(For some reason WOMOW doesn't recognize Teneriffe as a suburb, so I put down Fortitude Valley instead)
A lovely place to treat yourself to something fancy in a comfortable setting. The decor is very lush and the food is wonderful. We're not big wine drinkers so we can't vouch for their nice-looking wine list, but they have a creative assortment of cocktails and made us the best Long Island Ice Tea I've ever had. We went on a very quiet Monday night and just enjoyed the romantic solitude. The server was very friendly and made us feel even more at home.

Approximate cost: $35

We've had TPG at two different rentals and both times it's been disappointing. The first time was miserable. Despite having a large plan, our ADSL2 connection kept slowing down to a dialup crawl. This wasn't due to using up our quota though - at those speeds we couldn't use half of it if we tried. (It's not like we were living out in the barely-connected boondocks either, this was in Annerley) Whenever we called tech support, they'd get it running fast for about 15 minutes, but then it would slow right back down again.

When we moved, we tried our best to talk our new housemates out of going with TPG, but the low prices seduced them. This time it's at least much faster than our last place, but the speed is still low for what we'd expect from ADSL2. Amusingly, this month we finally came close to using up the monthly quota by downloading lots of big stuff in the last couple days. TPG emailed us a throttle warning to tell us we only had so much left to use up until the renewal on the 11th... except the email was dated the 16th! Um, wow, thanks for that reminder TPG. They can't even handle a calendar properly!

A nice place to go for produce or health food if you're in the Rochedale area. Their specialty is fresh fruit and veg, but they also have a variety of other groceries with an emphasis on local, healthy, or organic products. I like to try something new each time I come here for my regular produce.

We had surprisingly good service when we went, with a staff member helpfully showing us how to properly slice up our chicken and set up the BBQ. Judging by the earlier review though, this might be a bit hit or miss. The value is definitely great, and I thought the food was delicious, but then I have a weakness for trying lots of things. Their big BBQ meat platters are also served with a large variety of mini side dishes like kimchi and salads and tofu to try.

Approximate cost: $25

This restaurant is supposed to be a "dinner and show", but my partner and I are more interested in food than theater, so we went for their Thursday night special to just try out the churrasco buffet. There were some very large dining parties there though, which gave off their own kind of theatrical vibe! So I really can't say how typical of a night this is for them. We also didn't get as much of a variety of meat as I was hoping for. But I can say that we definitely enjoyed our night and the food was delicious. We're planning to go back sometime on a different day, maybe for one of their special event nights.
So why the average ratings? Well, I do have mixed feelings, but they mostly arise from an unfair comparison. I was introduced to the churrasco "Brazilian steakhouse" concept while on vacation in the US, at one of the Fogo de Chao restaurants. And they are absolutely exquisite. They're more expensive, but not all that much, and it's unquestionably worth every single dollar. They have a much larger variety of foods, top quality meat that's prepared masterfully, and almost embarrassingly attentive service. It's just as good as a full-on fine dining restaurant that you'd pay over five times as much for.
So let's say that Brazilian Touch is a good start. We need to get the churrasco concept going in Australia, and this place has given me a nice alternative to my usual Asian and Indian places to go. But I'm still hoping to get something that will match Fogo de Chao. And while I was quite happy paying their "opening special" price on a Thursday, Brazilian Touch will need to improve some more by the time they up their prices.

Approximate cost: $25

We had a lot of things to store while we got settled into a new place, and the people here were always very helpful. They helped us work out the best size to go with, and recommended a good removalist as well. We especially appreciated them giving us a couple extra days to finish emptying our locker, since the end of our monthly contract came on a weekend when the office would be closed anyway.

Don't give these guys your money. Shell out just a little bit more in bank fees for someplace trustworthy and relax instead. You might get a slightly cheaper deal with ANZ's cheap checking for a while, but if you slip up anywhere they will screw you out of your money and make it all a waste. Or like me and my husband found out, even if THEY screw up, they'll try and take your money. My husband got a special deal on a no-fees personal account when he graduated from Griffith Uni. We opened a joint account as well. But since we were already comfortable with Credit Union Australia, we put off using the ANZ accounts for a long time. But the minute I finally decided to change that, ANZ rewarded me with almost $200 of bank fees. Here's how it happened:
-My husband took $500 in cash to deposit at our local branch. He asked to put it into our joint account, which had been collecting dust for months and only about $10 left in it at the time.
-The bank teller deposited the $500 into my husband's personal account instead.
-During the week, I used my ANZ ATM card to pay for several purchases. Some were large, like groceries, others were small like a single coffee at Starbucks. Since my card was drawing off the joint account and not the personal account, I was now unwittingly overdrafting and getting charged a $35 fee each time. Even on the $5 coffee.
-My card was never declined, each purchase was approved even when I approached a balance of negative $200. I only found out something was wrong when I tried to withdraw actual cash from an ATM and saw the negative balance.
-A full week later, a notice from ANZ finally arrived to tell us we had made an overdraft, but "based on [our] relationship with ANZ", (what relationship? How does leaving an account sitting around for months with only $10 or so in it prove our fiscal dependability?) they "allowed us to make the transaction"... after charging the $35 fee for the "convenience".
-Several calls and in-person visits ensued, in which the staff kept insisting it was just policy so they couldn't reverse it, and just our fault for putting the money in the wrong account. Since we hadn't used the accounts much before, we started to believe them. Maybe my husband's card had never been linked to the joint account, and that's how the error occurred? But when we asked to have his card linked to both accounts so it couldn't happen again, it turns out his card WAS already linked to both accounts the whole time.
-After wasting this much time and being treated this poorly, we said if they couldn't get a manager who could waive those erroneous and extortionate fees, we would prefer to cancel our accounts immediately, rather than continue doing business with them. Turns out they were able to do it for us after all. But that only got back what was rightfully ours to begin with. It didn't begin to make up for all the hassles and dramas.

If, after reading this, you still want to do business with ANZ, I can't stop you, but do yourself a favor and call their customer service ASAP and request to have the ability to overdraft your account removed. Unless you specifically request this from them and have it officially put on your account, they will assume "based on your relationship" (of not knowing any better yet) that you're willing to pay $35 for any overdraft slipup you make, even if it's their fault.

Why aren't there more of these places around? I got introduced to them when I held a casual job nearby in Victoria Point, and have sometimes made the drive back there just to visit Big Chief. I've always liked the nice open feel at this particular location, too. I try to avoid fatty food and hardly ever go to burger joints, but when I DO want a burger, these guys make it worth your while. Everything's just solid and tasty and has an extra special touch to it that Maccas can't provide. Go on, get the works burger. It's got bacon, egg and cheese... and BBQ sauce, a fried egg, beetroot, and pineapple! Ohhhh it's so good!

My favorite Indian restaurant in Brissy. I like absolutely everything I've tried here, from the flaky paratha and poori breads (I fill up on them sometimes, with no regrets), to the tangy and spicy mixed pickles, to their mango lassis that I could drink like water. Their curries are rich and you can actually see whole spices. Very good value when many inferior restaurants are charging just as much for their generic McCurry. Their specialty though, is the crepe-like dosai. Also try the uthappams, they're like thicker dosai with extra toppings. Some of their food can get VERY spicy - they even surprised me and my Indian husband on our first visit, but it was just so tasty we still had to come back for more. However, I think they've toned it down a bit over the years. Just watch the hotness ratings, or come in for their wonderful Sunday lunch buffet. The buffet food is all very mild so you can bring the whole family. Another nice thing about the buffet is it's almost entirely vegetarian. You shouldn't miss the meat at all as you try all the different vegetarian foods on offer, but just in case, they always serve up one tasty meat curry as well.

Approximate cost: $14-$19 per main. $21.50 for buffet

I come here for one thing and one thing only - the hotcakes! They have some meals and other things as well, but to be honest I've never even bothered to try them. It's just those hotcakes I have to stop for before I leave Sunnybank Plaza. This place is NOT the Hot Cake House. Formosa's hotcakes are smaller, and because of that, the filling matches the "cake" perfectly. They spoiled me - I find most of the Hot Cake House ones are a big messy glob of sickly filling in comparison.

Approximate cost: $70 cents per cake