A peek at the new Hello Kitty dim sum menu. (Hello Kitty Chinese Cuisine)
If you’ve thought that Hello Kitty was cute enough to eat, now you can her.
The world’s first Chinese restaurant inspired by the girl-who-looks-like-a-cat character is now open in Hong Kong.
Though there have been branded cafes featuring the immediately recognizable white kitty face and pink bow, this is the first ever Chinese food eatery dedicated to the character.
“Hello Kitty is more popular in Hong Kong than in [her native] Japan,” Hello Kitty Chinese Cuisine owner Man Kwong told Time.
The new restaurant will feature a range of classic dim sum choices—with about half inspired by or shaped like Hello Kitty-- ranging in price from HK$42 to HK$238 (US$5 to $30). The interior décor of the restaurant features Chinese-style lanterns and frosted windows, accented by Hello Kitty posters. The dishes, flatware, glasses and chopsticks are all adorned with Hello Kitty’s signature round face.
But unlike other Hello Kitty dining concepts, Kwong has taken great lengths to maintain the quality of his food as the restaurant strives to use local ingredients, organic when possible and utilize natural foods to color dishes. CNN notes that for the custard bun and shrimp dumpling ” Hello Kitty's bow is dyed pink with beet root, her nose is turned light orange with carrot, and her whiskers and eyes are colored black with squid ink.
Sanrio invented Hello Kitty in 1974 and she has since grown into a global phenomenon worth $7 billion, reports Time. She appears on everyday kid staples from backpacks to pencils, to grown up items like wines and diamond jewelry. She even has her own airline.
Hello Kitty Chinese Cuisine officially opens June 1.
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