Reviews by NellieL

This review is for Quench, Southport QLD

verified email - 20 Sep 2012

Quench is probably one of my all-time favourite juice bars – Big call, but I feel that it's time to put it out there.

The first thing you notice when you walk into Ferry Road Market is Quench. Prominently positioned and always with a queue it's hard to miss. As you walk closer you notice all the gelato in the window, literally screaming at you to eat it. It looks creamy, wavy and just delicious. The urge to dive right into the display is a little bit overwhelming so its lucky its behind glass to avoid some seriously awkward moments.

If the Gelato isn't enough to temp you they do amazing toasted melts on Turkish bread and wraps with fresh ingredients. These are consistently good, jam packed with flavour and honestly hard to pass up. My personal favourite is the Chicken Avocado melt. This is the food I crave, all the time. Seriously.

Then there are the smoothies and juices. Again, super fresh ingredients blended together to make mouth-watering healthy combinations that take you away to tropical locations on your first sip. Yesterday I had an A'cai Berry smoothie with a watermelon base blended with strawberries. Remarkable.

I don't know what Quench does that is different to your traditional juice bars, but whatever it is it works. No, they are not cheap, a large smoothie will set you back $7.50 and with a melt at $8.50 you're looking at a $16.00 lunch, but boy it's worth it. Its healthy, fresh and fulfilling so it won't have you reaching for that mid afternoon snack to get you through until dinner.

A hands down winner in my opinion – One of the best! Don't believe me, go and treat yourself, if you can avoid throwing yourself at the gelato you should walk away with a sure smile.

Approximate cost: $8.50

This review is for Spendlove Bistro & Bar, Southport QLD

verified email - 20 Sep 2012

I love shopping in Ferry Road Market, its such a lovely little complex full of boutique shopping & divine food that literally makes your mouth water thinking about it.

I came to Spendlove one day for lunch as I work around the corner and decided to treat myself to a nice lunch. The atmosphere is buzzing here so you don't feel like a loner eating solo.

The wait staff are super friendly and were fast to bring my drink. They take your order and enter it into the computer so the days of walking your order into the kitchen are a thing of the past here.

I ordered the fish and chips. A risky decision considering I am not a massive fan of seafood but it just felt right on the day. The fish was crispy on the outside and lovely and flaky inside. So fresh that you would have been forgiven for thinking it was caught just before being served to your plate. The chips were coated with this lovely crispy coating and came in a little cardboard cone which added excitement to an otherwise boring day at work (I love simple things like that that make me smile). There was a salad on the plate but I must admit this wasn't anything too special, more of a garnish than a “side”.

The food was definitely impressive, but I felt a little pricey for what it was. Granted it was a lovely treat, but too pricey for this to be anything more than a treat. Would I go back? Absolutely yes, but only on the odd occasion when spending $25.00 + on lunch won't break my already stretched budget.

Approximate cost: $20.00-25.00

This review is for Thai Gumdale, Gumdale QLD

verified email - 16 Jul 2012

I have mixed feelings writing this review, but am going to share my experience with you anyway.

I personally loved this place, I thought the food was wonderful, the service was great and it was over priced.

On the other hand the satay chicken that my husband ate gave him the very worst case of food poisoning he has ever had. We knew there was something wrong with the chicken when it was stringy looking and peeled away from the skewer in a strange manner.

My husband only ate a small amount before he realised there was something wrong, unfortunately for him what he ate was enough to give him a solid 24 hours of food poisoning.

I also had chicken in the Green Curry Chicken and found there were no problems with it, but it did look much different to the texture of the chicken on the skewers.

I wouldn't eat here again, I don't think for me that its worth the risk of trying again.

Like I said though, my meal was wonderful and I had no problems. The restaurant was very busy and seems to be quite popular in the area.

Approximate cost: $15.00

This review is for La Madrina, Wynnum QLD

verified email - 16 Jul 2012

I have been to this pizza place twice now. My first time was on State of Origin night and they forgot to order my pizza's. This would normally have put me off, however they offered me a free drink to apologise for the extensive wait.

The pizza's are amazing. They are jam packed with toppings and flavors.

They have a hot dog pizza which is just like a hot dog on a pizza! Perfect in my opinion although not for all.

This is now my favourite pizza place in my area, having tried many others that have fallen short.

Prices start from $9.00 for smaller sizes and they have a great value meal for $38.00 which consists of 2 large pizzas, large garlic pizza and 1 1.25 lt drink. This one is great value for money.

The toppings are fresh and I would highly recommend this place to anyone in the area.

Take away only, there are no seats inside for dining in.

This review is for Absolute Thai, Wynnum QLD

verified email - 06 Jul 2012

The food here is amazing! But the three times I have chosen to dine in have been terrible.

The service here when it's busy is the worst I have come across. We waited 15 minutes for our orders to be taken, had to ask twice for our drinks and waiting over 50 minutes for our meals. Other tables were served meals before us that came in afterwards.

People waiting for takeaway were waiting over an hour!

The wait staff are not apologetic either.

It's lucky the food is delicious otherwise we would have walked out.

I'll make sure I come on a less busy night next time rather than a Friday.

This review is for Pet Foods Direct, Wynnum QLD

verified email - 18 Jun 2012

I guess this is probably better as an online store rather than a walk in. I went here on Saturday to purchase some quality canned cat food for my now "almost" toothless furry buddy.

They claim to have a wide variety of food brands available but once inside there is very little to chose from for a cat.

I ended up spending $50.00 on 5 cans of food! 3 large cans and 2 smaller ones. I am doing this on the recommendation of my vet so wanted to see what food my cat liked best as he is very fussy.

I noticed this morning that they have best before dates on the bottoms of the cans. To my shock 3 of them were expired! One dated back to 2009! When I phoned the store today the woman I spoke with said that the girls at the desk should have told me that its still ok to feed my cat out of date products.

I researched this and found that yes it is OK to a certain length of time, but after too long they lose their nutritional benefit, which is why they cost SO MUCH in the first place. I told the woman I was going to return them and she said the best she could do was a store credit.

I do think its probably better to buy this stuff online, it surprises me that a can could still be there from 2009 so I might be the only one in the area that is "old school" and wanted to purchase it from the shop directly.

I'll purchase elsewhere in future though as I wouldn't eat out of date food and would never give it to my little mate either.

Approximate cost: $Varies

This review is for Southport Childrens Education Centre, Southport QLD

verified email - 15 Jun 2012

I cannot explain to anyone unless they have been through it themselves the feeling of putting your baby in Daycare. It is terrifying.

Winning the lotto hasn't happened for us yet so I had to start working a few days a week. I found this place in Southport which is close to where I work.

The ladies here are all so welcoming and friendly. They take care of your children as though they are their own.

My daughter loves going to Daycare now, she smiles and everyone there and even puts her arms out to go to them with excitement.

They love to tell you all about your child's day and debrief you on all the things that you have missed.

They are in the same location as a swim school and can also organise swimming lessons (at additional cost and only with your permission and being present) for your children which is fantastic.

I cannot recommend this daycare enough. Puts my mind at ease knowing she is with people who truly care about her well being.

Approximate cost: $Varies on age

This review is for Aqua Body And Soul, Labrador QLD

verified email - 15 Jun 2012

I popped in here while working down on the Gold Coast to pick up some Pevonia Botanica products.

I turned up here unannounced and wasn't really expecting anyone to have too much time to spend with me.

The lady who helped me was absolutely amazing. She was so helpful and friendly, took the time to help answer my questions and called me the next week to see how I was going with the products.

I live in Brisbane so I cannot come here all the time, but when I am on the Gold Coast this will be the place I come if I need it. Highly recommended.

Approximate cost: $Varies

This review is for Tyack Health, Manly West QLD

verified email - 15 Jun 2012

This place is fantastic. I have been a couple of times now with my toddler daughter and all times I have been impressed with the Doctors, their level of knowledge on child health and how friendly and welcoming they are.

I had to visit recently for a check up and was amazed at how organised they were. I arrived and was informed straight away that the Dr was running behind time. This was a first for me. I have never been told this by any medical centre before so I was a little bit shocked and appreciated greatly the honesty.

They are sometimes hard to get appointments at but are open til 8 each weeknight so always do their best to fit you in when they can.

The whole centre has a very relaxing feel to it and you can tell the people that work their care about their patients. I felt this right from the welcoming faces at reception and then the Doctors.

They are not the cheapest and don't bulk bill but it is worth every cent and after the medicare rebate your only out of pocket about $30 for a standard consultation. They take the time to talk to you about what your problems are and do not rush to get you out the door and this is so important for me knowing I have my daughters health in their hands.

Approximate cost: $70.00

This review is for The Coffee Club, Capalaba QLD

verified email - 15 Jun 2012

I've been to this Coffee Club a few times, my most recent visit though prompted my review.

I ordered the Coffee Club big breakfast. They have never really impressed me with their service times. Even for take away I always wait for long periods of time. But this meal took close to 25 minutes to arrive at my table.

The meal was far from perfect. The bacon was 3 dried up shriveled bits on my plate and had no portion of them that was eatable. The "steak" was so tough I didn't get past my first mouthful. The hash brown was so greasy it actually dripped oil from my plate on to the table, the tomato was flavorless and the scrambled eggs tasted like they had been cooked in a burnt pan. The only good thing on my plate was the 3 little sausages which were very tasty.

Obviously ordering a big breakfast I expected a hefty amount of oil, but the hash brown was literally swimming in it.

On other occasions I have had other meals that haven't been too bad, but I must say, for the price that Coffee Club charge, I don't think their food meets the quality you would expect for the price.

Approximate cost: $15.00