Thailand Watery Dining

Video. A Thai restaurant hit by floods becomes a gastronomic Mecca.

Today, instead of empty chairs and tables, the "Chaopraya Antique Café" is fuller than ever, offering an experience the clever owner has renamed "hot-pot surfing."

Today, instead of empty chairs and tables, the "Chaopraya Antique Café" is fuller than ever, offering an experience the clever owner has renamed "hot-pot surfing."

Soon after the water reaches the level of the parapet, the first customers arrive. Soon, the deck is filled with carefree patrons eating their meals as if eating in a deluge is the norm.

The waiters, some of whom are dressed in rubber waders, move carefully through the swirling water, which quickly reaches over 50 centimeters.

The restaurant, located in Nonthaburi, near Bangkok, opened in February in a riverside location.

After a several-month hiatus due to the coronavirus, it could have been a disaster.

Instead, thanks to publicity in the Thai media, the establishment has become so popular that if you want to dine, you have to make reservations.