Their original aim was to search for new and exciting recipes they could bring back home to expand The Garlic Tree's menu. They've certainly achieved that, with a wide range of delicacies now carried with them through the passages of time. But they've also made lots of friends along the way, starting with the Train Conductor at the dawn of time itself and ending with the Jock in the Summer of Love. They've all joined the crew and helped ensure the Chemist and Cat didn't get homesick.
The Chemist, the Cat and the Time Machine
But after the Chemist overjudged the return home and sent the team careering into the future, there's a real sense of trepidation. The group are out of fuel, and worse still appear to have instigated a strange storm at the Restaurant in the Clouds. As much as the diner in the skies is a special place, it's not home.
 |
| The Restaurant in the Clouds |
An unhappy ending to this adventure appears to be developing. But before we write the obituaries the Lab Assistant is bounding back to the troubled posse at the Time Machine. She's been having a chat with the Robo Dog, who has somehow found himself at this cloudy location despite originally being left behind in the basement.
And the Cat is looking very happy - she raises her head and exclaims that the strange storm was indeed a product of the excessive ruptures in the space-time continuum made by the crew. But it's good news, because this storm is a portal which the Robo Dog was sucked through. That's how he stumbled upon the explorers!
 |
| Strange storm at The Restaurant in the Clouds |
There's new hope as the team disembark from the Time Machine and make their way to the strange storm. It looks so sinister, and yet is their shining beacon of hope that a return home may yet be possible. The only question is of whether the portal is a two-way system. There's nothing else for it - the travellers take turns at leaping into the darkness, and eventually only the Chemist remains. He strains his neck for one last look at the extraordinary result of all his years of experiments before turning his back on the Time Machine and plunging into the unknown...
Landing on his feet next to his faithful Cat, the Chemist found himself more amazed than he was at any of the sights glimpsed throughout the trip. He was back home, at The Garlic Tree, but it had all changed!
 |
| The Garlic Tree after refurbishment |
While the Mad Chemist and Lab Assistant have been venturing through time, Action Chef Lee and My Fair Gran-Gran have been hard at work giving the restaurant a complete refurbishment. The overall format of a foyer section followed by a main area for eating is maintained, but it's all been shifted around.
Lee and Gran-Gran stand over the Gray Host Table in the foyer.
 |
| New foyer section of The Garlic Tree |
There's a fancy New Orleans Door has been installed, and it's part of an entrance area which has had a serious facelift. A Venetian floor is in place, while French Cafe wallpaper gives an opulent feel. But it's the Slate Fireplace which really steals the scene. Surrounding by comfy sofas and armchairs, this allows those patiently waiting for a table to relax and enjoy a Date Night Drink in front of the roaring fire. The Date Night Candles only add to the ambience, and as a whole this section gives an early indicator that The Garlic Tree is a high end establishment.
Stepping into the main area, we discover not only a new Rustic Italian floor and a set of Flamenco Tables, but also a huge party!
 |
| Main section of The Garlic Tree |
It turns out that those dark patches didn't just appear at the Chemist and Cat's last stop but at every moment in history they'd visited. Those who they met along the way were only too pleased to meet up with the crew again, and have brought some of their era with them for the occasion.
In the main section the Crooner from the retro diner is offering his crisp vocals to accompany the Grand Piano and Elegant Harp. And the Mexican Dancer is twirling till the morning to the tune of the String Quartet as the Perro watches on with glee.
Elsewhere there's a real drop off in temperature in the far left corner, where a mini Ice Age is in progress.
 |
| Three themed sections in The Garlic Tree |
Shooting through the time portal doesn't seem to have put off the Ice Skating Girls, who continue to circle the Snowy Fountain, watched on by the guy in the Snow Suit. Alongside is the Igloo, still inhabited by the family of three polar bears. It must be said that having been part of the travelling band since the third stop, the Snow Suit actually appears to be pleased to see snow again! Given how cold he was when picked up that's remarkable!
Next door is the Deck Reader, and she's not moved since we last saw her at the birth of the universe. She's still chilling on the Moon with a cola, with no intention of moving her Moon Landing rocket any time soon.
And adjacent are all the folks from the Wild West saloon including the eternally cool Cowboy Greeter. The Saloon Card Table never stops, and nor does the Lounge Lizard's boozing! The Pool Shark is short of a pool table, but I'm sure he'll join the lizard at the Saloon Bar.
Along the other wall are more separate zones.
 |
| One themed section and the kitchen of The Garlic Tree |
It was hard work, but Lee and Gran-Gran managed to get a Bowling Alley set up just for the Jock. Some customers are auditioning for a position on his team, and in between games can unwind on the Pinball Machine with a snack from the Popcorn Cart.
Next to this is the kitchen, a mainstay of The Garlic Tree. The original staff and equipment have been maintained, with the likes of the Ticket Station and Culinary Artist continuing to ensure the smooth operation of the diner. But some familiar faces from the last few weeks are also in attendance, with the Snowman Chef, Manager Phoebe and the 50's Chef among those to answer the call and take up the opportunity to cook in the most famous restaurant in town.
Swinging back across, we see that although the team didn't themselves bring any Cloud Cakes home from the Restaurant in the Clouds, the Holographic Greeter made sure to take some with her for this shindig.
 |
| Two themed sections in The Garlic Tree |
The Romantic Lounge has been temporarily relocated, and Lee and Gran-Gran have used some of the Chemist and Cat's brains to simulate the cloudy feeling underfoot.
Neighbouring this is a taste of Asia, where the guys performing the Dragon Dance couldn't resist bringing their own entertainment. With a Chinese Archway and Chinese Lantern Plants in place, even Hanbok Phoebe is letting her hair down and getting her boogie on!
That's six of the ten stops we've seen represented, but what of the remaining four? Well, an outdoor area is a proud tradition of The Garlic Tree, so maybe we'll find out more there?
 |
| Outdoor section of The Garlic Tree |
We most certainly will! The Olympic rowers have rowed all the way here, and unless the Train Conductor and Referee Waitress are a little more proactive with their whistles the Little Love Boat may crash straight into some Fancy Wood Dividers!
On the shore the Fire Dancers who dazzled in Ancient Egypt are flirting with the flames once more. The Island Drummer is delighted to be reunited with his girls, and likewise the Lake Fisher is chuffed to see the Lake Dog again.
On to firmer ground and the Dino Daycare is still home to four young dinosaurs. They don't seem to have grown at all since we last saw them - just as well! And Arbor Day Phoebe who was left behind down in the lab basement at the outset is planting flowers all around under the watchful gaze of the Playful Parasol.
At the head of this outdoor section are the heads of state. Everyone involved in the day-to-day running of The Garlic Tree is delighted to welcome the King and Queen. They've even brought the Ring Barker with them, but there are no security concerns. That's because Captain Phoebe is in charge and will be sure to search the Rose Seller before she approaches the royals.
With the tour complete, all that remains is for the Parisian Waitress to bring out the Birthday Cake. It just so happens to be the Mad Chemist's birthday today, so everyone can tuck in. All the food from the travels is still up for grabs, so everyone do enjoy the Feast of Time!
At the outset of this adventure I didn't really have much of a storyline planned except for the addition of a recipe at each stop. So its been really fun to cook up a bit of drama towards the end. Even the new design for The Garlic Tree came quite late in the day, although I always intended to shake the place up!
I wasn't sure if it would even be possible to incorporate a piece of every destination visited, but ultimately I was able to do so. There are six themed sections in all, plus the larger outdoor area (which showcases four of the stops from the trip). That will give me scope to cover lots of themes simultaneously over the next few months, although I can see myself merging one or two together at times to allow a theme to be played out over a larger space.
There was a part of me that was tempted to position the Time Machine between the Wooden Pillars rather than the traditional Potted Plants. In some ways it makes sense to include it given that there are homages to all the stops around, but I made the call to leave it out. Maybe the Chemist and Cat can go back for it sometime?!
Did you know?
There's a clock hanging up at every stop - find them all!
The food around the centrepiece did hold up in the end. The Dinosaur Nuggets and Egg Drop Soup both caused great concern at times, but luckily an emergency batch here and there soon balanced things up. I didn't sell nearly as much food this past couple of months as I expected. Even taking into account the new counter being occupied each week I forecast that 3.1 million plates of Biscuits and Gravy was necessary to make it to the climax. And yet there is still over 2.5 million plates remaining! I'll never sell it off now!
I certainly won't with my current layout. In days gone by I always tried to have enough tables to accommodate all the bots streaming through the door, but these days I'm all about the presentation rather than efficiency. In this layout only 13 tables can be accessed, which inevitably results in some grumpy thought bubbles. See if I care though!
Previous refurbishment posts
13/04/13 The Garlic Tree refurbished
On second thoughts, maybe I need to address that. Since the start of this journey I've spent around 25 million coins! It's incredible to think that at the outset I intended to throw an expansion in with this finale as part of the renovations instigated by Lee and Gran-Gran! My next expansion is 20 million coins, and it's fair to say I'll be waiting a long time to get back to that mark.
My gem spend is also astonishing. All in, I parted with 490 gems over the course of the adventure! I had hardly spent any premium currency in the previous six months, and had only been mastering recipes to minus one. After topping out all those dishes prior to commencing this saga and finally benefiting from three free gem videos per day, I was able to procure a huge stash of gems. And I've even got a few leftover!
So that's it. Thanks to everyone who has followed the journey and offered such generous feedback at each stop. It has been a real pleasure to bring you this proper 'restaurant story' over the last 10 weeks. It's taken a lot of planning to put into action, and a surprising amount of time to actually do each redecorating operation, but it's definitely been worth it. Until the next TGT production, goodbye!
No comments:
Post a Comment