The Building
Lola's Kitchen is a small complex of nipa hut-style buildings. They are constructed from wood and bamboo with thatched nipa (mangrove palm) roofs. The main building contains a large dining area with vaulted ceilings, private dining rooms, the kitchen, and a maintenance room. The thatch-covered Gator's View Porch, is as large as the main building and has the best views of the river. Individual huts for overnight guests line up behind the main building along wooden walkways.
You can smell the food before you see the tavern: meat on the grill, eggrolls frying, and poultry simmering in soy sauce, garlic, vinegar, and black pepper. The thatched grass roof comes into view along with the charming buildings on stilts and the fat gator by the river.
As you get closer, you can hear music and singing from the porch bar. As you climb the bamboo stairs, you are greeted by Lola Carly herself. "Mabuhay! It means both hello and goodbye!"
The Dining Room
The main dining room has vaulted ceilings with floors covered in mats woven from grass. Capiz shell chandeliers float near the ceiling, comfortably lighting 20 tables built from bamboo and hardwoods. The head server, Xalbadora, a great-niece of Carly, leads a crew of six to nine and can take care of up to 150 diners.
The Kitchen's Kitchen
The busy kitchen boasts completely modern magitech equipment run with clockwork precision by Chef Chiffonade, a female kenku with the ability to perfectly copy any meal she has eaten. The large clean space is filled with fresh ingredients from around the world and a multitude of dimensions due to Lola Carly's great influence and deep connections.
Gator's View Porch
The porch lounges on the riverside of the restaurant, offering beautiful views of the river, incoming boats, and the skyship docks. The barkeep Archie, a water genasi, serves frosty tropical drinks while flamboyantly flirting with everyone in sight. At night, the Porch explodes with activity as visitors come to enjoy world-famous bards or to compete in the weekly Karaoke Challenge.
The Nipa Huts
Ten thatched roof nipa huts on stilts trail behind the Kitchen's main building. They are connected by a series of wooden walkways and boardwalks. The rooms come in a variety of sizes and prices suitable for 2 to 6 people. The best suites are the Rajah (king), the Rani (queen), and the Datu (chieftain) suites.
Ezra Aldrich
Oh my goodness this was a delightful article. It's a great start for a first draft. I love everything from the delectable menu to the gator moving the tavern on occasion. It was lighthearted and easy to read. I feel there's a lot of heart put into this and felt like I was at home. The staff all sound fun and unique; I think Archie is my favorite lol.
Chris L
Thank you! I'm going to go back through and put in quotes from most of the staff and flesh some things out. Stay tuned!
See WorldEmber 2023 Hub for my WorldEmber progress.
Check out my challenge winning article: Ghost Boy.