The UK’s first 2D cartoon restaurant has opened in Manchester

There’s a new 2D restaurant in Manchester that feels like you’ve stepped into a cartoon.

A new ‘2D restaurant’ has opened in the city centre called Waku Waku – which means ‘thrilling’ or ‘exciting’ in Japanese – serving up Japanese dishes including sushi, sashimi, and beef udon noodles, amongst many more.

A little trippy and disorientating it may be for visitors at first, you can quickly get used to the playful decor, which has been all hand drawn by the owner Chris Lui.

Arriving in Manchester two years ago, Mr Lui said the concept for his first restaurant came from his wife, Chi Chi, and it took him four months to hand draw it all by himself.

He said he’d stay until two or three in the morning every night and used 150 paint markers in the process – of course, he now gets a discount at Fred Aldous, who would see him every few days. He’s also found in his artistic creation, a new found hobby he enjoys.

“The concept was from my wife,” he said.

“She thought that the people in Manchester would like the concept, in 2D style. We’re the first one in Manchester, and I think, the UK. There are some 2D cafes in Taiwan, in Korea and in Japan, but nothing here.”

Amongst the white tables and chairs with bold outlined black marker, on the walls there’s a rendering of the Last Supper, but with cats in sunglasses instead.

There’s also a 2D version of The Scream by Edvard Munch and Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring  – which are also replaced with cats.

“There’s the Last Supper there, I just changed it to cats,” he laughs. “We want people to feel like they’re in a cartoon world. We use the 2D concept to bring people in, and then hopefully the food is great as well.”

The restaurant’s chef has more than a decade of experience working in Japanese restaurants, so the menu is solid. 

There’s a signature dish called a Japanese ‘omurice’, which is a portmanteau of omelette and rice, popular across the Far East. 

It’s a fluffy omelette that’s cooked on the outside and slightly scrambled in the middle, which is then wrapped around fried rice like a warm blanket.

There’s an upscale iteration of the omelette too, that comes served with sticky glazed eel. Add to that sushi platters, rice bowls, udon soup noodles, dumplings and tempura, and the place is shaping up to taste as good as it looks.

Mr Lui plans to redraw the whole place every six months to keep it looking fresh. 

And he also hopes that he’ll be able to indulge his new hobby in the future, though currently he’s not yet sure where he’ll find the time.

“I’ll have to see if I have the chance,” he says, “because I love painting now. I mean, this is my first restaurant, so I might need time to work on that.”

Waku Waku is at 54 Portland St, Manchester M1 4QU, and is open from midday to 10pm every day.