I purchased a $19 voucher through Living Social which was supposedly worth $65 though I cannot see that it was even worth the $19 paid.

The deal was for two child passes to the playland plus a picnic platter of nibbles for two adults. Neither myself, my friend or our children had been to Softplay before however we had seen it in Macarthur Square shopping centre and had an idea of what to expect. Unfortunately our expectations were a tad too high.

To begin with, the place is tiny with very little for the children to do and the play area is very small for what can be a very large amount of children to play in. Our children were aged about one-and-a-half and two at the time of our visit and we were concerned for their safety. Signage suggested parents weren't allowed into the play area but since the parents of much older children were in there, we felt we should be able to follow our youngsters around to protect them from much larger kids.

Coming so close up to the inflated jumping area and the soft play/ball sections we could see just how run down and ill-maintained Softplay is! It was quite sad. The only thing keeping the inflated jumping pillow upright was the constant pressure of air being forced through it as the holes were not even taped together!

Anyway, this was of little concern to us adults since the children didn't notice any of it. We were there for morning tea which the website at the time suggested would be right down our alley. But when we ordered our picnic platter (whose value was supposedly worth $35) we were told we could get a plate of wedges or wait around a while and the woman would go out to Muffin Break (or one of the other kiosks in the food court just metres across from Softplay) and buy us a couple of few slices of cake. Yes - our $35 value was either a serve of WEDGES or TWO-THREE MUFFINS/CAKE SLICES which we could have purchased ourselves from the food court in which we were situated!!! I told the woman that the Living Social website and/or its links to the Softplay website offered a lot more in the picnic platter than what she had offered and her rude reply was that she was working by herself on that particular day! I'm not sure exactly why that was our problem or why we should have been paying for a service that was simply refused due to a staffing issue but I could see why Softplay could not drum up enough of its own business without offering these bulk buying discount deals online! Perhaps an offer of a coffee thrown into our $35 two/three-slices-of-cake platter would have been called for but nay, we had to buy our own coffee to boot. It seems the $35 just got us our cakes chopped up into unappetisingly presented bite sized cubes!

The whole experience was disappointing and to top it off, we were never presented with anything saying we would get 10% off our next visit which was promoted as the icing-on-the-cake on the Living Social website. Which was of no consequence anyway as I can guarantee you I will never be returning to Softplay again. Try Lollipops in Leumeah if you want better quality play equipment with areas specially set aside for younger children, a better selection in the cafe, and much friendlier service (even when there is only one staff member on hand).

This is not my regular medical centre however I have been to Raby Family Practice on maybe a dozen occasions when my own doctor was unavailable. Since his practice has closed, I have been looking for a replacement "regular" doctor.

While I highly recommend the doctor that I have seen at Raby Family Practice, the wait to get an appointment with them seems to be up to a week which is not always possible, particularly when you have a young child, so I haven't been able to totally commit to this place as my "regular" medical centre. I guess I could probably agree to see another doctor at the same practice but if I'm not seeing the doctor I want to I don't see the point of travelling to Raby since I no longer live in that immediate area.

The practice doesn't bulk bill (but I think they may have exclusions to this policy - I'm not sure how it works as I don't go there often) which I think is a good thing in many ways but I guess it will turn other people off.

I have found some staff (not doctors) in the practice to be insensitive and on more than one occasion the phone was answered by somebody rude and abrupt who clearly did not enjoy their job. In this particularly field of work I think some sensitivity is necessary and manners are always nice! Still, I have not let this affect my rating of the service as I go to the medical centre to see a doctor, not the nurse or other staff members.

I recommend this practice if you live in the local area. It is still more of a traditional medical practice rather than those big conglomerates that are taking over the suburbs now. Also, I like my doctor to be highly experienced and older than me :) I'm yet to find that in my new area so will keep going back to Raby until I do.

Approximate cost: $20

After 27 months of dining with a two year old in tow we finally ventured out on our own! I wanted to pick a "nice" place from a long list of them that I had only read about; somewhere I didn't really want to take our toddler out to. Since Salute Trattoria down the road didn't return our call to make a reservation, we found ourselves at Barenz.

We didn't have a reservation but it was only around 6.30pm on a Wednesday night. It was fairly busy but it turned out to be much larger inside than we had expected. It also turned out to be family night at Barenz, with $5 childrens meals available! There were actually as many families and mature-aged groups as there were the after-work/uni crowd.

We expected the bar/restaurant to be rather trendy inside, which I guess it was, however it also seemed to be a mish-mash of too many contemporary design features competing with each other. A little try-hard, but the same can be said for the presentation of a few of the clientele (I must admit I had to stifle a laugh when the guy in the rock-shirt-under-his-sports-coat ensemble and fedora hat strutted past me!). We worked hard to locate an available table that wouldn't be constantly brushed by foot traffic along the concrete walkway or many sets of stairs within the dining area. We didn't notice the door at the back of the restaurant or realise it would be opened on and off all night as there were people dining out the back. It did lead to the rest of us inside being exposed to that winter chill throughout our meals. The place certainly wasn't cosy though I expect the addition of cushions, candle-style lanterns on the tables and the dimming of the lights at 7.19pm were to try softening the ambience of this somewhat cold environment.

After comparing a lot of similar menus in the area in the previous few hours, I can say that Barenz is reasonably priced, if not a little on the cheap side. Though, I was looking at the higher-priced restaurants in the area. I didn't see anybody eating tapas so can't comment on the size of the servings or their value, though. I guess this place gets its reputation from the tapas and cocktails so I expect great things when I return (probably another 28 months away since baby #2 is just around the corner...) but as an Italian restaurant, it wasn't the greatest though it wasn't bad either.

My husband and I shared the beef tortellini from the menu (basically a boscaiola dish) and the fried gnocchi gamberi from the specials board. The tortellini was very nice, though it's hard to go wrong with boscaiola. My husband enjoyed the gnocchi very much which was a good thing because I pretty much forced him to swap our plates back after trying the harsh dry-spiced flavour of the gnocchi. It's not that it was awful - it just was not pleasant. And I eat everything!

Our dessert experience was similar, too. We both enjoyed the sticky date pudding however I found the butterscotch sauce too ... salty? If they had given us a decent serve of ice cream I could have left more of the sauce on my plate (or it would have cut through the saltiness) but the pudding would have been far too dry to eat without sauce and the ice cream did not stretch as far as the rather large serve of pudding did :(

My husband was not so fond of the tiramisu and while I found it was nice enough, I don't think it was prepared properly otherwise it was not made well enough in advance. We had the scrape off the soggy bottom as the coffee flavour was far too concentrated and that left us with a rather dry sponge layer that hadn't absorbed much moisture from the coffee or creamy layers so was not quite soft or that melt-in-your-mouth texture you want from a tiramisu. I must admit It was not even the best tiramisu I had eaten this fortnight, but all the flavours were there so maybe tonight was an off night for the kitchen?

The price was certainly right - the desserts came in at $8.50 and $9 and I remember looking at two other menus tonight that had sticky date pudding at $15. The pastas also came in under $20 each, though the gnocchi wasn't as large a serving as the tortellini, maybe because it was served with 5 prawns.

I will give Barenz another go as I see it has potential. If the menu was as pricey as the other places I had considered dining at on this occasion, I probably wouldn't give it another thought. Still, even if the standard menu disappoints again, I will return to try those tapas that I keep reading about...

Approximate cost: $20

We first visited Lollipops about two months ago, having purchased a $5 child entry pass on one of those bulk discount coupon websites (eg Scoopon). Adults still have to pay $3.50 each but this buys them a drink from the cafe.

My daughter had only just turned two and because it was a school day, she had run of the place - not only was it quiet but the young kids are allowed in the big kid area on weekdays. She loved it! We were able to accompany her as she climbed the heights and slid down the slides but she took to it like a duck to water and it ended up being a case of the parents just wanting to keep an eye on her rather than assisting her.

We've returned a few times since then, always on a coupon or promotion (they do Facebook fan promotions and I've just noticed they promote on Shopper Dockets, too) as we don't really get the value for money out of the $10.95 ($12.95 on weekends) all-day pass that older kids might. For the same price as my two year old, kids up to their teens can hang out here all day if they wish. I'm sure that's a great investment for parents if okder kids!

We haven't bought food from the cafe but we've always traded our adult entry ticket for a hot drink. The coffee is very strong (I'm not a fan if strong coffee!) but the chai latte is good. The menu is basic, planned more around kids than adults, and the prices are fair. There may be a long wait for your food (or other services), though, as they always appear to be grossly understaffed so that when it gets a bit busy, nobody is attending the entry register, operating the mechanical ride or cleaning up thd dangerous food spills because the (poor) only staff member working is making the food and drinks.

This place is such a huge hit with my daughter that she talks about it daily to anybody who will listen and even wakes up from dreams, talking about it at night. It's the first thing we ban her from when she is being very naughty! She votes it 5 stars!

Approximate cost: $11

Probably one of the better chain steakhouses around, I actually go to Hog's Breath for the salads! The main meal-type, obviously. I am never disappointed when I order a salad (except sometimes I think there could be more of a particular ingredient in it) however I am one who usually likes to try most things on a menu so will often deviate from my original plan of ordering "something with ranch dressing" (or whatever I was craving when I walked in).

I'm not a fan of ordering steak at restaurants because I feel like I'm missing out on "restaurant food" that I wouldn't cook at home so if I'm not ordering a salad I will generally try a main other than steak. And I'm generally disappointed by my decision to do so. Most recently I tried the Tex-Mex Combo (okay but rather bland) & the Chicken Parmigiana (thank goodness I asked for the sauce on the side because it was awful. It tasted like bulk-prepared bolognaise sauce you'd stick your nose up at on a cheap buffet).

I've learned my lesson and haven't actually been back since the Parmigiana incident but when I return, I'll stick to the salad menu and get myself a serve of those yummy boss hog mushies and tog tail fries!

Approximate cost: $25

My friend and I come here for "dessert" on a semi-regular basis. I say dessert but we only ever order one of the variations of hot chocolate they offer. The thick, syrupy, sweet drink is just the right size that once it becomes sickly-sweet, you run out of it. They rotate specials, based on the flavour-shots they add to their drinks so occasionally you stumble on a new favourite (like the jaffa/orange-flavoured hot choc), never to come across it again!

It's a cosy place to hug a big, warm mug on a cold wintery night however there doesn't seem to be a "keep the door closed" policy so all it takes is one inconsiderate customer and that atmosphere is out the door (literally!)

I'm not a fan of churros (have never eaten them here) so can't give my opinion on them but I'd recommend you give this place a go if you're in need of a warm drink or dessert after a dinner out at one of the many restaurant on Kellicar Lane. It's not for everyone but you should judge for yourself. It's not like there are many places like San Churro in our area. I haven't been here for a few months but after writing this review, I've decided to take my daughter here for her first visit this weekend!

Update: We did return around midday a day or two after submitting the above review and we had better customer service than I had previously experienced. I asked for a small cup so I could put a little of my drink into it for my daughter and the woman serving offered me a cup of milk so I could mix some of the very hot chocolate through it so she would not get burned (at no charge), I also had a frequent-drinkers type card which was fully stamped so I was redeeming a free drink and buying another. When the card is full you are automatically issued a permanent 10% discount card and I was offered this discount immediately (without having to ask; I hadn't even filled out the form for the card yet). She was very helpful and friendly, not on auto-pilot like the staff seems to be when we go there after dinner.

This is a new-ish cafe whose menu describes how they serve organic/fair trade/gluten free/local produce and support the Macarthur Diversity Services Initiative, employing disadvantaged people from the area.

We first visited a few months ago after discovering a new cafe has finally been set up in the location of the former Paddington Cafe which was fantastic. I'm sure this spot is a secret known only to people who work in the local businesses and shops along Queen Street as it is tucked away inside a building in an unattractive "undesirable" area.

Like Paddington's before it, Cafe Kulcha has an old-fashioned (traditional) cafe menu and specials board, with items such as lasagne, quiche, burgers, club sandwiches, French toast, breakfast dishes, milkshakes, coffee etc. I was very disappointed the last time we visited to find the menu had been changed to delete some of these traditional favourites. You can't really go wrong with this type of food and unlike a similar cafe in the Mall up the road, they have a kitchen proper so you can get chips with your quiche!

The prices, though not as cheap as Paddington's were, are still great value for money and it's nice to step inside to eat as most the other cafes along Queen Street are exposed to the constant wafting-in of cigarette smoke!

This is a spot to grab a quick bite, certainly not somewhere to sit and chat the afternoon away as the seating area is bang in the middle of the arcade walkway (no walls but that's okay as there are very few people walking around in here) and there are maybe a dozen tables, if that. It's a good place to pop into when you have an appointment in one of the nearby buildings (everybody who lives in Macarthur has to come to this area at some stage to see a specialist or broker or something!)

Approximate cost: $10

Not the greatest atmosphere, being an open kiosk next to a supermarket in a high-foot-traffic area of the shopping centre but Michel's serves up great mocha, hot chocolate and cakes. I rarely order pastries or sandwiches (I'm mostly here for the drinks) so can't comment on the quality.

Michel's is meant to be consistently voted #1 for customer satisfaction in coffee so I guess it's not just the sweet stuff I drink. My only disappointment is that I can't make a drink last very long as they are ALWAYS served up lukewarm. This is probably losing them some business as I'd rather take it away in an insulated cup instead of sitting down to enjoy it with a slice of cake. I'm not sure if this is a store policy for all their hot drinks or if I am ordering drinks that just aren't prepared at a high temperature? Either way, I keep going back for more!

We tried this new eatery in the dining precinct of Macarthur Square earlier this week and I was so happy with the experience and value for money that I returned today for lunch by myself. The portion sizes are quite good and you are certainly getting a lot for your money, particularly when comparing this eatery to others in the same precinct. Unlike the noodle house serving similar meals across the strip, they do not charge a fee for paying with eftpos (but it's only available if you spend $30) and their prices are cheaper by a few dollars for the items I was comparing. I was miffed when the other place started charging an eftpos fee so I'll probably be frequenting Pho 76 now instead!

The service is fast - a complimetary pot of jasmine tea is brought to your table as you are seated, orders are taken within minutes of sitting down and the food appears at your table within another two or three minutes (I haven't been here when it was packed with customers, though). All dishes we have tried so far were very good; the "crispy noodles" chow mein with beef was particularly good. I have never heard my husband rave about a meal before this dish! To be fair, I don't think he has tried chow mein before because it tasted just as I remember it at the local Chinese restaurant as a child.

I will definitely be back here again. I'm sure there are many places in the local area with the same quality food but it's nice to have one conveniently located in this restaurant strip among pricier restaurants that I'm not a big fan of anyway. Pho 76's atmosphere doesn't lend itself to a romantic dinner or a long night out chatting with friends but there are a number of places in the same precinct where you can seek out coffee and dessert.

Just remember, even though the menu does not appear to be exclusively Vietnamese, this is a Vietnamese establihment so, if like so many people I know you don't like coriander, don't forget to ask for them to omit it!

Approximate cost: $12

We visited this pizzeria just after opening (5pm) as we had a tired toddler in tow so were after an early dinner. I had been here with a friend a few times on Friday nights a few years back and remembered it to be a cheap night out since we could byo. This time we shared a Family sized vegetarian pizza and an Italian salad. The service was friendly and though it was early, the delivery/takeaway side of the business was busy. We did wonder why our pizza couldn't come out a little quicker since we have an antsy two year old and nobody else was in the restaurant but we didn't have to wait for ab excessive amount of time. We were more concern she would get on their nerves since the kitchen is visible from the smallish dining area.

The pizza was good but the salad (to share) not so impressive. The bowl overflowed with lettuce (and not that much else), making it very difficult to toss and serve without wasting a fair bit on the table. Non-dressed and non-tossed salads and those which don't present value for money are a pet peeve of mine!

Overall the meal was enjoyable however we have just discovered a new pizzeria in a neighbouring suburb which does a fantastic chicken caesar salad for $8.50 and reasonably priced pastas. Since there is very little difference between the quality of pizzas and the menus are similar, my decision on where to eat would be based on other items I'd expect to order and value for money. Based on this, Piccola Italia would not be my #1 choice in this area however if i were just ordering pizzas, particularly to take away, I would definitely consider ordering from Piccola Italia.