...or perhaps a rat on the side?

San Francisco

THE rodent-borne bubonic plague may seem unappetising, but for a few San Francisco visionaries, it proved just the inspiration needed to launch one of the city's latest eateries: The Rat Cafe.

The pop-up cafe, which opened last Saturday, offers visitors a chance to munch on a breakfast of pastries, coffee and tea, and enjoy a bit of play time with a small handful of rats.