Game update: 26/03/14

This is the first weekly update since Restaurant Story 2 was announced, so we are entering the final fling, and with it brings Spring!

Notification for Spring update

It's the theme I along with many others have been craving for a few weeks. The freshness is glorious, so let's take a look at a list of the new content:

Tables:

• Spring Flower - 27,500 coins

Chairs:

• Floral Rattan - 12,500 coins

Wall decorations:

• Spring Bird - 13,500 coins

Floor decorations:

• Spring Lunch - 35 gems (LTO)

Wallpapers:

• Floral Meadow - 2 gems

Counters:

• Terrarium - 5 gems

As well as these items, there are two new recipes on the Basic Stove which I'll get to later.

This update may not consist of a lot of new stuff, but what has been added is excellent quality in my opinion. The Spring Flower table is bright and cheerful, and isn't too expensive in comparison to some of the other tables released over the last few months. Alongside the Sunflower Garden, there's a fantastic opportunity to marry up some items here and create something special. And I've done exactly that, teaming up the Spring Flower table with the Spring Chair from last year. They've got the same shade of green, so make a nice pair, plus I've got the Spring Counters in the vicinity, so everything comes together nicely.

The accompanying chair is the Floral Ratten, which doesn't match at all, hence why I passed on it. It lacks the earthy tones of the table, but at least it's also for coins (a rarity) and does work in outdoor areas. It wouldn't look out of place on a sunny patio.

Next for inspection is the Spring Lunch, a limited time offer.

Spring Lunch limited time offer

It's 3x3 in size and has loads of detail. The three figures are all happily tucking into a meal of sandwiches and lemonade under a cherry blossom tree. It's just the kind of decoration I wanted to replace my Action Dining with for the Spring period, and I've done exactly that:

Spring Lunch in the Garden section of The Garlic Tree

My only issue is that the Spring Lunch is only 3x3 and not 4x4 in size. For 35 gems you'd be hoping for the largest possible item, and being slightly smaller it doesn't fill the space perfectly, but I'm willing to overlook that because it's so pretty!

You'll spot that I've also invested in the Floral Meadow wallpaper. Eight sheets of them have set me back a further 16 gems, meaning that my gem bag has taken a real hit this week. But it's another wonderfully designed one, with the meadow of many wild flowers fading into what may well be a mountain in the background. It blends superbly with my Spring Meadow floor tile to the point that I wonder if this wallpaper was supposed to be released last year alongside that flooring.

What's even better about the Floral Meadow is that it halts by desire to get a grassy floor tile because of the match between the two. Coming into Spring I had hoped to get a plain grass floor tile for coins as the only comparable one right now is the Astro Turf which is for gems. But this new wallpaper has ended that need, and it may do the job in the Summer months too.

The Terrarium counter is my one big let down. It's a glass counter with plants growing beneath, and actually looks alright, but there won't be many takers at 5 gems each.

The last new item is the Spring Bird wall decoration. It looks ace! It's basically a wee bird in a hanging basket (which is protecting a couple of eggs I think). Definitely a good buy for 13,500 coins, although I'm not placing it in the garden right now because it would appear to be floating in midair with the Floral Meadow wallpaper behind it. But have no fear, I found a way to get it in there:

Spring Bird in the Kitchen section of The Garlic Tree

Do you see the birdy! It's slightly unorthodox and against health and safety to have a bird inhabiting the kitchen but what the heck - I've already got a lizard manning the host table after all!

Alongside the new decorations are two recipes on the Basic Stove:

New recipes on Basic Stove

You can analyse these recipes for yourself using my recipe list located here.

It's a pair of short dishes which means extracting the mastery gems should be an easier process. The Spring Salad is a bit messy looking, but at least it gives great XP. It's the top 1 hour dish for XP gain on the basic appliances and second best overall - only the Thick Cut Bacon (Old West Oven) pips it, and even then only by 1 XP. Unfortunately the salad is a flop with regards to profit and portions, coming in fourth worst on both accounts. But at least that XP gain is something to shout about!

The Fruit Bowl is much more cheerful with its many colours, and for me is an improvement on the Fruit Salad (Basic Stove) in appearance, which I've always thought had rather large chunks of fruit. On the face of it, you may think the Fruit Bowl is a poor XP recipe simply because it offers the same return as the Spring Salad for double the time, but it is actually the second best in its duration. The Disco Fries (Basic Stove) released a few weeks ago remains the leader, but this fruit doesn't disgrace itself. Of course if you can manage it then the Spring Salad is doubly as good as the Fruit Bowl for XP.

For the other statistics, it's a similar story with the Fruit Bowl. The 250 portions is in a tie for the fourth worst of all 2 hour recipes, while the 670 coins profit ties for seventh worst. Overall I'd stay away from this one after the mastery gems are obtained, even with the decent XP gain, as there are better altenatives in the 1 hour bracket.

We're done. I'm really happy with this week's update: some classy Spring content which has really spruced up my garden into the current season, plus a couple of new recipes to delve into. Restaurant Story 2 may become the centre of attention, but the original is going out with a flourish!