My grandfather came up to Sydney from Melbourne for a visit so after hearing lots of great news about Lilys we decided to take him there. First of all there's a beautiful driveway to get to the carpark with a delightful garden. We were quickly seated and given menus and the waiter even places the napkins on your lap when you sit. Though they got the orders rather mixed up. My grandfather asked if they had Semillon white wine. My grandfather had worked for over 60 years in a wine store on Lygon street so he knows all about different wines. When a waitress brought the drinks she brought a Sauvignon Blanc and when he stated he had asked if there was semillon the waiter had said yes. So the waitress looked up the menu and said "Oh, yes, it's a Semillon Sauvignon Blanc. It's pretty much the same thing." And my grandfather told her about his experience with wines and she just replies "It's a SEMILLON Sauvignon" like he didn't hear her the first time. Which, no, they are not the same if you are a wine connoseur. So that was a bit disappointing. Then after we ordered the food another waitress comes by with hot pots and is extremely confused when we tell her nobody ordered any hot pots. She had gotten the tables mixed up. After an hour went by our food arrives. They gave my dad risotto and he had ordered "Penne Vincenzo" and the descrioption was "Italian sausages, mixed mushrooms, fresh chilli, cherry tomatoes and napoletana sauce" He told them he had ordered penne, not risotto and the waitress looks at him blankly and then says "Oh, yes, yes, penne risotto." There is no such thing as penne risotto. Penne is pasta. We are NOT stupid and I found it simply despicable that she had covered up their incompetancy rather than finding a solution to the problem by getting the penne. I looked at the menu online and the risotto that had similar ingredients to my father's order was "Risotto salsiccia e porcini" and the description was "Porcini mushroom, cherry tomatoes, Italian sausages, garlic and parmesan" But how on earth could a waiter mistake Penne for risotto? They are two completely different meals. All the good feedback I get from friends about Lilys have all been on a weekend. So my suggestion is NEVER go on a thursday. On the plus side my Vitello Chef was absolutely amazing. The potatoes and pumpkins were cold, mind you, but the veal was oh so succulent and the artichokes in the sauce was simply divine! Hopefully the next time I go there Lilys will have more proffessional waiters and waitresses who know what they are doing and know what they are talking about.

I have been a regular customer of Hairhouse Warehouse Blacktown for exactly a year now. To say the least my hair was in DIRE need of being fixed. My hair had been bleached blonde about 5 months before I went in and I had 3 inches of regrowth and the blonde part was an orangeish yellow. I was depressed from being dumped so kind of let my hair suffer but decided it was time I picked myself up and got something done about my hideous mop. Megan, the manager took charge of my hair. She re-bleached and toned my hair to a gorgeous platinum blonde and put treatment in it to prevent breakage and hairloss. It has jno yellow brassy tones in it and I always get compliments. They will also recommend you a shampoo to maintain your hair. My hair has been platinum blonde for a year and it's still in fabulous condition, thanks to Megan at Hairhouse Warehouse Blacktown. Not only the colour, but also the cut. I'm one to get bored easily so Megan always finds new ways to keep me happy. I've had black streaks in my blonde for Soundwave 2012, light brown coppery streaks, purple underlay, a thin fringe, a thick fringe, whispy hair and she's even shown me how to pin curl my hair. The only downside to Hairhouse Warehouse is you have to have deep pockets. They aren't extremely expensive, but for a student, it'll be above your price range. For my monthly appointment I spend about $280, this includes: regrowth, toner, treatment, cut, blowdry and shampoo/conditioner for a short hair length.

Approximate cost: $250

Scott has to be one of the most amazing piercers out. He's good at suggesting an alternate method of what you've suggested to make it easier or less likely to get infected (such as a ring in my anti-helix instead of a stud) Only 2 of my 4 piercings have gotten infected from there, but that was my own fault for not taking proper care of them, not the piercer's. They are reasonably priced and will also suggest what to do if you do get an infection or bubble because you didn't take care of your piercing. They are very quick with the needle and the longest I've been in pain was probably less than 4 seconds with my orbital. But they will always ask if you are ready before putting the needle through, which helps you to brace yourself. I got my first lobes done at a chemist by an amateur with a piercing gun, but since being treated far better at Blacktown Custom Piercings I will continue to be their customers to get holes punctured into my flesh so that I may dangle pieces of metal off myself.

Approximate cost: $50

The Absinthe Salon is absolutely amazing. It is one of my favourite places to drink. The experience is different from anywhere else and the atmosphere is lovely. For first timers drinking REAL good quality absinthe (Not pathetic green fairy), they walk you through the steps on how to drip ice cold water onto your sugarcube-topped spoon and letting your absinthe "louche" They are very helpful with assisting you in your choice of absinthe. The decorations and staff attire are extraordinarily well done (even the bathroom) and I highly recommend this place to everyone except for those who can't stand aniseed flavour, these people can maybe just go along with friends and watch.

Approximate cost: $18

Accessories King has a large range of mobile phone accessories and covers. I purchased a phone case for my mobile phone with slots for my cards and money. It was faux leather and cost $30. It has lasted me almost a year and only shows a little wear and tear. The store's service could do with a lot of improvement though, the staff do not greet you upon arrival, though they will ask if you need assistance if you hover around the store for a while. The biggest downside to the store is that they accept cash only. For me, I personally don't carry cash so had to seek out an atm before being able to make my purchase.

I had completed my lessons with Driving Instructor Sam. I was given his number by a friend and decided to learn with him as my previous instructor just didn't cut it for me. Sam was very understanding and patient and always tries his best to make his students smile. He is very organised and you can pre-book in advance. Sam will also let you book double lessons with him and will try his best to fit you in so that you can achieve your licence at your desired date. I was taken through the Mt Druitt RTA course every lesson and had no other student in my car, so the whole hour lesson was 100% dedicated to beig my lesson and not a taxi service. Lessons are only $30/hour which is astoundingly cheap in comparison to other instructors in the Western Sydney region. Sam was unfortunately unable to attend my test so Driving Instructor Monda took me instead. It costs $110 to have a quick 1hr re-run lesson before the test and hire the car for the test. It really does help to do this as your nerves loosen during the 1hr lesson. I passed my test within 15minutes on my first time at the Mt Druitt RTA and highly recommend I.A.M driving school to others.

Approximate cost: $30/hr

When I called up to book a table for two at 7pm, the gentleman who answered the phone wasn't all that great at taking bookings but they weren'teally busy so it didn't really matter if we made one or not. You enter via a staircase so it's easy to miss and it's a bit of an effort climbing the stairs but it's well worth it. Upon arrival we weren't greeted for about a minute or so. But we were politely seated by the window by a friendly waitress and for the rest of the night were waited on by 3 people. How is that for service! Each table has a buzzer to prompt staff who immediately pop up at the table ready for you. There's not a lot of variety meal-wise but there is plenty of desserts and drinks so I would suggest going for lunch or in between meals. The funnest part is the games! You can hire boardgames before, during and after your meals and you are welcome to stay for as long as you like! I played Guess Who, Jenga and Samurai. Games vary from $1-$3 depending on the game and you can play for 1-3 hours, although the staff are pretty casual so as long as it isn't busy I'm sure they won't mind overtime. It's a very cute little chillout zone and I would heavily recommend it to be tried.

Approximate cost: $8

The first few months were fantastic, I must say. I purchased the 20 lesson package though after about 6 or so lessons the instructor started slacking off a bit. I had to text to chase up lessons and sometimes she just did not reply. I was going to purchase a further 20 lessons from her as my parents simply don't have the time to take me out driving, but after the service I got I felt I definitely would not. We had initially agreed to two lessons per week. But then she had dropped it to 1 lesson per week then to 1 lesson a fortnight. I had initially explained to her I needed my licence before the end of the year so I need hours asap. I have now lost that job opportunity and wasted $600. So disappointed. Worst experience ever. Needless to say to my shock and horror, one of my lessons consisted of me driving another student home in Baulkham Hills, then driving back to my house. No test route at all was taken in that lesson. She is good at instructing, however, her organisation and customer service is one of the worst.

Approximate cost: $35/lesson

I went into the bright, clean and fresh store to be greeted with indie music and a very cheerful man behind the counter. Least to say his bright and sunny attitude made my week! I was on holidays but the next time I'm in Melbourne I would go back there and bring other people there just for that fantastic customer service you can't find anywhere else! The food came quick and my oh my did it taste great! I ordered a Falafel meal I can't remember the exact price, but it was well worth it! And the burgers are so satisfying. I couldn't finish the fries because the burger was just packed with such goodness it was sufficient on it's own. It's a small burger joint, but it's definitely worth a try!

This store sells books secondhand. They have descriptions of the conditions of the books and are fairly cheap. They provide free shipping and items arrive within a week. They also provide gift wrapping services which is very convenient. Would definitely recommend this store to people!