This children's theatre in the Darling Quarter is an intimate venue presenting shows for kids of all ages. The staff there are exceptionally friendly and helpful to parents and kids alike. The theatre is thoughtfully set out for families and they provide activities (colouring in pages and crayons, etc) to occupy kids before the show. The venue is tiny with few facilities however the eateries of the Darling Quarter are right outside the door and you can't eat inside the theatre anyway (which makes sense with young kids involved). We all enjoy our visits to Monkey Baa.

What incredibly BAD, AWFUL, HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE! The staff pay no attention to who has been waiting the longest and rather than at least trying to ask the customers who is next, they just randomly pick someone to serve. And by their staff's own rude admission, this is store policy!

My friend, who arrived after me, was served before me and when someone who had just turned up got served next, my friend protested as I had been waiting the longest. The male staff member had not noticed me to begin with but then proceeded to justify overlooking me by stating it was store policy "anyway" for him not to serve me because I knew someone who was already being served! This meant I had to wait for her transaction to be complete before I could place my order. I told him we were not "together" as we were placing two orders and paying separately but this made no difference.

What sort of an ice cream/gelato parlour would want to alienate (of all people!) parents and children by basically making a rule that kids don't get to enjoy their ice cream with their friends! By the time a second parent finally gets to finish their transaction, the kids of the first parent have almost finished eating! We had a show to get to in the theatre next door so thank goodness we were only two families and not four! Imagine putting an UN-family-friendly gelato store next to a children's theatre!!!??

The staff put a bad flavour in my mouth so I did not get to enjoy my pricey purchase. The only positive out of my experience at Meno Dicciotto yesterday afternoon was that I left appreciating the restaurant we had lunch at even more, as they allowed our two families to order our meals at the same time, they brought out our meals together and we got to enjoy eating together as a group.

I had been waiting a few months to get down to the Plough and Harrow, the so-called pub for "grown ups" in Camden (that's the 'edge' they are going with since there are several pubs on this one stretch of the main street). We finally got out there for a weekday lunch so ordered from the lunch specials - these meals are $10 when you purchase a drink. I only scanned some other menu items on the blackboard as I queued to order at the bar but immediately I could see why they needed a gimmick and a lunch special to reel the punters in; the price of the garlic bread almost knocked my socks off! $9.50 per serve!!

Anyway, our meals came out promptly. My chicken schnitzel came out hot and fresh however it had been cooked in oil that was long overdue for disposal... it tasted like something from a Chinese restaurant rather than a simple pub schnitzel. This was unpleasant and disappointing. My chips were mostly hot, some cold, very salty but nice. My husband enjoyed his chips but was less impressed with his fish. I found my small salad (part of the $10 dish) to taste as though something was going rotten in it, probably the carrots but I couldn't put my finger on the source of it.

Unfortunately, we had ordered our one-year-old a serve of garden salad for herself. My husband pointed out to me that this also smelled like something in it had gone off and the lettuce was limp. I could understand that my plate may have been placed under a heat lamp for a short time and that would explain my flaccid lettuce at room-temperature however this bowl should never have come into contact with anything warm. We could not feed it to our daughter.

When a staff member came to clear our plates, my husband asked her if she could smell something rotten in the salad and straight off the bat she said it was probably the dressing (gee, that inspires confidence!!) She said she would ask the chef and took off with the full bowl of salad. We waited while we finished our drinks and though my husband saw her floating around the dining area and kitchen, the woman never returned. Not to apologise, not to offer a refund and not even to give us a fresh bowl of salad though she had taken off with our bowl. Not that we wanted it but if the Plough & Harrow weren't willing to replace a bowl of salad for a toddler, I'm thinking they should have at least brought back the one we paid for.

In any case, rotten salad or not, my husband and I both independently decided never to return - he decided this based on the disappointing fish (he said the fish at The Crown Hotel down the road is better) and I decided based on the old oil they had cooked my lunch in ... and the poor customer service.

We stumbled upon Waminda Bakery's store in Browne Street during a painfully long wait to see a doctor in the medical centre one or two doors down. The shop must be fairly new as we've been here dozens of times and never noticed it.

We had heard of the bakery on Waminda Avenue for years but until we entered this store on Browne Street, we didn't know what the fuss was about. Well, I'll tell you. It's the vast selection of tempting sweet treats at very reasonable prices. All fresh. All yummy-looking. And from the four or five (or six!) we bought, I'm guessing all yummy, too. It's rare to find this variety at these prices even in a bakery. I guess that is the edge Campbelltown has over Camden! Lucky Campbelltown!

We just recently stumbled upon Waminda Bakery (though we had heard about it for years). Wow! What fantastic value and a great selection of sweet little cakes and biscuits! We couldn't resist buying one of this and one of that. With prices this good, you don't feel guilty about the waistline issue! I'm pleased W.B. has recently moved into Narellan Town Centre. I need more of this!

I don't mind a Spur lunch special though I must admit the quality can change week to week. I've also had bad luck and had to wait a ridiculous amount of time to be served when I arrived too soon after they opened their kitchen. Still, a few disappointments among some really good experiences. I usually go for lunch on the run so as long as it's fresh and there's plenty of their unique onion rings then I'm pretty happy. The serves are a good size and the whole family enjoys it here.

I didn't think much of my first visit so I hadn't returned for six years or so but I was after a tasty lunch and noticed their lunch special on my way to their nearby competitor. I remembered my recently-discovered love for pad see ew so found the cosiest corner of the restaurant and didn't have to wait for long before it was served. Yup, it was a good one. I was happy that I was in and out in less than half an hour, I enjoyed the food and got my drink for free. Bargain.

Harry's in Liverpool is one of those places you keep at the back of the mind for emergencies. If you are stuck in traffic, starving, you know Harry's can help you out. If it's late at night and you need a snack, Harry's is there. Or if you want to re-live a Harry's moment, now you don't have to go as far as Wooloomooloo to do it!

There aren't many places around Sydney that serve chunky fresh pies with peas, mash and gravy, nor hotdogs of this calibre. Try them!

Harry's is an institution. You wouldn't go there everyday and let's face it, there's nothing particularly special about the food but when the opportunity presents, it's an experience you don't want to pass up. It's one of those "do it once a year" kind of things. It's making new memories. And honestly, there aren't many places around Sydney that serve this kind of fare: chunky fresh pies with peas, mash and gravy and various incarnations of the hotdog. They do it better than the local pie shop and the location is hard to beat.

Lollipops is a great few hours out for the kids but a workout for the parents! There is a lot of running around to be had - unfortunately for parents of younger kids who need to be supervised more closely, it is not all in view from your seat! On the flip side, there is more to do for the kids at Lollipops than at the other smaller play centres in the area. I guess it also means the kids won't struggle so much against nap time. Lollipops also puts on discos and has clowns, craft and other entertainment, moreso during school holidays and at weekends.