The Garlic Tree celebrates the Olympics

The second week of the Rio 2016 Olympics are ongoing and my restaurant, The Garlic Tree, is putting forward its bid to host a future Games. We're holding something of a test event at the moment, with various sports providing some excellent viewing for unsuspecting diners.

At the core of it all is of course the Olympic Cauldron, which is housed in the four-pillar centrepiece of the main eating area.

Olympic cauldron in main section of The Garlic Tree

There are four Tropical Torches all standing tall and burning bright. I'm not sure who it was who lit this cauldron, although the Crooner is certainly celebrating this iconic image as only he knows how. The Wooden Pillars have been sidelined in favour of some Garden Globes to signify that the Olympics is truly a global event, with 205 nations represented in Rio.

The Potted Plants which are usually dotted around the centrepiece have been switched out in favour of some Sunflower Gardens. The beautiful and vibrant colour of these flowers make them a lovely complement for the flame, and are also a nice selection for Summer.

But that's enough admiring the cauldron. Let's get to some of the sport, starting with the velodrome.

Velodrome section of The Garlic Tree

Home of the track cycling, a smooth Gym Floor Tile ensures that the riders get as much speed as possible as they power around the Caution Tape Dividers. Given that there is a two-person ride out there (let's conveniently ignore the fact that it's the only bike with any riders!) it comes as no surprise that the Tandem Bike is crossing the Black and White line in first place. You can see the joy in the eyes of the riders as it dawns on them that they have secured the gold medal in front of the Screaming Fans.

Some of the other entrants might have a more 'unusual' ride. The Lemon Delivery will likely travel fast given the need for the rider to deliver lemons to greengrocers, while the Pizza Delivery Bike will probably go even quicker since pizzas are always in high demand. The French Cafe Bike offers a more leisurely experience and Phoebe's Bike is well suited to junior athletes.

Over now to the basketball court.

Basketball and sports snack sections of The Garlic Tree

The Halftime Show is in progress, although the Referee Waitress can't help but oversee proceedings! She's checking for any foul play in the tower of cheerleaders, although given that I've heard these are gymnasts who have hotfooted it from the gymnastics arena, I doubt there will any feet out of place.

The Basketball Hoop Lamps stand at each end of the court, with more Screaming Fans forging an electrifying atmosphere. The Scoreboard provides a definitive result to each match, while the All-Star Jersey reminds competitors that they will never be as good as the famous TeamLava side that Storm8 themselves put together many years ago.

Since the second half is still to get going at the basketball, it may be worth picking up some snacks at the Sports Bar next door. This bar has the most refreshing drinks anywhere in the Olympic village, and with the Halftime Snacks providing some classic buffet treats, you'll have no problem refuelling in between the action. The Bagel Gal is in charge and probably deserves a medal just for all the work she's putting in - she's one of the many fantastic volunteers who make the Olympic Games possible.

Let's now head out to the open air, where there's some stiff competition on the river.

Rowing and table tennis sections of The Garlic Tree

It's a busy scene out there, particularly Down At The Dock where Captain Phoebe has a task on her hands to contain the three kids having fun on the pier. They don't seem to realise that fishing is not currently an Olympic discipline! The mountainous backdrop of the Lemon Grove reflects the truly remarkable views from the water in Rio of Sugarloaf Mountain.

Out on the Ocean Floor the Little Love Boat, Gondola Date and Jungle Tour are all currently racing. I'm not sure this is a particularly fair contest, with the variety of boats and rowers making it resemble a scene from the Wacky Races. For one thing, the gondolier and groom seem to be doing most of the work on their respective boats (are the others supposed to be the coxswains?!) There's also the small matter of the Jungle Tour possibly being motor powered - no wonder that crew is out in front! I think Captain Phoebe needs to assert some authority out there!

Meanwhile there is a table tennis clash for the ages in progress next door. A panda and tiger hve both battled their way to the final and are vying to be crowned Olympic champion. This is a sport all about quick reflexes and even quicker reactions, which is why the additional decor around the Ping Pong Table has been minimised so as to prevent distractions. All we have is a Ping Pong Lamp - after all the players need to be able to see!

We've taken in a number of sports already, but no Games would be complete without some track and field.

Track and field section of The Garlic Tree

There are two events can be seen here, with the long jump and 100m hurdles both under the spotlight. The long jump is about to be taken on by... a Wire Kangaroo?! Well that's something a bit different, but I'm sure this wiry entrant will leap far. With a lengthy sprint along the City Sidewalk, it's crucial to get as close to the board as possible at take-off. Detective Phoebe is in charge of inspecting any Footprints and has an Old Fashioned Camera to help separate the legitimate jumps from the illegal ones.

But what's going on here? A Deck Reader seems to have taken to the sand along with her Perro. She seems to think she's on the beach! I suspect that could cause problems for the jumpers...

Not to be distracted by the commotion at the sandpit, the Life Coach is wiping her brow ahead of the biggest race of her life. She's taking on the Gate Divider hurdles, each of which is a barrier which must be overcome in order to achieve greatness on the track. The Black and White finish line is clearly marked and is monitored closely by the Train Conductor who has been drafted in to oversee proceedings. It's his job to call the result and make or break dreams.

And for those who do triumph, there's the glory of the medal ceremony.

Medal ceremony at The Garlic Tree

In front of a packed stand of Jolly Jockeys, there's a ceremony actually taking place as we speak. Standing on the Golden Square, Action Chef Lee is top of the podium, with Hanbok Phoebe and the Lounge Lizard flanking him. I don't actually know which event they'v medalled in, although given Lee's all-round acumen I daresay it may be the decathlon.

The Rose Seller is handing out the medals and complimentary roses (including a massive Rose Basket), while a pair of Trumpet Players play out the national anthem of the victor. It's a scene of real grandeur, and that's only extended by the Marble Columns and Lion Statues overlooking the ceremony.

---

Covering the Olympics at one of the stops in the Chemist and Cat's adventure earlier this year was both good and bad for this celebration of Rio 2016. On the plus side, it demonstrated to me that there was enough content in the market to make an Olympic theme possible. But on the other hand, I didn't feel I could simply repeat what I did before - some originality was needed.

In the end I kind of mixed and matched new with old. The table tennis and sports snacks sections are long time features on the rotation of themes at my restaurant, while the basketball and rowing areas appeared in that aforementioned destination of the Chemist and Cat's saga. However the cycling, track and field (in this guise) and medal ceremony are all completely new. And I'm chuffed with the outcome of all three.

 Want to visit The Garlic Tree?

 Invite the Storm8 ID 'lorettasapron' and visit the wall

I'm especially pleased with how the long jump worked out - the inclusion of the decor surrounding the jumping board only came together as I perused the market looking for other stuff, and likewise the Deck Reader and Perro were late inclusions.

In some ways the velodrome is a little underwhelming. It's not big enough, and obviously all but one bike are unmanned. There wasn't really any way around the second of these issues, while the size of the space was constrained by the room available in my diner. But it is something a little different, and that's what I'm always looking to achieve.

I started playing Restaurant Story around the time of London 2012, which was recognised in the game with an Olympic themed goal set. Without a clue what on earth I was doing, I failed to complete the quest and thus missed out on some decor which would have been really useful for this remodel, including an actual podium and Olympic Cauldron. It's a shame Storm8 haven't re-released any of that stuff this time (yet) but I suppose it does force me to get my creative juices flowing.

 The Garlic Tree celebrates...

 13/02/16 Valentine's Day 2016
 25/01/16 Winter 2016
 25/12/15 Christmas 2015
 20/11/15 Thanksgiving 2015
 01/11/15 Halloween 2015
 05/10/15 Autumn 2015

Hopefully this tour of my Olympic village will be sufficient to see The Garlic Tree awarded the right to host a future Olympic Games, with 2024 the year I'm specifically targeting.

But in all seriousness, I suspect my passion for the Olympics may have just about spilled over here! It's not surprising given how well my nation are getting on in Rio. Go Team GB!