WERE YOU BORN IN A TENT

Monday 9 September 2013

ST ALI (South)

12-18 Yarra Pl, South Melbourne

Visited: 28th August 2013

Design: Set in off the street behind a black accordion style security gate that has seen a few days of business you are greeted with a well worn, "WELCOME HOME HONEY" that looked amazing when this place first opened. However, now with the popularity of this place the sign has worn to represent a tired relationship. The red, black and white colour combination always works together well and I love the numbering. The overall feeling as you come into this door is a strange one as you come from the brightness of the street and the white wall into this dark enclosure to enter the door. Being one of the first warm days after a long winter the doors were latched open, so I didn't get to experience the full sensation of the doors. I didn't mind the red tiling on the side walls, I would have liked a cleaner tiling job though, they seemed to be thrown up in a hurry. The timber framing of the doors were nice along with the full length glass and minimal signage on the doors. Two classic stainless steel handles supported by rectangle plating create the hint of modernist symmetry. Even the latch hooks above seem to work in this aspect. This door clearly displays the popularity of this cafe with the grease marks of endless customers in the middle and the rubber stoppers hitting the door at the base when opened. I'm still in two worlds how I feel about this door. Parts of me likes the industrial elements and the mystery as you enter, yet there is another part of me that doesn't like the feeling as you enter, something about being enclosed in what feels like an elevator shaft that attacks the senses. I think this space would have held dignity in its first few weeks of opening, but it now feels run down and in need of some love. I don't feel it has aged well, almost like a $9 bottle of wine.

Door resistance: 2

Closure mechanism: Manual

Draft: ?

Squeak level: 0

Change return time: 16 sec

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PROFESSIONAL DOOR REVIEWER

Searching the world for the perfect door to eat behind.

First impressions are always important, especially for a restaurant or cafe. So many people are focusing on the food these days that I felt there was a hole in the reviews world. No one was looking at the most important thing, THE DOOR! Everyone complains when it is left open, death stares are exchange when the unsuspecting group of friends having a fun night enter the premises from the cold only to walk straight in and go straight to their table totally oblivious they have left the door wide open to allow an arctic strength gale force wind to cut through the previously warm interior. Like a scene from a western film where everyone in the premises stops what they are doing and cuts down the new comers with a deathly stare. Occasionally you will get the confident diner who gets up, walks across the restaurant and closes the door with a BANG! Just to let the new comers know they have done wrong and to NEVER, EVER DO IT AGAIN!!!!! This individual makes their way back to the table staring at the newcomers, just to make sure they got the message. The only problem is, is that 5 minutes later another group come in and do the same thing and he/she feels obliged to continually do this for the rest of the night.

Well hopefully this blog puts a light on the owners of these establishments and encourages them to lift their game and create doors that allow diners to sit and enjoy their meal, to give the diner an experience before they enter the building. It is also a thank you to the makers of quality doors who care about craftsmanship.

I have developed a scoring system based on,

DESIGN:

This is assessed by the materials the door is made from, whether the door is themed, cluttered or minimal and whether there is an element of surprise or not.

DOOR RESISTANCE: 1 to 5

1 = light push

5 = heavy push

CLOSURE MECHANISM: Manual, automatic or

hydraulic arm

DRAFT: Minimal, medium or high

SQUEAK LEVEL: 0 up to 5

0 = No squeak

5 = Ear piercing

Then the last assessment is the,

CHANGE RETURN TIME:

This is the amount of time it takes to get my change once I have given the waiter the money for the bill. Last impressions are always just as important as first.