung Soup ‘Papaitan’ Is A Winter Special Dish of the Philippines
Nevertheless, the restaurant’s owners—a man from China’s Blang ethnic group and a French partner—insist that the dish is both safe and authentic. They claim that seven years of research in Yunnan’s rainforests went into crafting this experience, which aims to reconnect people with the raw, untamed elements of nature.
15 Courses of Wilderness: When Dining Meets the Jungle
The restaurant’s journey through the rainforest begins the moment patrons walk in. A server stands by each table, describing every dish in detail while explaining the environmental message behind the experience. Guests are encouraged to engage with nature by literally plucking tree leaves from indoor plants to dip in exotic sauces.
Another course features honey-coated ice cubes adorned with pollen, which diners are told to lick in order to capture the taste of nectar as experienced by bees.
Read : British Farmer’s Rolex Watch Eaten by Cow in 1970 Recovered After 50 Years
Another highlight of the meal is a dish called “black goo,” designed to replicate the parasitic Rafflesia flower—one of the world’s largest and smelliest blooms. Chefs painstakingly recreate the flower’s infamous stench, described as resembling decaying flesh, to evoke a visceral reaction. According to the staff, this is meant to simulate the jungle’s more repulsive, yet equally fascinating, aspects.
For $550, patrons receive not just a meal but what the restaurant describes as a “multi-sensory adventure.” But that price point, combined with the extreme nature of some dishes, has sparked divided opinions. Some see it as an artistic exploration of ecological themes; others label it a grotesque gimmick.
Public Reaction: Artistic Innovation or Culinary Nightmare?
Unsurprisingly, the idea of consuming a dessert that includes elephant dung—regardless of sterilisation—has sparked intense reactions on social media. One netizen commented, “I’m from Yunnan province, but we definitely do not consume elephant dung here.” Another added, “This is disgusting and frightening.” Yet, some have defended the establishment, noting that it is not a typical restaurant but a “novel experimental venue.”
Critics have raised concerns about food safety and the broader implications of such dining trends. Is it ethical to use animal waste for culinary entertainment? Can sterilisation make feces genuinely safe for consumption? These are questions that China’s food safety authorities may have to address more formally as such experiments gain popularity.
Others argue that the restaurant is pushing the boundaries of cuisine and performance art, attempting to jolt diners out of their comfort zones and challenge perceptions about what is edible, artistic, or environmentally sound.
While this concept may not appeal to the masses, it has carved out a niche among foodies, influencers, and curious adventurers willing to pay for the story, the spectacle, and the Instagram moment.
The restaurant’s existence also sheds light on the evolving world of fine dining, where chefs are no longer just cooks but storytellers, philosophers, and provocateurs. As diners demand more than just good food—seeking meaning, identity, and even activism in their meals—the line between art and appetite continues to blur.
Whether you view the elephant dung dessert as a groundbreaking tribute to the environment or a culinary misstep, one thing is certain: the Shanghai rainforest-themed restaurant has succeeded in getting people talking. And in the age of viral content and gastronomic experimentation, perhaps that was the point all along.