It's fine. Whether or not you like it is a matter of preference[1], but design-wise it works well. If you couldn't change the size in your browser then it'd be a problem, but you can, and the page still flows well even if you crank the type size up to 2 or 3 times the size.
[1] Design being how it works, not what it looks like. Your comment is really about aesthetics rather than design per se.
A design that consciously chooses to go outside these guidelines can still be good design, same with your fine-dining and hobbit architecture examples. Context and the goals of the brief are key.
[1] Design being how it works, not what it looks like. Your comment is really about aesthetics rather than design per se.