Cheetos-themed restaurant opens in New York

Fancy a Cheeto-topped mac 'n' cheese or a glass of tomato soup delicately brushed with a soupcon of Cheeto dust? Somehow, for some reason, there's now a pop-up for that.

From Tuesday to Thursday this week, New York bar Distilled is playing host to the Spotted Cheetah, a pop-up restaurant based around Cheetos crisps.

Patrons of the Spotted Cheetah can sample around a dozen menu items containing or inspired by the maize snack. Why not start with Cheetos-crusted fried pickles, followed by Flamin' Hot chicken tacos, before rounding off your orange-tinged feast with a slice of goat cheese cheesecake with a crunchy Sweetos crust?

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Cheeto manufacturer Frito-Lay partnered with well-known fast food names such as Burger King and Taco Bell to develop the menu. For instance, Burger King's contribution is the Mac n' Cheetos, which is pretty much what it sounds like: deep-fried macaroni cheese topped with Cheetos.

Although the Spotted Cheetah may sound like a nostalgia-fuelled novelty, offering millennials a taste of their simple childhood favourites in the vein of Shoreditch's infamous cereal cafe, it takes its food seriously.

Each dish was developed under the aegis of Anne Burrell, a Food Network stalwart and one of America's most recognisable TV chefs. Classier options include "Cheetos-dusted fried green tomatoes on a bed of arugula, fresh corn, and cherry tomatoes; or mains like Cheetos-infused meatballs with ricotta," says foodie blog GrubStreet.

One diner at Tuesday's grand opening told the New York Post that the ambiance was less knowingly ironic than you might expect given the gimmicky premise.

"We thought it would be more cheesy inside - but it was a serious dining experience with good service and, like, mood lighting," she said.

But if sampling a Cheetos Chicken Milanese sounds right up your alley, you may have to give it a go at home yourself. All tables for the three-day venture were snapped up within six hours, with the waiting list quickly reaching 1,000 people.

If the Spotted Cheetah does rear its head again for a second run, there'll be no shortage of keen diners, judging by the passionate response the news provoked on Twitter:

However, some foodies were unconvinced by the latest innovation in gourmet junk food: