WERE YOU BORN IN A TENT

Monday 12 May 2014

HONG'S IZAKYA RESTAURANT

159 St George's Rd, Northcote

Visited: 18th April 2014

Design: Well it's another Hong, it's been back to back Hong's the last couple of weeks. Let's get into this one. It's so hard to make an entrance appealing when the shop front sits on a busy city road with endless trucks and cars speeding past. I have found from some doors I have visited on such roads, the only way to bump up a standard aluminium door is to chrome it or in this case. MAKE IT GOLD.

WOW!!!

What a difference to what would otherwise be an unnoticeable shop front. I am always amazed at things that should not go together, but work really well when they do. In this instance, the textured brown chunky brick. Throw in a hexagonal window to the mix and POW, Chinese temple wall. Amazing! Then combine that with a gold door, Italian 70's style floor tiles and some red lettering and you have an interesting entrance. Nothing really to comment on the door other than its colour. To be honest, I am getting a little sick of these aluminium doors, they are almost like a franchise filling the landscape with ugliness. Don't get me wrong though, I do like this entrance for its kitsch elements and simplicity. I have also got to give it to them for producing something pleasing, with very little to work within an environment that is very uninspiring.

A major road / on an intersection / in the suburbs.

Door resistance: 3.5

Closure mechanism: Hydraulic arm

Draft: Minimal

Squeak level: 1

Change return time: 42 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.