Guest of the Week: Maria Johansson, theme restaurant fanatic

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Maria Johansson lives with her future husband in Gothenburg and works in the kitchen on a passenger ferry. She has a great interest in both food and travelling, which she has combined and developed into a very specific interest in theme restaurants. Maria has visited countless themed restaurants around the world and constantly reports on her blog. Fantasy Dining about exciting and different restaurant visits.

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The blog takes you to exotic countries like Japan and Costa Rica, but also to many European cities and of course to restaurants in Sweden. For example, what about restaurants with a vampire theme, Hello Kitty theme or "secret" theme? Of course, we want to know more about the magical world of themed restaurants, so we asked Maria eight curious questions.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself? Who are you and what do you do when you're not visiting theme restaurants?

My name is Maria Johanson, I am 36 years old and live in Gothenburg. My main interest in life is travelling and I think that is reflected in most of what I do. When I'm not travelling and visiting oddly themed restaurants, I work on a passenger ferry between Sweden and Denmark where I stand in the kitchen and cook for the guests. In my spare time, I do yoga and I enjoy organising theme parties and dinners for my friends at home.

How did your interest in themed restaurants start and what got you 'hooked'?

Wow, it is so long ago that I hardly know where the interest started but I think it was during my first trip to Japan. What got me hooked was that the Japanese always went all out with their theme (with decor, food, music, environment and costumes). For me, it was like visiting different fairy tale worlds. If you went to an Alice in Wonderland restaurant in Tokyo, it felt like you were really in Wonderland and really were Alice. I wanted more of that!

Which country has the best themed restaurants? Tell us!

Asia has arguably the most different, quirky and wonderful themed restaurants. Tokyo and Taiwan, in particular, are the places to visit if you want a dining experience out of the ordinary. Choose from cute Barbie and My Little Pony cafes to bizarre mental hospitals and vampire restaurants.

You've probably visited a lot of "quirky" themed restaurants in the world. Can you tell us about the most special one?

The craziest experience I've had in a themed restaurant was at Yurie Ghost - a ghost Izakaya in Tokyo. There, my partner and I took part in an after-dinner ritual where I was buried alive and placed in a coffin. Izakaya is the Japanese word for pub and in this pub the staff serve food and drink to ghosts. So we, the guests at the izakaya, are the ghosts. You can read about this quirky visit here.

Are there any themes you like better than others and why?

I'm actually very fond of the theme of horror, maybe because I'm basically a dark and slightly scared person who likes to sleep with the light on. Maybe I like to play with my fears a bit haha ... By the way, I'm also very fond of restaurants with different kinds of fairy tale themes such as Alice in Wonderland.

Can you recommend some exciting themed restaurants in Sweden?

There are several interesting themed restaurants in Sweden as well. Some of my favourites in Stockholm are the Viking restaurant Aifur and the medieval restaurant Sjätte Tunnan. In Gothenburg you should not miss Dorsia where you can enjoy French cuisine in an environment inspired by "la Belle Epoque" and Montemarte. Puta Madre with its time travel to another era where you can have your dinner in an environment filled with red velvet and beautiful nightgowns. A tribute to the Mexican brothel mother of 1930.

Last but not least, don't miss a visit to Sweden's first Steampunk restaurant - At Steampunk Bar. (The Steampunk subculture is Victorian science fiction set during 19th century industrialisation. It is based on steam engines, hot air balloons and other technology from the Industrial Revolution). Here you can get steaming and steaming drinks and food from staff dressed in head-to-toe steampunk clothing.

Do you have any trips or restaurant visits planned? What will be featured on your blog during the year?

Having just returned from Costa Rica and is pregnant in the 5th month, the next trip is not really nailed down. But we have plans to go on a weekend trip to London or Prague and a honeymoon to an undisclosed location will eventually follow.

During this year, you will read a lot about my trip to Costa Rica where I will write about our backpacking trip through the country and give tips on everything from fun restaurants to excursions and accommodation. I will also write about restaurants at home and try different different
theme hotels in Sweden. Then more trips are always added in one way or another.

Finally, a question we ask everyone we interview: What is your dream destination?

My dream destination right now is travelling to Taipei in Taiwan. There I have a whole list of everything from quirky toilet restaurants to cute Hello Kitty cafes I want to visit. A trip I hope we can do with a pram in due course.

Thank you Maria Johansson for sharing your experiences and thoughts!

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