After using FamilyClean for a 'bond clean', we have left disappointed in the standard of the cleaning, and a complete lack of communication from the owner when we called to discuss the issue that many parts of the quoted service were missed entirely. To pay nearly $500 for the privilege of having a house half-cleaned is atrocious, but being ignored by the owner when trying to sort out a resolution is pathetic. They obviously don't live up to the standard set by their 'bond return guarantee' - what a rubbish claim. To date, we still haven't received a phonecall, not even an email from FamilyClean, to discuss the concerns we hold. Would not recommend, and would go so far as to warn potential customers to find another cleaning service.

Approximate cost: $100

This place is our new favourite haunt for those "can't be stuffed cooking" days. The soups are hearty and fresh, and filled with good-quality ingredients. The wraps can be reasonably dry, and the salads are quite tasty. Definitely go for the soup - the chorizo is a winner!

This is a great 'date restaurant' - it's intimate and cosy, and the food itself is pretty sexy. It can get noisy, though - and make sure you make a booking!

Approximate cost: $30

This is our regular go-to Japanese joint for when we crave fast, reliable meals. The sushi is always fresh, and it's nice to sit down over a cheap beer and enjoy a quiet lunch.

These guys are caring, helpful and professional. I've seen most of the Drs and felt comfortable with all of them - all consultation rooms are comfy and warm.

My husband and I were married here earlier this year and held our wedding in the adjoining function rooms. We had a great day, with everything taken care of by David, the venue manager. The food was fantastic [and plentiful!], and the staff were pleasant and friendly to all our guests. They also provided well for our coeliac and vegetarian guests
Apart from a few administrative hiccups in the lead-up, it was a great place to do business with. Highly recommended.

After being deprived of a good, affordable butcher in Ashgrove for months after the last guy moved out [and then The Gap butcher closed as well!], I am tickled pink about the new owner... Meat @ Billy's is the name of the new store, and I can only give them a positive recommendation. The man makes killer sausages, all cuts of meat are tender and fresh, and Billy himself is a total gem. The prices are great, and everything is of the highest quality. It was a bummer having only Coles + Woolies to buy meat from locally, so Billy is an absolute godsend.

To celebrate my partner's birthday last week, we went with a bunch of our mates to the Spanish Tapas Bar in Fortitude Valley. We ended up with a group of 11 eating at the same time, and another two arriving later on.
Because our group is not exactly known for being totally punctual, we didn't end up ordering for close to an hour after we got there, but the waitresses were very efficient in making sure that we had a constant supply of sangria and Spanish beers in the meantime. The sangria was chilled and delicious, and served in a sugar-rimmed glass, with fruit chunks at the bottom. It wasn't as strong as I would have liked, but at $16 a bottle, it was super refreshing. There was a good number of Spanish beers to try, and I think we had a go at most of them. Mahou appeared to be the favourite.

When we did finally get around to ordering, we were a bit happy and probably over ordered - all worth it, though. They suggested the banquet menus for a group the size of ours, which ended up being a great idea. 7 of us went for the Tapas Banquet, 2 vegetarians had the Plato Mixto de Verduras [platter of mixed vegie deliciousness], 1 person had the Plato de Pescado a la Parilla [platter of mixed seafood deliciousness], and another had the Antipasto platter. They were all absolutely massive, so you get definite value for money at this place. The two people that came later on got individual tapas plates, I think one of them got some Jamon Iberico, which I really regret not trying.
I had the Tapas Banquet, and the standouts for me were the Chorizo con Vino and the potato Tortilla. The chorizo was smoky and soaked with wine - it completely disintegrated as soon as I put it in my mouth. Delicious! The potato tortilla was soft and light, and really, really tasty. The only negative I can give on the banquets was that there was just too much food. The plates came staggered, which gave us a good chance to try and digest the previous courses, and it came with extra breads and salads - which we certainly didn't need. I've just noticed that the menu is slightly different on the website - there's now one dish less in the Tapas Banquet, and most of the banquets are now under $40.

I was really impressed with the service, and the all the food was spectactular. I think we ended up making our way through about 7 bottles of sangria, and close to 12 beers, so we were a very happy group. The bill ended up being roughly $45-60 a person, but none of us were able to eat dinner last night ^_^
I'm already planning the next trip there, and I know exactly what I want to get - it's good for larger groups, but I'd love to go back for a smaller, boozy lunch with the girls.

So after finding out the hard way that The Alibi Room hadn't yet reopened after Christmas, my critically hungover partner and I went on a mad dash for a hearty breakfast... hard to find when your brain is still in a thousand pieces, and it's almost midday on Sunday!

We ended up at Pandemonium Cafe in Paddington, which was the absolute bomb. They were flat-out busy, and with good reason - their food was kickarse and exactly what we were after.
I had a plate from the specials menu, the breakfast stack. It was layers of fresh spinach [not that wilted spinach that gets a bit nasty in a hungover tummy], two homemade hash browns, two poached eggs, Pando sauce for $14.50 and I paid an extra $2.50 for some bacon. My partner had a BLT with chips and extra Pando sauce for about $10.
Now, this Pando sauce is sort of like a creamy, savoury heaven in your mouth. The waitress described it as a mix between aioli and hollandaise, and although that sounds foul, garlicky hollandaise is actually really delicious. Highly recommended, even if you just get it on the side... it rocks.

So, as much as I love the Alibi Room, Pandemonium is closer, comparable in price and with more seating for breakfast. Considering there were only two free tables in the whole cafe when we sat down, our meals were out pretty quickly, our waitress was friendly and personable and it's all very reasonably priced. They also cater well for vegetarians and vegans, as well as appearing to have the cheapest cocktails in Brisbane [$9.50?! Are you frickin' kidding me?]

Approximate cost: $15

A friend's 30th birthday was a good excuse to try something new, so missing breakfast ended up being a blessing in disguise. After driving around Paddington, Southbank, West End and Rosalie, we settled on an early lunch at Iceworks in Paddington. It's never been very busy when I've gone past, and got very average reviews when it first opened, but I reckon it's worth a go.

We arrived before midday, which meant we were the first there, and the building was pretty quiet and relaxed. The service staff took a while to warm up to us, as a bunch of hippies [with a love of good food], we may not have been the clientele that they were hoping for.
Re: drinks, the girls had a couple of cocktails [the One Chilli Plum deserves a mention], and the boys had a few beers [Montheith's Radler and Little Creatures Pilsner]. The cocktails were reasonably priced, between $14-18, and very boozy.
We started with turkish bread and a very garlicky and tomato dip ($8), which took a while to come out, but tasted very fresh. The waiters warmed up to us about then, in time for some pretty awesome lunch mains. We had the battered fish, chips and salad ($24, but with thick batter and good fish)]; a tomato pizza with goats cheese ($16), and pea and asparagus risotto ($21). The food was beautifully cooked, although it took a while coming out, even being the only people in there for lunch. It all ended up about $50 p.p.
The cocktail menu was good, and the bar would be lovely for relaxed Sunday afternoon drinks. The wine list was inflated and boring, and I think they could have had some more interesting wines to serve with all of the seafood on the menu.

In review, I would say that the idea and concept is there, but the execution is relatively boring. The service was friendly, but the food was only average - not quite worth the price, although it's an interesting building, and you can tell they spend a lot of money on renovating it. Certainly not an 'every weekend' kinda place, from my point of view, but worth a look.

Approximate cost: $25