Recipe ratings (9 hours)

Information in this post is correct as of Saturday 30th August 2014.

We're past the halfway point in the recipe rating contests, and this week the 9 hour dishes are the ones being placed under the microscope.

There are only seven 9 hour recipes in the game, making it the smallest pool that is being dissected for the Hall of Fame. Since the duration is so sparse in foods, here's a list of all the recipes being examined:

• Caramel Apples - Basic Stove
• Peruvian Loin Sautee - Basic Stove
• Pirate Cupcakes - Basic Oven
• Beef and Rice Patty - Basic Grill
• Roasted Parsnips - Vegan Stove
• Jack'O'Apples - Condiment Lab
• Boiled Crab - Crab Grill

The latter two dishes in the list are goal recipes, and such aren't available to players who didn't unlock them at the time of their respective goals. But don't worry if you haven't got them - I can tell you right now that they're both well inferior to the rest!

Game update: 27/08/14

Who doesn't want to have a meal out on their birthday? Now we can make that special customer's special day even better with a birthday party themed update.

Notification for Birthday Party update

This is a box update, so the only addition is the Birthday Box for 24 gems. Opening it will result in one of nine floor decorations being awarded, with the biggest and best ones being the rarest. Over on the TeamLava Blog there's an image with most of the box's contents previewed:

Suggestions Box (Aug 2014)

Every month I list five things I'd like to see added, altered or abolished from the game. Because even though my long time of playing Restaurant Story clearly shows I love it, that doesn't mean it's perfect. Some of the ideas I'll air will be significant game changers while others will be low-key and irrelevant in the eyes of many of you readers.

In no particular order, here are this month's entries...

Game update: 20/08/14

We're into the dying embers of Summer, and this week there's a bright and cheerful outdoor update to prolong the nice weather for as long as possible.

Notification for latest Summer update

The content is all unlocked at level 14, which is much lower than we've seen of late. That's good as it means that most of the playing community can get involved in the update. However Android users may have to wait as I believe there could be a new version coming your way with the fresh content.

Update: 'Restaurant Story: Summer Fun' is now available on Google Play.

Let's take a look at the list of all the new items:

Recipe ratings (8 hours)

Information in this post is correct as of Monday 18th August 2014.

Apologies for the lateness of this post (usually I release these on Saturdays, but have been away this weekend). Once again we're delving into the recipe ratings, and it's a mighty competitive duration of dish we're dealing with.

The 8 hour recipes are the second most populous in the game after the 4 hour efforts, with a grand total of 51. Of these, 18 are goal recipes and are not available to newcomers, while another four have been removed at some point, so are not available to anyone.

 Recent recipe rating posts

 02/08/14 7 hours
 19/07/14 6 hours
 21/06/14 5 hours
 07/06/14 4 hours
 24/05/14 3 hours

Game update: 13/08/14

Wednesday has swung around once again, and we're polishing the glass with the latest update.

Notification for Glass update

That's right, glass is the theme, with all the new content unlocked at level 73. Here's the customary list:

Ancient Egypt goals content report

Having just completed the Ancient Egypt goals today, it's about time I cast my thoughts upon the items which were discovered via the goals.

First to be unearthed was the Sphinx Fountain. What with the Infused Water Fountain and Coconut Fountain as well this year, the game's developers do seem to like including a drink maker as the first goal appliance. This is fine by me - drinks are very under-represented in the game in comparison to the mounds of food available.

Appearance-wise the Sphinx Fountain looks nice enough, although the way the head statue on top is designed leads me to question whether the drinks have been diluted with King Tut's spittle! No such debate with the other new appliance, the Ancient Sands Stove. It's a bit more plain with a sandy colour used all over. Some insight into the quality of the recipes on these two appliances is coming later.

The iPad verdict

Up until April I had always played Restaurant Story on a third generation iPod Touch, which I've owned for a very long time in Apple's world! But then I bought myself a second generation iPad Mini and have played the game via this shiny new device for the last few months.

So what's the verdict? How superior is the iPad compared to the iPod? Well, the obvious difference between the two is the screen size. With the iPad I can see much more of my place at once than on the iPod, and without having to zoom out substantially. This is great because it means less scrolling around is needed to search for tips around my diner.

However there are teething issues. The default level of zoom on the iPad is far too much. So much so in fact that a lot of content is grainy due to being too enlarged.

It has become automatic for me to give the screen a pinch to zoom out a little to what is a much more playable level of zoom, although it would be nice to be able to not do this at all (how lazy can you be?!)

Ancient Egypt goals (in full)

Please note that this set of goals expired on Monday 8th September 2014.

Included with the first update of August is a new set of goals, with Ancient Egypt the theme.

You can acquire five items exclusively through these goals, along with six recipes. And don't worry - there's plenty of time to get them done, with a deadline 34 days from release. That's likely to be Monday 8th September.

Here's a list of the goal steps:

• Step 1: The Tomb Cooker
• Step 2: Cantaloupe Crypt
• Step 3: Into the Depths
• Step 4: Ful of It
• Step 5: The Desert Hounds
• Step 6: The Treasure Room
• Sidestep A: Cracking the Code
• Sidestep B: Another Tomb Treat
• Sidestep C: Finding the Key

Game update: 06/08/14

It's goal week, and this August we're going back in time to Ancient Egypt.

Notification for Ancient Egypt update

It's a theme many have asked for over the years, and it's finally been delivered! Here's the list of new content:

Recipe ratings (7 hours)

Information in this post is correct as of Saturday 2nd August 2014.

It's recipe rating time, and this week's edition will be a short one.

That's because we're covering the 7 hour dishes, of which there are only 11 from close to 400 in total. And of these four are goal recipes so won't be accessible to a lot of players.

 Recent recipe rating posts

 19/07/14 6 hours
 21/06/14 5 hours
 07/06/14 4 hours
 24/05/14 3 hours
 10/05/14 2 hours

So what's what with the recipes themselves then? Well the table topper for both profit and portions is the Pork and Persimmons (Basic Stove). Here's it's scores: