We have been here three times now and usually the steak is excellent. This time we both ordered T-bones and one of them was excellent and the other was poor, excessively fatty, very hard to cut, under-cooked and not hot. I initially got the excellent one, but swapped with my partner as we were out for his birthday and he didn't want to complain and ruin the evening. We may return in future, but won't ever order their T-bones again - will probably stick with eye-fillets. It was clear even looking at the steaks that one wasn't right and I don't think they should have palmed it off on us, not when they are charging $39 per steak.

Approximate cost: $40

This was a case of what everyone else ordered looked great, but mine was a big disappointment. I ordered the salmon ravioli, which was very tasty, however it was basically entre size, even though it was a main. Another person on our table ordered pasta (fettucini) and their dish was of adequate size, but for some reason the ravioli is served with only 4, yes 4, pieces of ravioli! Yes, they are big for ravioli, but the dinner plate they came on still looked pretty deserted with them sitting in the middle of it. Looking around the table at everyone elses large serves of parmas, lamb's fry and fettucini only heightened my disappointment. This is the only time I have ever been left hungry after a main course. I actually had to cook something else when I got home! If they had only put an extra 2-4 pieces of ravioli on my plate I would be giving them 4-5 stars as the quality itself was actually very good. I would have even been happy to pay an extra $5 for the dish, had it been of an adequate quantity.

We have been going to the Thursday $13 Parma Night for several weeks now. They have an ever-changing range of parmas, with 5 to choose from each week. Some of them are pretty out-there, but there is usually something interesting and there is always the traditional parma to fall back on. The parmas are made in-house with real chicken breast and are probably the best we have had. The toppings vary and some are better than others. The last time we went our parmas had been left under the grill for way too long and the chicken breast had become dry and some of the topping was burnt black - no exaggeration, there were bits that had turned to charcoal (a well established carcinogen!). This was made more disappointing as we were left waiting for a really long time for them to come out, unaware that they were just sitting under a grill being burnt. The other times they have been better, although quite often are still a bit overdone. I think that cheese should still somewhat resemble cheese when they are served and not a hard brown shell. Anyway, we will give it a few more goes and hopefully there is no repeat of the charcoal, as if that does happen again, it will be our last visit. Veggies are always steamed perfectly and the chips are always cooked well too. Just a shame it seems the person in charge of watching the grill tends to leave things in there too long. If it weren't for this, I would be giving this place a 4-5 star rating.

Approximate cost: $13

Worst. Pizza. Ever! This is the first pizza where we have ever had to throw most of it in the bin. We bought 3 pizzas & forced ourselves to eat a piece of each purely as we were very hungry. The base is awful & must be some pre-fab, frozen job as it was hard and unpleasant & was certainly not fresh pizza base made from fresh dough. The sauce tastes too strongly of tomato paste. This pizza is actually a lot worse than frozen supermarket pizza. I am amazed they are still in business as I can't imagine them getting any return customers. They were also overcooked, so the toppings, such as ham etc., were dried out to the point of being inedible. I have had pizzas from here in the past but several years ago and under previous owners. Things have certainly gone downhill since then.

We went a couple of weeks ago for the $12 Monday night curry night. There's a choice of about 6 curries. We both had the beef vindaloo, which came with rice & a pappadum. Quite good for $12 and had a good level of heat, my partner got his extra hot and was happy also. Their other choices included butter chicken and some other curries with chickpeas, fish or prawns. We tried to go again the following Monday and arrived during their stated opening hours but the bistro was totally dark & locked up as though it must have closed well before it is supposed to. This is a common problem we have with many Ballarat businesses and it makes us really angry to drive all the way to a place for tea based on their advertised opening hours only to find the place shut or have the staff look at you like you're from another planet expecting to be served even though their sign says they open till much, much later. Even the night we did get served there was some kind of hesitancy in seating us, although we were there well within their stated opening times.

I had the pancakes with fresh fruit & yoghurt, which I enjoyed. My friend had a cappuccino, which she said was very bitter and ended up pouring a massive amount of sugar in to try and override the bitterness. I didn't have the coffee this time, but I have had in the past and don't recall an issue with it. Perhaps it is a bit inconsistent. I would still go there for other food and drink items though as the service and atmosphere are good.

I ordered the pizza, which was reasonable at $13, however the base tasted very 'home-made', like our own feeble attempts at making pizza dough at home. There was also a huge empty ring of crust around the outside with neither topping nor sauce and as the crust wasn't pleasant, rather a lot was left on my plate.

The 3 pizzas & garlic bread for $20 is good value, however the pizzas were disappointing. The bases taste like they are pre-made, tasting very much like Pizza Hut's Pizza Mia bases, which are gross. Toppings were generous and good quality, however the pizza sauce tastes too strongly of tomato paste and is a bit unpleasant. I haven't tried the fish & chips but suspect they are really just a fish & chip shop trying to do pizzas on the side.

Not sure why this place seems to do so well as the food is quite average and a lot of it shows not even an attempt at authenticity. The Thai curries are NOT remotely Thai style in any way. Having had many Thai curries in Thailand, as well as Melbourne and Ballarat, I know what to expect, however the Thai curry sauces here do not have the coconut cream consistency (or flavour) and seem to be just pureed vegetables with varying amounts of spices, more similar to Indian style curries. One of the waitresses was very good, however the other physically pushed past customers rather than saying 'excuse me' and politeness seemed an effort for her. People seem to go here because of the extensive and varied menu, however a smaller, focussed menu done well leaves a broad, poorly executed menu for dead any day. We only ever go here when someone else has chosen to as a group and have always been disappointed.

Approximate cost: $20

Best Thai food in Ballarat, closest to what you get in Thailand for a better price than Jasmine Thai. Decent serving sizes. Beef could have been a little better quality but it was OK. Curry sauces are very tasty though.

Approximate cost: $22