DOULIU, TAIWAN — A restaurant in Taiwan has recently gone viral for the latest unusual offering on the local ramen circuit: A bowl of soup noodles topped with a huge crocodile leg.

The eye-catching dish, called Godzilla Ramen, was introduced by the restaurant 女巫猫葵 or Witch Cat Kwai last Wednesday (June 21) on its Facebook page.

Godzilla Ramen will set diners back a hefty NT$1,500 (S$66). Customers at the restaurant, in Douliu city, Yunlin county, are required to order the dish in advance.

A photo posted by Witch Cat shows a bowl topped with regular ramen fare such as dried bamboo shoots, black fungus, baby corn and quail eggs — as well as the crocodile foot complete with claws resting on the bowl's rim.

Witch Cat's owner, identified by CNN Travel only as Mr Chien, said that the crocodiles come from a farm in Taitung.

After the crocodile leg is cleaned, it is rubbed with alcohol and a mix of spices, then braised in the restaurant's signature broth for two hours, Mr Chien told the American lifestyle channel.

The entire process takes about three hours and only two bowls can be served each day due to the difficulty of sourcing and preparing the dish.

While eating crocodile meat is not a new phenomenon in Asia, it is rare to find a dish featuring the reptile in such a vivid manner, as the store boasts in its Facebook caption.

The original Facebook post has so far attracted 610 reactions and 480 comments.

Many online users have expressed interest in rising to the challenge of tucking into the Godzilla Ramen, tagging their friends in the comments of Witch Cat's Facebook post, while others reacted with fear and disgust instead.

One Facebook user wrote: "This is really a little scary."

Another agreed, saying: "I can't any more..."

Some even offered suggestions for Witch Cat to improve the presentation of the dish and make it "more suited to the witch theme", such as painting the nails of the crocodile paw with food-safe ingredients or having it "clutch a red apple".

Referring to other ramen dishes that have recently taken Taiwan by storm, one Facebook user remarked: "What on earth is happening in Taiwan?"

Mr Chien was reportedly inspired by a viral ramen dish launched by another Taiwanese restaurant in May, which uses a steamed giant isopod as the main topping. An isopod is a type of crustacean.

The giant isopod ramen can be found at The Ramen Boy at the Liaoning Night Market in Taipei.

Mr Chien said that he has received private messages from customers interested in trying the dish, but only several bloggers have tried it so far, Taiwan News reported on Monday.

In a video posted on the restaurant's Facebook page, one young woman described the crocodile ramen as "surprisingly delicious".

The steamed version of the dish tastes similar to chicken and the braised version similar to pig trotters, she said.

Witch Cat's signature spicy "witch soup" contains more than 40 spices, which Mr Chien learned how to make during a trip to Thailand.

The restaurant has also imposed a NT$100 fee for food wastage in order to prevent customers from ordering the dish just to take photos of it.