Clear it out and start again. I'm a regular traveller to the Blue Mountains, and the World Heritage Plaza (as its now known) has been on a downhill slide for years. They used to have a few good attractions and stores, but now there is just a fairly ordinary lolly shop, a place with opals, a souvenir shop (geared towards international visitors) and a couple of terrible places to eat. They really need to raise the quality, so that you can spend a bit more time there. As it was, we had a terrible and overpriced lunch at the Three Sisters Cafe, had a 5 minute look through the souvenir shop, and that was it. Nothing particularly interesting about local history, nothing for kids to do, no nice souvenirs or pictures of the Blue Mountains/Three Sisters, just very sad, run down and tacky. Give it a miss and go back into Katoomba.

This is the true meaning of "tourist trap". The cafe takes up the top floor of the Heritage Plaza, and is one of only 2 places to eat at the Three Sisters. The menu is small and incredibly expensive. The room has a great view, but is full of cheap tables and chairs with nasty tablecloths. Most of the tables were dirty when we were there, even though the place was only about a quarter full. There is no table service (there should be for the price of the food) and instead they give you one of those buzzers. Mine wasn't working, so one of the staff came over to tell me that my food was ready and I had to walk back and get it. WHY WOULDN'T SHE JUST BRING IT TO ME? It was truly bizarre. The staff were just half asleep and couldn't care less. Clearly they cater to tourists so think they can charge whatever they want and do whatever they want, when the whole place could be much better and more attractive. Close down please.

Approximate cost: $20.00

I have been here twice now, and both times I was blown away. A note to other patrons: our second visit was to celebrate our daughter's 19th birthday, and unfortunately an unbooked party arrived before us on a busy night, looked over the waitress' shoulder, pointed our name out on the reservation list and said "that's us" and took our table. Please, don't ever do this to patrons who have done the right thing and booked, it's beyond rude. Have the good grace to take no for an answer and leave. When we arrived and the staff realised someone else had tricked them and taken our table, the staff were very apologetic about it, and took us straight to the bar for complimentary drinks until a table became available. I don't blame them for the error at all, I blame the self-centred patrons. But, again, the staff were great about it, and got us seated as soon as they could even though it was a really busy night. The food is no nonsense food, done really really well. Everything is incredibly flavoursome and satisfying. Even though it's hard to, try and limit yourself to two courses, otherwise you'll keep eating and eating because it's so good (I made this mistake on my first visit, and felt like I was going to explode, but seriously didn't want to stop at the main). Everything is made on premises, so even the bread is amazing. The lamb shoulder falls off the bone, as another example, nothing is overdone and complicated, nothing takes away from the taste. Again, the staff are very friendly and personable, and will happily have a chat about the food or the extensive beverage list. We didn't have to wait long for service at any time. Decor is tasteful, comfortable and cosy. The bar is great. Not too noisy so you can enjoy a good chat with friends over dinner without having to yell at each other. The bill is the most surprising part - I don't think I have ever had such a satisfying meal in a Canberra restaurant and it been as reasonably priced as this. I was prepared to pay double for the quality of food and service. A tucked away gem, but worth finding and visiting more than once.

Approximate cost: $35.00

This is one of those cafe/restaurants that people rave on about, but I haven't had great experiences here. The food was very expensive, small portions, and my stomach didn't appreciate it afterwards. The staff seem to kind of resent you being there, or is that Gen Y indifference? The space is nice, if a bit 'trying too hard'. There's a good list of whiskey downstairs, but you don't really feel like staying for long. A lot of style, but not a great deal of substance to back it up, which is New Acton all over.

Approximate cost: $40.00

I've been going here for a long time, and have always absolutely adored the food. The meat platter is a favourite, fairly costly, but you get a lot of food for it (perfect for two very hungry people). Wine list is good, but they're happy if you bring your own. I've always found the staff very friendly and fast (although it was better a few years ago). Decor is nice, although tables and chairs are nothing special, but you're really there for good quality, simple and tasty food, and this place is never a let down in that regard. The very best Greek food I've had in Australia.

Approximate cost: $40.00

I've got teenagers, so I come here pretty often, and when they were little kids it was great to have a place with a kid's menu. The food is quite expensive for what it is, but I've rarely had a bad meal here - they do have awesome steaks, the veggies seem to be fresh, but the mashed potato is usually dry, so skip that and go for the curly fries. Groovy ambiance, I don't care if they ever update it, it's what you expect from Hog's Breath and gives you plenty to look at while you're waiting. And you wait, a lot. The service here has gotten progressively worse over the years. The staff now seem more interested in talking to each other and their friends that pop in than actually serving their tables. Even on a quiet night, it's wanting for good service. So while you're ok to wait a while for a decent steak, you shouldn't have to wait as long or longer for them to take your order in the first place. They really do need to address this issue. For when you're there without kids: The bar is also ever changing, and what was available at one visit isn't available the next time, and they also need to get their act together. Disappointed they got rid of the pool tables a few years ago. I suppose that was either because a) there were some rude patrons who took advantage and ruined it for everyone else, or b) they wanted to put some more tables in that they never get around to serving. Maybe if the service is going to keep going down hill, they need to reinstate the pool table so patrons have something to do while the staff are chatting with their mates. Sometimes they take reservations, sometimes they don't. It's different depending on who you speak to. When you go in and there are several tables free, they'll still ummm and ahhh about whether you can have one. Probably because they know they can't keep up. While I still enjoy the food, I enjoy the experience less and less, and I hope they spend some more time on staff training and speed. And bring back the Banoffi Pie.

Approximate cost: $40.00

I've only been here once, and went on a recommendation. I was very impressed, it's a great lunch cafe. It was incredibly busy when I visited (good thing they have a lot of outdoor seating with heaters, even if the view is of the Jammo carpark), but the staff were friendly and fast. All day breakfast is a winner (although it was $20, so don't expect a super cheap lunch), arrived quickly and tasted great! I look forward to going back and trying some of their other offerings. Seems to be a hit, so I recommend getting there early for lunch.

Approximate cost: $20.00

The original and the best cafe in Canberra - it's got the right atmosphere, and the first outdoor eating area in town - so everyone else is a follower. I grab a chai there every morning - the staff are very friendly and greet me by my first name, and the chai is excellent (not weak and milky like most cafes make them) and REALLY fast service, other cafes make you wait up to 20 minutes for a medium drink, but I'm in and out of Gus' in 5 mins. The breakfasts are brilliant, and I've had the burgers a few times too and they're great. I wish they'd bring back the vegetable salad stack, that was incredibly delicious, but they have other great salads to choose from. A really lovely place to relax.

Approximate cost: $20.00

I am ADDICTED to Grill'd burgers - especially the Crispy Bacon and Cheese, I have it at least twice a week. The sweet potato fries are also great. The staff are always very friendly. There can sometimes be quite a wait at peak periods as it's understandably getting very popular. The price is quite reasonable too, $11.50 for a basic burger, but they are very very tasty. Pity they have Pepsi instead of Coke ;) but that would be my only negative.

Approximate cost: $12.00

I've had shellac nails done here twice. They are VERY fast for this service, you can expect to be done in half an hour. Pretty good colour range (depending on what you're into). When they take shellac nails off, they leave your fingers in solution for about 10 minutes - not very gentle and makes the nails brittle, so they need to take more care with this. Customer service is what it is - they want you in and out and don't speak to you. It's very much "get the job done". Slightly cheaper than other nail salons I've been to.

Approximate cost: $30.00