I am left red in the face, with my assumption that the use of the Spanish language meant we had a Spanish themed update on our hands clearly misguided. I also genuinely thought that enchiladas were of Spanish origin, and so my cultural incompetence has well and truly been outed! However I will defend myself on one front - the Spanish Knob is used to construct the second goal appliance, which does tend to give the impression that we are dealing with Spain. Never mind!
So with my head bowed in shame, I look back upon an update which initially did not excite me. There wasn't enough content that really stood out, but will that view change when we consider the stuff strapped down by goal padlocks?
Well, the first item unlocked is the La Mar Oven, which translates as 'The Sea Oven'. It takes 8 Gears, 8 July Knobs and 8 Anchovy Knobs to build, and it soon becomes apparent why it got its name when we take a look at the recipes:
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| La Mar Oven recipes |
I'd never heard of a sourdough batter previously, but it sounds like a decent idea. In true British style though, I feel that the Sourdough Fish is lacking in a side of chips and mushy peas! The Salt Water Taffy sounds like a seaside dish, although technically it isn't. Taffy is a kind of sweet popular in the US, with this particular variety including both salt and water as ingredients (but not saltwater!)
It was pleasing to see no 1 or 2 hour entry on this first goal cooker. That has generally been the norm for a long time, and makes the initial progress through the goals very slow for players who are unable to attend to their game on a regular basis.
But what of the ratings?
| Sourdough Fish | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 4 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 4.2 |
| Jelly Fish | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 6 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 4.9 |
| Salt Water Taffy | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 6 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 5.1 |
Typically it is orange which is the colour I comment upon as being the most prevalent, but on this occasion it's yellow which rules the roost. Sadly the XP numbers drag each of these efforts down, but in the cases of the Jelly Fish and Salt Water Taffy there are some solid profits to be had which ensure a solid overall rating. The Jelly Fish ranks eighth in the 4 hour duration from 107 candidates, while the taffy is in ninth position when compared with its 5 hour compatriots, of which there are 58.
Coupled with a tasty 6 coins per plate for all three dishes, we have some fairly competitive foods. Indeed the taffy's 5.1 overall rating is just enough to propel it into the top 10 all-rounders in the 5 hour bracket. It's worth noting that this trio help bring the total number of 6 coins per plate recipes in the game to 14, with all but one of these added in the past two months.
Let's shift our focus to the second appliance unlocked in the goals, that being the Paraiso Oven ('Paradise Oven'). This cooker calls for 9 Fuses, 9 Spanish Knobs and 12 Pesos at the construction phase, which is a lot. In fact I reckon you have to go back to the very early days to find appliances which have required more parts. The record is 46, held by the Yellow Coffee Maker and Orange Deep Fryer, although at least both of those were non-goal machines so didn't need to be built with any urgency.
I headlined the last edition of the Suggestions Box with a call for a reduction in the number of parts needed for goal cookers, but it seems this has fallen on deaf ears. Everyone seems to be singing from the same hymn-sheet on this, except the gamemakers! It's getting ridiculous now, to the point where I'm wondering whether Storm8 are actually targeting this aspect of the game as a major opportunity to make some money. I've never used gems to buy parts, but I have to wonder if some lower level players have had to do that of late in order to get every step done within the time limit.
Anyway, with this particular oven, the Peso is a new part.
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| Peso |
Given that this is the national currency of Mexico, this should have been a big clue to me that we were not in Spain!
There are three more recipes to be found on the Paraiso Oven, with these featuring some classic Mexican cuisine that I failed to recognise.
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| Paraiso Oven recipes |
For those not fluent in the local lingo (like me!) the Chile Rellenos translates as 'Stuffed Chilli' and the Queso Fresco Enchiladas reads as 'Fresh Cheese Enchiladas'. Shrimp Tacos is not a combination I'd heard of previously, but I'd certainly give it a try!
Each of the dishes looks very appetising, but do the ratings like up to this?
| Chile Rellenos | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 9 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 6.3 |
| Queso Fresco Enchiladas | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 8 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 5 | 5.8 |
| Shrimp Tacos | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 7 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 5 | 5.4 |
Oh. My. Days. For the past few years I have moaned and groaned during these recipe analyses, with most of the dishes failing to produce noteworthy numbers, at least in a positive sense. But today I am delighted to report some special figures, at least on the profit front.
The highlight is the Chile Rellenos, which musters a nine for profit. Only five of the 96 foods of 2 hour length boast more coins profit, with the chilli only 250 coins short of the duration leader (the NY Strip Streak on the Basic Grill). The XP is certified as lousy, but the 6 coins per plate does result in a high profit per plate score. The outcome is an overall rating of 6.3, which is only the third in the green this year (after the Slalom Salad on the Winter Furnace and Stovepipe Stuffing on the Founders' Oven). It's enough for all-round ninth place in the third biggest duration in Restaurant Story.
The enchiladas and shrimp fare pretty darn well too, with 3,000 and 3,370 coin profits making them the fourth highest profit maker in their respective length brackets. If it weren't for the lacklustre XP and profit each could really be competitive on the overall front, although they do still both reach the upper echelons, with the shrimp in particularly reaching the number eight spot in the 5 hour duration.
Some cracking recipes from a statistical standpoint, and the floor decorations which you can access via the goals are impressive too. The first you'll come across is the Paletero which is a 2x1 sized piece consisting of a moustached man pushing an ice cream cart (paleta is ice cream). I really like this gentleman and his cart - there's a fine selection of lollies lined up and there's plenty of scope for setting up some clever interactions between this item and other character-based decor.
Next is the 3x3 Cocina ('Kitchen') which includes four bots cooking up something tasty. There seems to be a distinct baking element to their activity, although with the workbench so well covered with stuff it's difficult to tell! I like the busyness of this goal prize, which even includes some sacks and boxes under the table. The attached wooden floor is a slight drawback, but generally it gets a big thumbs up.
Mexican themed updates
Lastly there's the final goal prize. The Baile Folklorico ('Folk Dance') is a 4x4 whopper which depicts a Mexican band providing a musical number, much to the delight of the dancers below. There aren't many more meaty decorations around than this - seven characters are included, and there's even room for a scenic backdrop. There's something quite comical about the middle band member rocking a pink star-shaped guitar despite adorning a traditional sombrero and costume! The outfits throughout are well designed, with particular kudos going to whoever crafted the dresses the two dancing ladies are wearing.
The 50 gem asking price for further editions on top of the one received for completing the quest is a negative point, but I don't think this is the kind of decoration you'd need a second copy of anyway. It's a real feel-good item and is certainly worth the effort of reaching the end of the goals to gain.
Well, after my major hiccup with the country put in the spotlight in this update, I've tried by best to redeem myself with this report, mostly with some translations of the various unlockables! After being unimpressed by the initial release, the quality of the floor decor and the recipe numbers have given me a lift and elevated this goal set into the good to very good range. Just please cut down Storm8 on the number of appliance parts required!
Now I'm off to do some reading on other cultures so that I have a better chance of identifying the next theme correctly!
Restroom doors
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