After a long 2 hour train ride to the Blue Mountains, the first thing we did was have breakfast! We didn't do much research on the best cafes in Katoomba beforehand, but we came across The Savoy Cafe because it's located opposite the train station.





Service was fantastic and the food was amazing. I had the vegetarian lasagne, which was made fresh and cooked in it's own individual pastry dish. The lasagne had pumpkin, tomatoes, mushrooms and a host of other veggies and was amazing! It was a great way to start the day and prepare myself for a whole lot of walking. The meal also came with side of fresh garden salad in a light balsamic dressing.





It's a very quaint cafe, with great food and excellent service. Only gripe I had was that the toilets were horrific. They had a sign saying that there were plumbing problems and to watch our step, but when I entered the toilets there was water all over the floor (I went around Christmas 2011 so hopefully the problem has been fixed by now). Other than that, great little place to visit if you're in Katoomba.

(Their overall rating was affected because of the poor toilet conditions)

Approximate cost: $15

Before I start my review, I must add that I think Ms. G's is probably a great place to have dinner if you're going with a group of people. 

 As a Melbournian, I heard some great things about Ms. G's but I'd have to admit that I was left wanting when I came here last Christmas. We arrived around 7pm for dinner and was surprised (in a good way) that we didn't have to wait to get a table since we didn't book. The service however seemed to go downhill soon after we were seated.



The waiter explained that most of the items on the menu were “shared dishes”, which was fine even though there was only 2 of us there. After that they gave us some time to decide on what we wanted but we waited another 20 mins just to order our drink and food. I had a mint iced tea drink, which I didn't particularly fancied it, and it was in a small bubble tea cup. We started with some grilled corn cob, with spicy mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese coating. This was divine and reminded me so much of grill corn at a Mexican restaurant in Melbourne!



We decided to “buck the trend” at the restaurant and order our own main dishes because we couldn't agree on what to order. I had the egg noodle with XO sauce, braised stredded duck and a soft poached egg. I felt that the dish had way too much XO sauce and it was just too salty. The braised duck was cooked perfectly and very tender, but again I just thought that it was too salty. That dish was a bit of a let down after reading so many great reviews for it. I think it would have tasted a lot better if they cut back on the XO sauce and not have the noodles drenched in it.



After an underwhelming main, we shared the Stoner's Delight. This was by far the highlight of the night. The Stoner's Delight had doughnut ice cream, peanut butter, raspberry jam, candied bacon, chocolate rice bubble square, mars bar slice and banana fritter. Absolutely divine! Everything about the dessert was perfect and all the components complemented each other so well, from the chewy candied bacon to the soft banana fritter.



I've also read in some places that describes Ms. G's as having a lot of Vietnamese flavours and influences in their dishes, though I'd be honest and say that these dishes aren't even close to resembling Vietnamese cuisine... I felt it was more a play on Chinese flavours instead.

Based on my experience, I would recommend people go and have the Stoner's Delight dessert! When looking around the restaurant though, I could tell that the other tables with more people seemed to enjoy their night a lot better. More variety of food for them and the atmosphere just seemed a lot more enjoyable. Might consider trying it again when I'm down in Sydney, though I would only do so if I was going with at least 4 people.

(Quality rating is a lot higher because of the fabulous dessert!)

Approximate cost: $20

If you're visiting Sydney and you are looking for a great Chinese restaurant, Din Tai Fung is definitely one of them! It's a fantastic restaurant known for their dumplings. Each basket comes with around 4, 6 or 8 dumplings so it's a great place to dine at with a group of friends because it's so easy to share each dish. We had a host of dumplings, from prawn dumplings, pork dumplings and beef dumplings.



The dumplings are all made fresh and when you bite into them, the soup juices from the filling starts dripping out! (So I would recommend that you just pop the dumpling whole into your mouth because it does get a bit messy). They're a lot smaller than dumplings I've seen at some Melbourne restaurants, but they are still very tasty.



For dessert I played it safe and had the Mango Pudding with condense milk. Simple option when it comes to Chinese desserts but you can never go wrong with it.



The service here was very good as well, considering how big and busy the are. We went just before the lunch peak-time though, so we didn't have to wait long to be seated. You should be aware that more often than not you would probably have to share a table with other people. We had to considering there was only 2 of us, but it was perfectly fine. Also, another great thing is that they give you a slip for you to select what you want. Once you're ready, just hand up the sheet and then they'll bring out the dishes to you. Easy and quite efficient!

 And I was surprised that they didn't mix up the orders with the others on the table as well!

I would definitely recommend ordering the Dai Tin Fung vegetarian salad with seaweed, tofu and glass noodles as an entree. It's a very light salad and a great way to start the meal. Also try the Lychee Mint Juice. It is absolutely delicious! It is very sweet (lychee juice) however the mint adds to the flavour and it makes the perfect drink during summer!


Approximate cost: $10 per dumpling basket

Went to The Crimean for a Christmas dinner with some friends last year and the service was impeccable the moment we arrived. We booked our table for 7pm but unfortunately we arrived around 30-40mins late, but they still held the table for us and we started the night off with bread and butter and some light drinks. I had the Zubrowka & Apple, which is basically vodka and apple juice and fresh lime - a perfect summery drink for a warm night in Melbourne.



We started off with some entrees to share. We ordered the beef and pork dumplings with sour cream and horseradish. Though it was very tasty, it did remind me a lot of yumcha beef dumplings, so it was nothing special. The wagyu pastrami with sour cream and horseradish was absolutely divine. The wagyu was thinly sliced and cooked perfectly. The sour cream and horseradish complement the wagyu very well. The stand-out entree, however, was the cabbage and mushroom dumplings with creamy cauliflower puree and pickled purple cabbages. I could probably eat a few plates of them as the main! The dumpling was cooked perfectly and the filling was so flavoursome. The cauliflower puree was very sweet and creamy that I just started spreading it on some bread!



For my main I had the smoked salmon fillet, eggs and boil potato topped with shaved radish and red-orange fish eggs. The salmon was cooked perfectly, though I felt that it was a bit too salty. The potato and egg helped balance out the saltiness a bit, but I just thought that it could do with a mini salad on the side.



For dessert, my friend and I had the Crimean Mess, which had sour cherries, chocolate icecream, walnut brittle and meringue. The dessert was in a small cup so it's probably usually for just 1 person, but the chocolate icecream was very rich, so I would have probably struggled to finish it myself. The sour cherries worked so well with the chocolate icecream and every so often you'll bite into a crunchy walnut brittle or a chewy meringue, which just adds some fantastic texture to the dessert!

Overall, the night was fab. This was my first time at a Hungarian restaurant and I loved it! The service was amazing and we didn't have to wait long for each of the meals to come out. The atmosphere was intimate as well, though not too quiet and the tables weren't ridiculously close to one another. Great dining place to go to with a group of friends (Though I encourage you to book in advance if it's a Friday or Saturday night). Stand out dish was the cabbage and mushroom dumplings with cauliflower puree!

Approximate cost: $30

This was my friend time having dinner at a Japanese restaurant, and I'm glad I tried Shira Nui first! This is a little Japanese restaurant on Springvale Road just opposite the The Glen carpark.

My friend and I ordered green tea, miso soup, sushi/sashimi platter and then lamb with an Asian salad to share. It was absolutely divine. We couldn't finish the sushi/sashimi platter! The sashimi was so fresh and lamb was perfectly cooked and had so much flavour. The place is very small so I recommend you book in advance. The waitstaff were very friendly, but not to the point where they become a bit imposing on you. The price is up there though, so it's definitely one of those "sometime" restaurants. Great Japanese restaurant around Glenny. Would definitely recommend this place to others!

Approximate cost: $40

Went here for breakfast with a friend. From the front, the cafe looks very small but they have a room at the back with more tables (though the tables were very, very close together and I sometimes felt as though I imposing on another groups conversation just because I was sitting so close to them...!) They were really busy when we arrived (10am) but the service was still fantastic. I had the Pacific breakfast, which consists of salmon, poached eggs, baby spinach on a slice of toasty sour dough and hollandaise sauce. Everything was divine, though I thought the hollandaise sauce lacked a bit of flavour.

Overall, very happy with my experience at Blue Dish. Will definitely be back! Great little breakfast place in Highett and it's around 5 mins away from Southland! Ample parking on the small side streets as well.

Approximate cost: $18

Heard about this place from a friend and then popped onto WOMOW to read their great reviews. Went here on a Sunday with a friend for brekky. We heard that they get very busy and when we arrived at the cafe around 9:30am, there was already a group of people waiting outside for a table! We waited for around 20 mins, which I felt was pretty long but was well worth it.
I had the Coin Laundry breakfast, which had two perfectly poached eggs and baby spinach on crunchy sourdough bread, with crispy bacon on the side, grilled roma tomotoes, creamy smashed avocado and grated beetroot. It was absolutely superb! We didn't have to wait that long for the meals to come out as well, and the coffee was great! Possibly the best breakfast I've had!
As I've said, the wait might put people off, but the food will make you forget all about it. They also have a lunch menu, so will give that a try next time.
Located right outside Armadale Station (Pakenham/Cranbourne/Frankston line), it's a great breakfast place. Will definitely be back!

Approximate cost: $18

Great little cafe located on Degraves St. Their menu is written on a black board outside the door so it's really great if you're not sure of which cafe to try on Degraves. I went here with a friend for brekky and had the bagel with salmon, baby rocket, red onions, capers and cream cheese. It was absolutely delicious and very filling!

Nothing really positive to say about the service though. The staff were friendly but very casual and enjoyed chatting to their friends a little too much.

We were also sitting outside, which was fine because the sun was shining, but that meant we were surrounded by a few smokers - not the kind of atmosphere I enjoy when I'm eating. So if you have an issue with this, maybe request a seat inside.

Food and coffee was great, reasonably priced and though the service could improve, I'll still recommend this cafe if you're looking for a brekky place in the CBD.

Approximate cost: $12

Heard great things about Miss Marple's, so I'll have to admit that my expectation might have been too high.

Firstly, they don't take bookings, which I think can get a bit annoying if you've driven 45 mins only to have to wait another 45 mins to get a table. It did give my friends and I the opportunity to have a wander and check out the other stores, which was pretty fun. So you might just have to make the most out of a less than desirable situation...

I had the Quiche Lorraine & salad and frankly, I've had a lot better. While the portion was huge (and I mean it was a very "high" slice, not just wide), I felt the quiche was very eggy. They used puff pastry rather than short-crust and because it was so big, I felt the balance was all wrong.

Miss Marple's is known for their Devonshire scones and again, they didn't look very appealing. They weren't like your traditional round scones but like square slices of cake! They weren't individually baked but looked as though they were cut out of one bigger piece. The jam, though, was very good and probably made up for the underwhelming scones.

Overall, probably won't be back. With the trip, the wait and the average food, it's not something that I would recommend to people... but, it is Miss Marple's and it is in the Dandy Ranges...

Approximate cost: $20

Went to Arabesque with a friend because we were looking to try something a bit different. It was our first time at a Middle Eastern restaurant and I'd definitely go back. Had the chicken and rice and the chicken was cooked very well - not dry at all. Found the rice to be a bit firm or "al dente", which is not the way I'm used to eating rice... The highlight of the night was the Halva ice-cream! My friend and I decided to share a bowl - which I immediately ended up regretting because I could have eaten it all myself! Will be back for more ice-cream!

Approximate cost: $25