I'm going to start this report of the unlockables in the goals with the appliances. First up is the Grill, which has the most unimaginative name in the game's history. We've obviously got the Basic Grill already, and there's the Outdoor Grill and Fire Pit Grill too. Seems that this meant Storm8 had no ideas for this new cooker!
As far as building it goes, the Grill needs a new part to construct.
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| Grill Gear and Smoke Screw |
The Grill Gear looks decent enough, and is of a generic design which may make it one to watch for repeat appearances. Meanwhile the Broiler Pan was required for what I believe is the first time since it was introduced with the BBQ Stove (there's a coincidence!) last July.
We now turn our attention to the three recipes aboard the Grill.
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| Grill recipes |
Grilled Nectarines are something I've never considered before, but will definitely be thinking about after seeing them here! I imagine they'd taste particular nice on a hot day - which is perfect for a barbecue!
Then there's the Stuft Grilled Peppers. What's with the name of this one? Shouldn't it be 'Stuffed Grilled Peppers'? Part of me thinks that they tried to slyly shorten the name in order to fit it in. But a more sensible part of me (which has access to Google) reckons that it may have Mexican roots. If anyone can clarify or correct feel free!
To the ratings, and there's not much to get excited about here...
| Veggie Kabobs | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 6 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 4.7 |
| Grilled Nectarines | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 2 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 3.3 |
| Stuft Grilled Peppers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 2 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 3.6 |
The one score that stands out is the profit number for the Veggie Kabobs. It gets into the green thanks to tying for the 15th best in the 1 hour duration. That in itself doesn't sound impressive, but that's out of 73 candidates so isn't too bad at all.
However, the kabobs are statistically identical to two other recipes. The Classic Hot Dog (Hot Dog Stand) and Cheese Pumps (Witchy Stove) are the same in every way, meaning that we've not really gained anything at all here other than the two mastery gems.
The same goes for the other two dishes as well. The nectarines mirror the Love Shake (Cupid's Fountain) and July Cupcakes (July Oven) pound for pound, while the peppers are twinned with the Almond Cookies (Chinese Dessert Oven). Storm8's laziness at its finest.
Let's shimmy along then, and peruse the Smoker. It's another short and snappy name, with the Smoker Pit the appliance of a similar title coming to mind on this occasion. The Smoke Screw (which is pictured further up) takes on the shape of a cloud of smoke, and at first you'd assume this means it's another ridiculous looking knob. But actually, since the whole thing is grey in colour it kind of gets away with it!
As with the Fine Stove from last month's fine dining goals, the Smoker is 2x1 in size. It appears the larger appliances may be making a comeback, and given how cramped my restaurant is right now following the climax of the Chemist and Cat's adventure, that's made for a week of awkwardness. Appliances and counters have been lurking behind larger decorations, and even so I've had to accept a messy layout for a short time. Nevertheless, I do like 2x1 cookers, mainly because they're usually of a visual quality which is adequate for using as straight out floor decorations.
Recipe time, and I was flabbergasted to discover that Smoked Salmon had never been on the Restaurant Story menu.
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| Smoker recipes |
It's not exactly an unusual dish, and yet has been overlooked until now. We do have the Smoked Salmon Potato on the Basic Oven, but this is the first case of out and out smoked salmon. The Smoked Chicken and Smoked Ribs are more predictable, but that doesn't prevent them sounding tasty - I'm salivating at the thought of the smoky flavour!
To the ratings...
| Smoked Salmon | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 3.4 |
| Smoked Chicken | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 1 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 3.5 |
| Smoked Ribs | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 2 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 3.9 |
There's no improvement here, with the most notable aspect being the red profit figure for the Smoked Chicken. Only seven efforts of 5 hour length yield less coins profit. For the record the chicken is a unique recipe when it comes to the numbers, as is the Smoked Ribs. It's the Smoked Salmon which lets the side down by copying the Citrus Berry Water (Infused Water Fountain) blow for blow.
One positive that can be drawn from both sets of recipes is the variation in the XP. The last two goal appliances have offered foods with a constant 60 XP all over, which is good for the really short entries but less so for longer ones. We're back to the tradition of a different number for each recipe, although as you can see that doesn't necessarily mean they're lucrative.
Now that the dismal dishes have been given the treatment we can regroup and focus on the three floor decorations which are unlocked in the goals. First up is the Hightop Seating Area, which is 3x3 in size. I really like this piece - the stone top surface has been well designed and the brickwork on the sides is nice. The wooden seats look decent too, and the lantern at the side is a smart extra touch.
My one complaint about this piece is that it is smaller than the space it occupies. I realise that 3x2 items are a rare thing, but it could have been done here. Instead there's some empty space on both sides, which has a detrimental effect if you wish to place a server behind it.
Father's Day
Then there's the Crystal Fire Pit which at 1x1 in size is at the other end of the scale. It's okay but doesn't really light my fire. The crystals are a bit of a turn off - their cool blue tone diminishes the effect of the flames, meaning that we end up with a decoration which just looks strange. Again though there's kudos to the gamemakers for the brickwork effect which they've pulled off really well.
The final goal prize is the BBQ Island. I've seen a good few complaints about it being too small for a final reward, but I urge everyone to consider more closely what's included here. There's a sink filled with bottles surrounded by ice, there's prepared food ready to be served up and utenstils ready to be used for the serving up. Squeezing so much detail into a smaller item results in a more complete decoration, and I for one definitely plan to utilise it at some point.
In fact, I'm inspired to host a barbecue in my outdoor area! I've not got round to doing it yet, but a mini party of sorts is definitely on the agenda, with the BBQ Island and Hightop Seating Area definitely among the content I'm hoping to include.
All in all, I think this is a decent theme when you get past the usual poor recipe quality. Somewhat surprisingly we'd not had a Father's Day update before, and tying it into a Summer barbecuing theme means that we have stuff that's applicable for a whole season rather than just one day. I'm a happy camper, and hope this is the start of an entire Summer of top drawer updates!
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