I went here as a first time driver/car owner (aged over 40) and was very nervous as I'd recently seen on tv a story about shonky (reputable brands) mechanics. I had only owned my first car for 1 month.

They were very friendly, answered all my questions & offered to check over the exterior of the car & helped me select tyres as I had a flat. As all the tyres on my car were of different brand I decided to change all four + a spare. This decision was helped along by the salesperson. He also said my boot shock absorbers were questionable & that I probably needed a service.

So I left the car there, 2 days later I rang to enquire how things are going & was told "we've been busy, your car will be ready tomorrow". Rang the next day & was told to come late in the day to pick it up. When I did I was shocked that the priced had increased over what was quoted with little explanation. I just paid & left (I didn't have time to fluff about).

In hindsight & now that I know how mechanics operate & prey on women I can see I got diddled mightily. Because I was nervous, had no knowledge of cars or servicing them they took advantage of me.

Approximate cost: $Depends on what you need done

I have called on these guys whenever I have stupidly left my lights on & have a dead battery.

No problem - they popped over, charged up my car with instructions to drive it around a little to charge up my battery & refused on all occasions to accept any payment! I rectified this little imbalance by delivering some much appreciated crown lager :-) on a very hot day!

Recently my newish (2008) low km's car started to run out of puff & on occasion just lost power (on the M4 no less) and Ada looked over it & said I needed a new battery. No problem, they quoted a few brands & I also opted for a full service.

It was done the next day, car cleaned & running beautifully. Not expensive either & very friendly blokes. I will be getting all services done by them in the future.

I highly recommend.

Approximate cost: $Depends on what you need done

Good little coffee shop with a healthy choice of sandwiches, toasties, foccaccia, rolls (incl. wholemeal & rye) and hot specials of the day (like pasta, soup & the odd casserole type thing).
Very pretty views overlooking the park - you soon forget you are on your lunch break!
Excellent coffee & chai.. great interaction with children too!

Approximate cost: $4 - $8

They have an amazing selection of cake decorating equipment, supplies & cake decorations.
Cake tin rental, pre-made/coloured plastic icing, food colours & gels, boards, patty cases - everything you need to create a wow cake.
They also have lessons & can make cakes for you to order.

Approximate cost: $5 - $500

Truscotts Hyundai offer great service, can answer the most mundane auto questions & are extremely helpful when it comes to setting your mind at rest.

The standard of service is great - it can be a bit more expensive than most - but thats because they don't compromise on quality.

You can choose to drop off the car & utilise a courtesy car, sit in the provided lounge area (leather sofas, tv, newspapers, tea/coffee & bathroom facilities or even better they have a courtesy bus that can drop you to the nearby Westfields & pick you up when the service is done.

They offer a fabulous 'Women on wheels' education night specifically aimed for female drivers (young & old) which teaches you absolutely everything you should know about your car. Its free, refreshments are served & you receive a well kitted out safety/emergency satchel at the end of the evening.

I don't know of any other service centre that is so in tune with women.

I definitely recommend - particularly if you are a female.

Approximate cost: $50 - $480 (parts or service)

Occasionally when I feel like real vegetarian I head to Govinda's. It's been around for ages & the menu hasn't changed (I guess if it works, why change it).
Fresh, tasty, simple & with good karma.
Their cheesecake is to die for - it sells out fast so make sure you ask for it when being seated!
The mango lassi is wow - lots of mango!

Our last visit we opted for dinner & movie - love the cushiony beds.. my young son thought it was a hoot. It's nice because it's a small intimate cinema & they show good films.

A good night out - highly recommend.

Parking in the area is a nightmare - Kings X station is just up the street & the 311 stops outside.

Approximate cost: $20 or you can do a dinner/movie package

A great late night pitstop after a night out.
I used to live around the corner from Harry's & sometimes after a busy day it would be our dinner with some fresh veg.
Great Chicken & mushroom pies with lots of filling & big chunks of chicken.

Approximate cost: $5 - $6

With much anticipation we went to Jamie's last night.
As we arrived at 5pm to beat the rush (a show was on at the nearby theatre) and noticed a few people milling at the bar.. the restaurant was full.

Luckily we were dining with an associate of the restaurant so had a table (known as the unofficial chefs table) which has an angled view of the very fast paced kitchen.
The booth was extremely cramped (table is too big for the space) with 4 adults & 1 child.

We were greeted warmly by a lovely waiter, given menu's & wine ordered. Opted for a lightish Italian red with smooth spices & hearty finish - very good indeed.

For nibbles we went for the polenta chips with rosemary & parmesan (very tasty & crunchy), a insalata caprese (tiny, only 2 small buffalo mozzarella balls & ordinary tasting cherry tomatoes) together with little chunks of parmesan drizzled with balsamic vinegar (beautiful cheese but an incredibly small serve).

For mains we chose fish stew, gnocchi with pesto & the pork belly with seared fennel & citrus sauce special. I tried my sons gnocchi & it was bland & tasteless (no pine nuts, no parmesan, no seasoning)... the actual gnocchi seemed be of supermarket quality! The fish stew looked excellent & apparently tasted very good. My pork belly was horrid. It had a burnt taste & some of the crackling was indeed burnt, it was very, very fatty & what meat there was had a dry stringy texture. The fennel should have been crispy instead it was cooked to death, dripping in oil and just revolting. I also ordered a side of apple & gorgonzola salad - plenty of rocket, a few honey walnuts, a few tiny droppings of cheese & 2 thing slices of apple. It tasted good but had there been more apple it would have been so much better.

For desert we opted for the pannacotta, a bombe type thing & chocolate brownie. The pannacotta was excellent, silken & wobbly. The brownie was a dismal failure - overcooked, dry, not oozy, weakly chocolate flavoured (made from milk chocolate cocoa I suspect) and the sauce - OMG, I can do better with my eyes closed... drinking chocolate powder, milk & very little cream - yuck, no other way to say it. The bombe... supposed to be a beautiful shell of panettone with ricotta, dried fruit & peel with ice-cream & the same gastly chocolate sauce. It was blah - no panettone & hardly a piece of fruit/peel insight.

To top it off - the stupid noises the chefs make constantly inbetween yelling out the orders is just horrid. I understand a kitchen during service is noisy but this was like being in a circus. I couldn't wait to get out of there.

I feel so extremely disappointed by last nights experience & I will never, ever return.

Approximate cost: $24 - $38

This place is amazing!
Very busy, very cheap ($6.50 for lunch!!!) and extremely fast.
Not a place for a lazy lunch - more a quick in & out.
Fair quality, great flavours. I personally think its too cheap for what you get - really it's a bargain.

Approximate cost: $6.50 - $20

Excellent coffee - one of the best in Sydney.
Good friendly service.
You can buy ground coffee & you can choose from many blends/regional/single origin - all freshly ground in front of you (it smells divine) to your specifications.
Reasonably priced too.