I have been to the Star a few times now, but the first time we went was the worst first impression imaginable.

We arrived to see Hot Shoe Shuffle, we were running late and had taken a cab which dropped us off at the main entrance (hotel to the left, theatre to the right, casino straight ahead) my mum needed to use the loo and went towards the hotel part as directed by the Greeter person at the foot of the stairs. I went to check which way to go to get to the Lyric.

Less than a minute had passed when I met up with my mum again to find her quite upset, she ignored me and went straight to the greeter to complain; She had just begun to step into the public bathroom when the woman ahead of her, who she had followed in, spun around, said "Out of service" and slammed the door in her face almost knocking her over (my mum is a senior citizen who walks with the aid of two walking sticks).

The greeter didn't care, he said he was sorry she was upset, repeated all the placating PR nonsense they teach them and refused to report it, direct us to someone to report it, or do much of anything other than smile and act pleasantly apologetic.

Needless to say my mother was now very upset and still needed to go to the bathroom. We headed to the next closest loo (just before the food court) and found several staff members refusing entry. Apparently there was a problem with all the water pipes bursting - all over the hotel. They never mentioned if it was only in the public ones or if the private rooms were effected as well, it had only just happened. The lady who informed us of this was some sort of manager, and far more professional than the other two. We told her what had happened, and she said she would look into it, she told us where to find the nearest public loo outside the Star and offered to have someone direct us there personally. All the while directing staff in person and on her walkie-talkie.

Most of my other gripes are pretty minor in comparison; high prices, restaurants/bars near the Lyric never being open late - only the food court, the light rail platform being double-length so you can get stuck at the wrong end and have to run down to the tram before it takes off.

The Star Shuttle service is very handy, although the website and shuttle helpline aren't very clear about which bus stops to use. And the shuttle drops you off at completely different stops to where you catch the service.

Other positives are the food court near the Lyric is amazing, you have to try the Gelato place. And the light-rail service now connects to Dulwich Hill.

Still I only go there when there's a show I want to see.

This rewards program is not one of the best. Points expire quickly and redemption's seem to require a Qantas Frequent Flyer account/credit card.

Since I don't fly often and have no interest in credit cards, this program holds little value for me.

I also don't like that they do not give you points for shopping at Dan Murphy's.

On the plus side, having an everyday rewards card does entitle you to some discounts. And occasionally I get emails that offer deals like; spend $100 every week for three weeks and get a $15 gift-card/or $5 off each week.

The gift-cards take over a month to arrive though.

Overall, I take advantage of what little they have to offer me, but the Coles/FlyBuys program is a much better deal.

George is by far the best dentist we have ever been to. Careful, efficient, practiced and sensible. And absolutely dedicated to his patients.

My mother had a full set of implants put in. I've had fillings done - some without anaesthetic and barely felt a thing. That's how good he is.

He has hired another dentist Ana who is younger but just as skilled, and she seems to handle the more routine procedures now while he sticks to implantology which is his specialty (there's a bunch of certificates on the wall of his reception area).

All the nurses are lovely and friendly.

The one drawback is the location; you have to climb a set of stairs to get there.

Other than that I recommend him to everyone.

The company provides high quality, safe and efficient traps for stray/wild animals.

We went there after discovering a rather dire situation in Roselands involving several dumped/colony cats "disappearing". We had previously purchased a cat trap online but the poor design made it difficult to use.

The trap we purchased from Mascot Wire Works allowed us to catch a pregnant 5 month-old cat the third time we used it. (She is now healthy, and well adjusted to having a safe home. Her kittens are doing well too).

The trap itself is easy to move around, simple to set and 100% safe for the animals involved. There is some mention on the website of the RSPCA helping design them.

They also make other steel/wire products other than animal traps and carry cages; trolleys, racks etc.

I have been a member of FlyBuys since I was eight years old, I was entranced by the idea of getting "free" stuff just for buying groceries, so I convinced my mum to sign up and I got an extra card in my name (this probably sounds weird considering how young I was, but I had a lot of responsibility early).

Back then you only earned one point for every $5, so they didn't accumulate as fast as they do now, and points had an expiration date. I redeemed a couple of things but was never really impressed with the quality.

Since the program changed, the value has improved tremendously. The variety and quality of items which can be purchased with points is markedly better, FlyBuys has partnered with more companies not just travel/groceries related businesses, and of course they introduced FlyBuys Dollars.

Some reviews have mentioned that you only receive a few dollars for a lot of points - 2000 points = $10 - but the idea isn't to spend, spend, spend to earn a big discount. You continue your regular shopping and get a bit of cash back.

On average, our weekly shop is around $400 for groceries. And we aren't a big family, so with $1 = 1 point, and then adding in the bonus points that are offered pretty regularly (they recently had a month long special where any item of womens-wear bought at Target earned decuple points - that's 10 points for every dollar no exclusions) it does end up being good value.

If you are a Telstra or AGL customer, your regular bills earn you points as well.

Overall I am a happy customer.

Had dinner here tonight. The service was excellent and the food was delicious.

My only quibble would be that there was far too much butter - but it was listed in the menu what came with butter, I just forgot to ask them to leave it out. On a related note, nothing looked or tasted oily.

Will definitely be going there again.

Galimis (they changed the name years ago but they will always be Galimis to me) have long delivered excellent service and quality produce.

Staff are always friendly and knowledgeable. Fruit and vegetables are great quality.

Though I find it a bit annoying that they don't clearly label what's organic, like how Coles and Woolworths now have a special little organic section.

The store has it's own parking lot - very important given the lack of street parking around here. In addition to fruit and veg they also sell herbs, spices, nuts, bread, coffee, soft drinks, canned goods, candy and baked goods.

I used to eat here quite frequently, mostly salad sandwiches, but after about a year the quality of the food changed. I eventually got tired of my sandwiches having surprise ingredients I didn't like or want, and having to pick out lettuce which was not fresh, to put it politely.

I never tried much of the menu as it was quite rich and saucy, and I prefer my food rather plain. But for those that don't mind a bit of oil on their food and appreciate rich flavours, this place seems ideal.

They also offer ready-made, frozen meals to take home if you don't have time to cook, yourself. And a lot of gluten-free options.

Their popularity doesn't seem to have dwindled over the years, but I can't say I will be going back there again.

I work nearby and started eating here back when the original owners were still around.

Since Celia has taken over the food and service has just gotten better.

I highly recommend the coffees here, they are delicious and far better than the other local options.

We have been customers here for years. Alex runs an exceptional pharmacy with well trained, knowledgeable, bilingual staff who never think twice about going the extra mile for their many loyal customers.

Their rewards program is great value - especially for us as we buy so many vitamins. And they regularly order in products for us as well.

Prescriptions are always done very fast, even when they are busy, and they offer a JP service on certain days.

Cannot recommend Harpers enough.