Reviews by pswa3556

This review is for Ceres, Echuca VIC

verified email - 27 Feb 2014

Nice restaurant located on the main street of Echuca. It is clean, spacious and well-appointed, and service is great - even with only two floor staff working on the day that we went, and with the restaurant fairly packed, things moved smoothly and we didn't have to wait long. Food is great, they use extremely fresh ingredients, which really shows through in the quality and taste of the food. Portion sizes are generous, so much so that we could not try their desserts, which was regrettable. Overall a very pleasant restaurant.

Approximate cost: $20 - $25


verified email - 27 Feb 2014

A nice selection of different wines, and they come in barrels as well as bottles, which is nice. They also offer the option of buying an empty barrel and getting it filled. Service is good, and staff are knowledgeable.

This review is for Malayan Orchid Restaurant, Bendigo VIC

verified email - 21 Feb 2014

I've been here a few times, and to be honest the first few times didn't really impress me - but came here recently with friends and was pleasantly surprised. The food was beatifully cooked and presented, as always, and the service was a lot friendlier than the last time I was there. I'd been a bit apprehensive at first, having heard that they'd picked up a few awards recently and expecting they would be a lot more snobbish, but it was quite the opposite! Waitstaff were attentive and food came out at perfect intervals. Getting given serving bowls and cutlery with each dish was a nice touch as well, as was getting our rice served for us by the waitress. I ended up having a very pleasant meal and a great night, will definitely be returning.

This review is for Queens Arms Hotel, Quarry Hill VIC

verified email - 21 Feb 2014

Fairly run-of-the-mill pub, good beers (if you go on Friday, they have $5 Coronas all day, which is great value) and food as well. Their desserts are a must-try, especially the chocolate brownie - decadent and rich, with a generous serving of ice-cream. Portion sizes are large, yes the prices are a bit more expensive than your average pub, but well worth it as the portion sizes are generous. Service is good - not overly attentive, but friendly once you approach them, and prompt. Overall a pleasant place to go for an after-work drink, or to meet friends for a meal.

Approximate cost: $25

This review is for Cafe Cortile, Bendigo VIC

verified email - 20 Feb 2014

Doesn't even come close to living up to the hype surrounding it. Staff may appear outwardly friendly but are snobbish and arrogant, and loath to admit when they are clearly in the wrong. The second - and last - time I went, I was meeting friends. Being the first to arrive, I asked for a table. That was all ok but the waiter kept pushing me to order before they got there, and before I'd even had a chance to look at the menu. So, ok, I ordered a drink to start with. When everyone else got there, we placed our order, and waited. And waited. And waited some more. We asked the waiter (on the one occasion that he came past) where our food was, and he said it was coming. Eventually, it came to pass that we were going to be late for another engagement, so we had to leave. While I was paying for my drink (the only one to arrive), I was asked to also pay for the rest of the items we had ordered. When I explained that we had not received anything in well over an hour, and this was why we were leaving, the waiter was not only unapologetic but had the intention to charge us anyway, as though doubting my word. The waiter who had originally taken our order happened to be nearby, and questioned “so they were never sent out? I placed the order” while also fixing me with a suspicious glare, as though this was all our fault and not that of their disorganisation. I wouldn't have been so frustrated had it just been the lack of service, but it was more so the fact that we were blamed and regarded as borderline criminals, as though we just didn't want to pay. Never been so humiliated in my life, and will never return.

One positive about this cafe though, they do offer suspended coffee, a growing phenomenon in Melbourne and other parts of the world (I think it originated in Italy?), which is commendable. The principle behind it is that you can pay for two cups of coffee, drink one while the other is 'suspended' so that when a person in need comes in later they can get one for free.

This review is for The Groove Train, Bendigo VIC

verified email - 06 Feb 2014

Great location in the Bendigo Marketplace, and spacious. It is clean, and the deck was a very pleasant place to sit when we went - a lovely summer day. There are both smoking and non-smoking areas which was thoughtful of them. Service is attentive and prompt, and prices are reasonable.

Approximate cost: $20

This review is for The Cheesecake Shop, Golden Square VIC

verified email - 05 Feb 2014

Decent cakes at reasonable prices. They are not pretentious and don't try to make things overly fancy - you pay for good, tasty, solid cakes, and that is exactly what you get. We've been coming here for years for birthdays and so on, the service is quite good as well.

Approximate cost: $30 - $50

This review is for The Epicurean Delicatessen , Bendigo VIC

verified email - 05 Feb 2014

This place is bigger than it looks from the outside, and always busy. The coffees were a little disappointing for such a well-established place. My latte, for example, was a bit too hot and the milk had not been stretched adequately (the layer of foam on top wasn't nearly thick enough) and you can forget about any coffee art! The actual quality of the coffee is acceptable though, it's just the making of it that was a bit lacking. The food and cakes looked tempting (though we did not try them this time). Service is ok, not the friendliest I have ever received but not the worst either.

This review is for Bunja Thai Restaurant, Bendigo VIC

verified email - 05 Feb 2014

Conveniently located on Pall Mall, in a beautifully preserved heritage building (an old bank building, I believe) this is a nice place to go for a meal with friends. It is spacious, with tables a reasonable distance from each other. The food is nice, although the special this week - crispy pork belly stir fried with a red curry paste - was a little bit disappointing. Despite being assured twice by the waitress that it would be crispy, it was not. Service is alright, friendly but a little bit slow - we waited well over half an hour after our entree, for our plates to be cleared and then the mains to be served, despite it not being overly busy. Overall though, Bunja Thai is a nice restaurant.

Approximate cost: $20

This review is for Bendigo Dumpling House, Bendigo VIC

verified email - 03 Feb 2014

I've been here a couple of times, it's a nice little restaurant located round the back end of Lyttleton Terrace. It's clean and food is alright - dumplings aren't quite up to the standard of some of the places in Melbourne, for example, but it's the only dumpling place in Bendigo, as far as I know. Portion sizes are good, 10 fairly reasonable-sized dumplings in a serve, and my friends' noodle dishes were fairly large as well.

Service is adequate, although the last time I went, we had to wait over an hour before our meal was served (just two serves of dumplings) and watched as other tables, who had arrived after us, were served before us. That said however, they did eventually realise we had been waiting awhile at around the 45 minute mark and apologised.

Their lunchtime deals appear fairly popular, and I may give them a go sometime in the future.

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