We spotted this eatery as we got to the Entertainment Quarter this afternoon. It was very promising early on with its rustic decor & Campos coffee. We sat down on a Saturday afternoon at about 1:15pm and there was plenty of seating. They have a great outdoors area with big benches to enjoy your food at & plenty of shade & seating indoors if the occasion calls for it.

The menu is very comprehensive with salads, entrees, pizza, pasta, seafood, meats, chicken & the rest. We ordered at the counter & decided to cover off a very interesting selection of foods. I was absolutely captivated by the assorted sweets that they had tucked behind the display case, picking up a vanilla slice, cherry slice, custard donut & rocky road to go with my coffee, but we added a Greek Salad to the meal as well - just to get our nutrients fix.

The coffee & the sweets were out almost instantaneously but the salad didn't come out for another 15 or so minutes.The cakes were beautifully made & delicious in flavour and large enough to satisfy my ruthless sweet tooth. The coffees however, were not as brilliant. They were quite bitter for Campos beans and seemed to be a touch cold when they came out, which was very surprising. Also, the Greek Salad was a touch off as well. There was no real presentation & the added chicken was a touch rubbery. If not for the cakes, the food & coffees were very average.

Although it is a great venue with plenty of room, it lacked any real atmosphere. There was no music & it was awfully quite for Saturday lunch time. Although the staff were helpful & timely, they were quite reserved themselves, which didn't contribute at all to the atmosphere & experience. For these reasons it was just a bit off on this occasion. However, I would recommend this place for groups or families as there is plenty of variety in the menu & space for seating, probably more of a dinner location though.

This place has an excellent little set up with plenty of room & more than enough parking with a near by parking lot. We sat down at about 12:30pm Monday afternoon for a quick coffee and some lunch. There were a number of customers seated in doors & out but due to the size of the cafe, there was still plenty of seating for us. There was house music playing softly which gives me the impression that there is a bit more of a younger crowd populating this cafe - never the less, it did create quite a cool atmosphere around the place.

We were waited on immediately by a cheerful young lady & started of with some coffees. Some good news for coffee lovers, Frappe cafe serves Campos Coffee and they know how to make a good mug so I was very impressed with the coffee. I went with the Energy Breakfast & my mate ordered the Lamb Souvlaki Wrap. The food was out on our table within 15 minutes of ordering. My dish was delicious, the chicken was perfectly cooked & the scrambled egg whites followed suit. My mate's lamb souvlaki must have been nice considering it barely lasted a few minutes on his plate before it was finished.

The serving sizes were relatively standard but definitely big enough. The pricing was standard as well for a cafe in the area, with dishes ranging between $15 - $25 depending on what you order. Overall, this is just a great cafe to check out if you're around. Not far off being outstanding, it just lacked a bit of originality & uniqueness. However, it has a lively ambience to it, the service was attentive & timely, the food was quality & I had no complaints with the pricing - I definitely recommend this one!

This is a lovely, authentic italian style restaurant & cafe attached to an all italian deli, liquor & retail store. It is your one stop shop for all things Italian and my word it did not disappoint. We were seated here at about 1:15pm on a Saturday and although there were plenty of people seated, there was still plenty of room for us. It is quite a large restaurant with plenty of seating inside & out and is located in the "Waterfront" complex in Wentworth Point.

Almost immediately, I was captivated by the European style decor & authentic atmosphere that came with it. The staff seemed to be all Italian and were full of cheer & passion. The restaurant was playing italian music quite softly in the background which again contributed to the cultured atmosphere. We were waited on immediately and had a couple of coffees ordered & served to the table within minutes. These were excellent but the fresh orange juice that followed with the food was a class above the rest.

The menu is very comprehensive and almost all Italian with variety in meats, salads, entrees, mains, desserts & the rest. The pricing is a touch on the high side at around $20 an entree and $30+ a main but the dishes epitomise value for money. Although we were disappointed to hear that the 3 stuffed vegetables entree was not available, the bruschetta, grilled octopus with salad & garlic prawns in chilli tomato sauce dissolved that slight disappointment instantaneously. The food was absolutely incredible & full of flavour, and the wood-fried italian bread (Pana di Casa) was pure crispy & crunchy goodness. The presentation was sensational and the portion sizes were impressive, especially being that they were considered entrees.

Our food was on our table within 15 minutes of ordering & it was in our stomachs in even less time than that. We stepped up to the counter to pay our share and came across the small display of fresh italian style desserts. Considering the sweet ricotta cannoli was staring right at me, I just couldn't resist and left with a roadie cannoli. Not only that, upon exit I had a stroll through the retail side of the store & was delighted to see a vast variety of biscotti, cured meats & imported Italian wines available for purchase. After adding a beautiful 2007 Tuscan red to my collection, we were on our way - by the way, the cannoli was outstanding!

Overall, there's not a bad thing I could say about Cucina Visontini. In fact, if I didn't know where I was, I could have been mistaken into thinking I was overseas. Our experience wasn't just a great meal with excellent service & a bottle of wine to enjoy another time, it was truly cultural appreciation. It has become easy to generalise Italian restaurants but make no mistake, Cucina Viscontini is the real deal. For a taste of Italy, I respectfully demand that you try this place, you will be thankful you did so!

Approximate cost: $35

We decided to grab a sandwich from this place after an incredibly positive referral from a good friend of ours. It was around lunchtime on Friday and the place was full of customers, which doesn't take many people considering it is quite small. It is a little cafe/take-away shop a couple doors up from Bardwell Park station yet it is surprisingly quiet considering its location.

There isn't a great deal of seating so I would be mindful when going as peak hours could make it quite difficult to grab a table. However, they do keep some tables and chairs out the back just in case they encounter a few extra customers than they expected. It had a simple yet modern style & decor with Italian music playing softly in the background - my kind of atmosphere!

Known for its excellent sandwiches, it features a black board showcasing around 10 different sandwiches for the picking. There are also various Italian style sweets available for purchase for those that would oblige. Of course, you have your standard selection of hot and cold beverages, coffees included.

We decided to grab a chicken wrap costing us $10 each which is great value considering the size of these wraps. They are very large & packed with plenty of ingredients. The chicken was cooked perfectly, the vegetables were fresh, the bread was spot of and the sweet chilli sauce was delicious! And to think it only cost $10 - a "value for money" miracle in this day and age!

To compliment the great chicken wrap was the coffee that followed. A great little coffee with plenty of flavour to finish off the great lunch. Also, the staff at the counter were very welcoming with an overtly passionate demeanour about them which really created a positive atmosphere across the cafe. This was something that really added to our experience on the day, it's amazing how much value "passion" can add to a business. This may have been the first time I have been to Pinocchio Cafe, but it will certainly not be my last - excellent service, delicious food & very attractive prices!

Approximate cost: $10

We travelled here on Thursday night as we were in the area & were looking for a nice quiet place to grab a quick feed & a coffee. We had been past Third Rock cafe before but never dined there so we decided to give it a go. The cafe was empty when we arrived there at about 8:30pm. We had a seat and were greeted by the young lady who was quite attentive & polite.

I ordered the Barramundi while the others chose the steak, chicken skewers, a chicken foccacia type dish and a couple of servings of garlic bread for the table. The prices seemed to be relatively reasonable at about $20 - $25 a main. The drinks were out relatively quickly but the food took close to half an hour. Normally I wouldn't be too concerned but considering we were the only people in the cafe, I thought it was a touch slow; in saying that though, there might have been only the one chef on at the time.

The portion sizes were relatively standard & aligned reasonably with their price. The chicken foccacia was well presented & seemed to be a hit with my friend's taste buds, as did the chicken skewers for another mate. My barramundi was well-cooked and the cheese sauce really complimented the fish.
However, just a couple of things were slightly off. My other mate's steak seemed to be quite under-cooked for his liking, considering he ordered a medium-well and the garlic bread came out quite cold. Again, it seemed quite light staff wise so maybe they were short but it was a touch off the mark.
Overall though, the food was decent and the portions were quite fair.

We finished off with a coffee which was actually quite nice and the young lady was always quite attentive. However, the overall experience seemed just a touch average & a little bit lack luster on the "passion" side of things. The cafe had no significant atmosphere and the decor is relatively simple. The waitress did her best to create an ambience but it just lacked any unique traits or sense of culture. Overall, the food was okay, the service was satisfactory & the pricing was reasonable but again, the experience was just short of impressive. Good food & good prices but a little bit "hollow" in terms of experience.

Approximate cost: $25

T & M Motors is a great little mechanic that's been around for quite some time now. Tony & the team there are nothing but a pleasure to deal with and have been for the past 5 years for me. They always seem to make time to service my car, they are attentive to what I need fixed or checked & they are very reasonably priced for the work that they do.

T & M have organised all my paper work & check ups since I've had my Toyota Yaris and I won't be taking my car to anybody else. They have extensive experience as mechanics and there isn't much that they haven't seen or fixed in their time. They were even able to fit a reconditioned engine into my old Corolla within days of it breaking down.

Not only are they very well priced, the team there work very quickly. Rarely do I have to wait more than a day or two to get my car back, in fact I usually have it back the day of. Not only that, I have dropped my car in from time to time over the past 5 years and everything I have needed done has been completed. The car always feels like brand new when I get it back from T & M Motors and that's more than I expect from my local mechanic.

If you're looking for a reliable, well-priced & timely mechanic in the St George area, then don't go past T & M Motors - the complete opposite to your token dodgy mechanic!

I headed to Miranda Shopping Centre during the week & came across the Sourdough Bakery as we entered via the car park. it is located on a small corner in the fresh food section of the Shopping Centre. It was a Thursday at about 1pm when we sat down to grab something to eat. We were immediately drawn to the place by its rustic decor, lively atmosphere & interesting menu.

It seems to be a modern type of cafe coupled with a bakery, as you can buy their bread, cakes & pastries at the counter. Luckily, there was plenty of seating inside the cafe & just outside around their spot. Bear in mind also, that you must order and pay at the counter, so don't sit their twiddling your thumbs like we were before finding that one out!

The menu is quite different, with relatively fancy dishes available that I didn't expect from a bakery/cafe. We decided to share between us, the bruschetta, the muesli & the "Sourdough Bakery" platter for 2, with a couple of coffees. Unfortunately the platter was unavailable so we decided to get the Sicilian Olives instead. The coffees were out almost instantly with all the parts of the food out to us within 15 minutes of ordering.

The staff were very helpful & cheerful and truly trying the best to make sure we were comfortable & well serviced. The coffee was decent, not spectacular but did the trick & the food was very well presented & tasty as well. The Sicilian Olives were made beautifully, just make sure you let them cool down before scoffing your face like I did, I nearly burnt my tongue off. The bruschetta was well presented & very tasty and the muesli was generously portioned & delicious as well.

I would definitely recommend heading to this little cafe if you are in Miranda, the pricing was very affordable, with the meal costing just over $30 for 2. The service was great, the food was tasty & the process was timely overall. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars here was because I really had my heart set on the Sourdough Bakery Platter & there are a few other places in miranda that do exceptional coffee. Putting those to the side, this cafe is definitely up there in terms of quality, price & service - None-the-less, a big thanks to the staff there at Sourdough Bakery!

Approximate cost: $15

We headed here with a group of 15 for a 50th Birthday lunch. It was a Sunday at about 1pm but it was good to see that there were plenty of tables available both indoors and out. They are currently renovating the exterior so there was a bit of construction here and there but besides that the place was very clean & modern.

We sat outside as it was a nice day & the experience itself was very pleasant. There wasn't too much noise, in fact it was relatively quiet. There is also a play room for younger children if parents want a bit of adult time.

As for the food & beverages, it is your token pub food & drinks. nothing too special in terms of beers on tap, in fact, less on tap then I had expected. There is a standard selection of wines and spirits for those that are interested as well. Prices are average for a pub, you're probably looking at around $5 or so a schooner.

As for the menu, again it is your standard style of pub menu. Appetisers, pizza, pasta, steaks, chicken, salads, wedges etc. etc. etc. My brother and I picked up the antipasto plate, a bowl of wedges & one of the "meat lovers" style pizzas. For main you are probably looking at around $20 give or take a few dollars either way. Overall, it was just okay, nothing to flashy in terms of presentation, the antipasto was a smaller serving than I expected, the wedges were decent & the pizza was again, just okay. F.Y.I you must order and pick up from the bistro as per normal pub standards too.

So overall, as an experience, I don't have any real complaints, nor do I have any specific praises, the whole meal was pleasant but it was just...okay. Nothing special but again, nothing terrible either. If you're in the area and looking for a feed, a couple of drinks & a place to watch some sport or have a punt or a slap, then this place ticks all the boxes. If you're looking for somewhere that you want to remember, in my opinion, this isn't going to be your first choice.

Approximate cost: $20 - $25

I have been coming here for well over 10 years now & will continue to do so well into the future. The business has changed hands a number of times over the years but it has continued to provide an excellent cut & a great price with excellent customer service. I went for a quick cut recently, Friday at about 1pm and it was relatively quiet, I was able to get my hair cut immediately. However, over the years this place has been incredibly busy all day Saturday & Sundays and throughout school holidays.

There were days where a haircut set you back about $10 but I believe it has pushed up now to around the $15 mark, much like everything else in Sydney. However, they always do a great job and are always very chatty & welcoming. I always get a great hair cut with those guys and it never takes more than 10/15 minutes. Plenty of parking throughout Hurstville Shopping centre so even at the busiest of times you shouldn't be more than a 5/10 minute walk from the shop. It is located on Forest road up towards the Metro Bus Terminals, so pretty convenient location just outside the shopping centre.

Very professional & friendly hairdresser that has stood the test of time in Hurstville. Even though it has changed hands, the quality service, friendly staff & value for money continues to live on - go and check it out if you are in between haircuts & are considering a new hairdresser!

Approximate cost: $15

We stopped past this little cafe on the corner on our way to the airport yesterday. We got in at about 1:30pm on a Thursday and although it wasn't full, there were still a few customers seated & enjoying a meal. They serve Campos coffee there which is an absolute seller for me, by far my favourite coffee, so they automatically got a tick from me!

The cafe had a nice, laid back atmosphere to it with a simple yet modern decor inside. There is also room to sit outside on a nice day if you please. Parking was very easy to find in a near by side street & it is a convenient location being on the corner of Rocky Point Road.

We were quickly served by the lovely lady looking after the service side of the business. I ordered my usual large skim Cappucino with the Sonoma Muesli & Egg Omelette. The coffees were out on our table in no time & the food followed shortly after, about 15 minutes or so later. The Sonoma Muesli was lovely, the yogurt was nice & creamy but not to sweet & the Muesli was crunchy & golden. Much to my surprise, the yogurt & muesli rested on a generous portion & variety of fresh fruit that complimented the dish so well. The egg omelette was brilliant as well, filled with ham, cheese, mushroom & tomato & a side of sourdough toast. One of the meals alone would have filled me up but the fact that I had to try two meant that I left completely satisfied!

The only issue I think the cafe has to deal with is that it is located on Rocky Point Road that did get quite loud at times, however, if you go at a more appropriate time, I doubt that you will experience so many trucks. Besides that, the cafe is great value for money, the coffee is lovely, the food was delicious & generously portioned and the pricing was very affordable at around $15 - $20 a head for coffee & breakfast. We were in and out with full bellies within 45 minutes - I highly recommend checking this cafe out if you're in the area.

Approximate cost: $15-$20