Gok Wan has fronted the opening of a table-less restaurant – where diners are served their food from the floor.
The TV star and chef is inviting foodies to step out of their culinary comfort zone, with multi-course fine dining, inspired by modern Asian cuisine, served on the immaculate vinyl surface, right next to their feet.
The eatery – named FLOORS – has opened in London’s Angel, Islington, giving curious foodies the chance to devour the menu from the ground.
With no normal plates in sight, floor feasters have morsels served inside protective casings made from natural materials, some also edible, laid down directly on the floor.
Hungry folks can nibble on a tasting menu which includes lychee ceviche, served in a chilled oyster shell, lotus leaf steamed meats, with black bean peppered beef, duck, and oyster mushroom and black sesame mochi cake with fuyu sour cream and an edible rice paper receipt.
The eatery was created by Bosch after a poll of 2,000 adults revealed 75 per cent would never eat food that had fallen on the floor in a restaurant.
But an adventurous 23 per cent would consider dining somewhere food was served off the floor if they could see proof of hygiene.
But the brand is hoping to the turn the tables for the less plucky 58 per cent who are a hard ‘no’ for floor eating, stating ‘a floor’s a floor’ – by creating a space where the floor is celebrated, not avoided
The makers of the Unlimited 10 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner commissioned the research as well as the pop-up restaurant, which people can book for one night only on Friday 9th May [https://www.eventbrite.com/e/floors-by-bosch-tickets-1333772672969?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=wsa&aff=ebdsshwebmobile].
Gok Wan said: “I have loved being the host today, everyone is sat on the floor and I’m stood up so I feel really powerful.
"I’d eat most things off the floor – in five seconds - if I knew how clean the floor was, unless it was soup.
“Many of us would not eat food if it’s fallen on the floor, especially in a restaurant – but personally I’m not that fussy.”
The study also showed that when it comes to dinner dates, more than one in 10 (14 per cent) say it’s acceptable to eat food that’s been dropped on the floor, so long as you grab it back in five seconds or less.
But for exactly three quarters of those polled by OnePoll.com the ‘five-second rule’ is an absolute no in a restaurant as it’s unacceptable to eat any food that has been dropped on the floor.
Although nearly one in 10 (nine per cent) said if it wasn’t a posh restaurant, they might swipe a morsel that’d fallen to the ground.
But food flying off the table by mistake leaves people unphased, even when dining for two, as 27 per cent would laugh and make a joke out of it if their date’s dinner ended up on the floor.
Nearly a quarter (23 per cent) would help to clear it up, 21 per cent would continue eating and remaining totally deadpan, while a polite 18 per cent would pretend they hadn’t seen the dropped dish.
When it comes to their own homes, 42 per cent reckon their floors are so clean they could literally eat their dinner off them, although 31 per cent aren’t so sure.
And when given the chance to book a ‘Floor Dining Experience’ where food is artistically arranged on the ground, 64 per cent would think it was weird – even if it was sparkling clean.
While 11 per cent said as they’d spent their life avoiding eating food off the floor, it would be a barrier to them trying it out.
A spokesperson for Bosch said: “This dining experience is all about pushing boundaries and reimagining what’s possible.
"With the right tools, even the floor can become the star of the dining experience.
“We’re excited to challenge perceptions and bring a new level of cleanliness to unexpected places.”
