8.159

13 (Tue) June 2017

Risotto with Soy Sauce Braised Beef

3.0

at Lilliput

-Ilsan-

with the Family, MTG

Lilliput is a kids’ café.  Over 40 branches across Korea and a few overseas.  The branch in Ilsan is owned by MTG.

I get that Lilliputians, as per the Swift novel, are little people and thus may seem like a cute metaphor for children.  But beyond their physical size, the Lilliputian’s in the novel are petty, irrational, and prone to bickering about arbitrary matters – a satire of British politicans at the time – which I suppose could be applicable to children as well, though I’m sure that wasn’t the marketing intent.

I would be loathe to interfere with my friend’s business, but I was uncomfortable with the display of junk food targeted at children.

These cafés are both for the kids to play and for the parents to socialize, so the menus tend to offer a range of foods and drinks that appeal to both.

As a special treat, I got a tour of the kitchen.  I was impressed by the quality control, all ingredients neatly packaged and stored to maintain cleanliness, promote efficiency, ensure consistency in output.

The food was good.  Each dish was clearly designed to be easily accessible to kids, while having enough sophistication to appeal to parents and justify the highish prices.