WERE YOU BORN IN A TENT

Wednesday, 4 June 2014

JIMMY'S BAR

82 Vincent St, Daylesford

Visited: 6th May 2014

Design: Ok, now this isn't normal practice for me, to review a door I haven't eaten behind but this was one exception. On a little mid-week winter getaway to the picturesque town of Daylesford with the little lady, I came across this magnificent door handle of Jimmy's Bar. At the time the bar was closed so we didn't have the chance to experience the full eccentric qualities of this door. I must admit I was about to walk away from this but my judgement got the better of me and I could not possibly let this one go unnoticed. The door itself was nothing amazing just a glass panel on a pivot hinge. Yet the combination of the clean glass with the cast forearms with hands lifted it to another level of unique. I have never seen another door handle like it in my life. I am unsure of the significance of the hand gestures in relation to the bar itself. If we were to reference the hand Mudras of Hinduism and Buddhism the first gesture on the left door of the open palm would be known as the ABHAYA MUDRA, (the energy of No Fear) or PATAKA, (flag) in Indian Dance and the second gesture on the right door, (2nd photo detail) would be the GYAN MUDRA (Mudra of knowledge) which is meant to increase memory power and sharpen the brain, also known as the VITARKA MUDRA. Two very powerful symbols for an entrance. The thing I like about these handles is the worn polished surface of the handle on the right from thousands of hands pushing on the arm bringing a beautiful golden quality of the bronze to the surface. This reminds me of the Fontana Del Porcellino, (piglet fountain) the bronze fountain boar I came across in my travels in the bustling market of Mercato Nuovo in Florence. It is believed that if you place a coin in the mouth of the boar and the coin falls into the water you then rub the nose of the boar, you will one day return to Florence. Maybe this is the idea of the owners that by pushing on the forearm upon entering you will return to Jimmy's Bar or you will come away with no fear and a better memory.

Original!!

Who knows, either way it makes you want to touch it and on this rainy day it caught my attention even though the place was closed I had to go back and touch it and take a photo. Well done Jimmy!

Door resistance: ?

Closure mechanism: Pivot

Draft: ?

Squeak level: ?

Change return time: 0 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.