Just came back from Claudio's at Forster - what an awful experience! Never go back again. Charged for a meal that was inedible and left on the plate after taking 2 bites of it. When they tried to charge us the full amount for it (without ever offering any apology or alternative) and we objected - the waitress became somewhat histerical and the chef came out defensive, confrontational and extremely rude. Obviously don't take well to criticism and responded in a very unprofessional, abusive manner. Haven't seen anything like that before. They displayed no idea about customer service or even basic manners. Looked forward to having an Italian meal all day but it ended up ruining my night not to mention part of my holiday.

Approximate cost: $30

Nando's serves Portuguese Flame-grilled chicken and Burgers. You can choose 4 different levels of 'spicyness': From 'lemon&herb' to Extra-Hot'. My wife had the "mild" 1/4 chicken with spicy rice and she found it quite spicy already. The guys were happy to fulfill all your extra wishes and were very friendly. Waiting time is slightly on the long side, but they advise you of that beforehand: 'Please be patient as PERi-PERi goodness can't be rushed.
The taste of your freshly grilled meal will be remembered long after the wait is forgotten.'
Seating is nice as they have a very long bench on one side and the outside seating area at the back of the restaurant provides a nice view over Paddington.
We are likely to go back there as we quite enjoyed our meals. BTW: The fries are nothing short of GREAT! All in all a good experience for a chain restaurant with fresh, healthy food and a nice view.

Approximate cost: $6-20

Huge selection and you can ask these guys anything - they are like walking libraries. A bit on the pricey side but good deals on Tuesday. They've got the largest collection of TV Series I've ever seen. And they clean pretty much any DVD in an automatic DVD cleaner before they give it out.

Approximate cost: $7.95 per DVD

This had to be the worst experience we ever had renting a campervan. We thought it might be a good idea to support a small local family business renting the campervan for our 3-week holiday going from Brisbane up to Cairns. It was actually slightly more expensive than renting from one of the big suppliers like Britz or Apollo. At first we had a relatively good impression because they offered free accommodation for the night before you pick up the campervan - which turns out to be a true necessity because they are so far away from any airport. They seemed reluctant to pick us up from the airport, however, because we didn't fit into their schedule. (They would have done it if we agreed to wait for them till afternoon - 4 hours after our arrival, so they could combine it with picking up their kids from school!). So we decided to rent a car and drive there ourselves and make use of the one night free accommodation. It's a small self-contained cottage that you have to share with other customers. The mattresses were horrible for my back, but hell, it was just for one night - or so I thought.
In the morning we wanted to drive away straight away - but the pump for the shower didn't work. Took them another hour to fix it (no apologies from them, either). Their campervans are planned and fitted out by their own sister company. We decided for the EMU 3, on the base of a Fiat Ducato Manual. It was smaller than expected but was fitted with everything we needed. So we started our trip. The first night revealed a major nuisance: The mattresses were too thin and I was permanently lying on a wooden ridge that was protruding from the base of the bed (the mattress was made up from several smaller cushions which are set up like a jigsaw with little gaps in between and that's where the wooden ridge protruded from). So I called them the next day to report the problem. The guy I talked to (Lucio) understood the problem but made out I was just a fussy customer and replied with:we've got a fleet of exactly the same vehicles and you are the first to ever complain. There is nothing wrong with the design! (and so forth...) Lucio took it really personally that somebody dared to criticise his self-built campervans. That's the downside to hiring from a small family business. They told us to go to Clark Rubber to get thicker mattresses cut out - which we did and they grudgingly reiumbursed us for our expenses at the end of the trip.
It wasn't so much the faulty design that annoyed me - it was the unprofessional way the company handled my complaint. Didn't look like they valued the customer's input or were interested in improving their services in the future.

At the end of the trip I tried to convey to their team what I was very unhappy about their unprofessional behaviour, to which they replied that it was all my fault and that they never had such a bad customer. They even went to the extend of telling me that I should change my attitude. Overall: Their campervans are more or less alright, but their professionalism is not. It surely ruined a good part of our holiday.
For the amount of money we paid I expected to get a professional service, but instead they left a lot to be desired. Do yourself a favour and go with someone else!

Approximate cost: $200/day w insurance

I was really disappointed with our experience at Orexi Cafe & Grill in West End. The service was pretty bad - they forgot half of our order and when we asked them again specifically for what we ordered they brought out the wrong stuff...Seemed to have difficulty understanding us. The chef was Greek, the waiting staff wasn't. The ambience is "modern", but not exactly authentic greek either. The food was alright, but nothing to rave about. The meats were of minor quality, the pita was slightly burned. All in all not what I expected from a greek restaurant.

Approximate cost: $20

Went there on a busy Saturday night, actually arrived about an hour to late for our reservation, but the friendly staff found us a good table nonetheless. The place is authentic: Furnished very simple and reminds me very much of the tavernas back in Greece. And so is the food: Great authentic taste, especially the grilled meats (try the lamb, it's fantastic!).
Unfortunately the toilets are just as authentic as the rest of the place and parking can be a challenge on busy nights.

Approximate cost: $25

Went there with our 6-year old and he had lots of fun. They've got a huge playstructure for over 4 yr olds (even with air-powered guns and plastic balls) slides, some video games and lots more. Separated from that is a fenced-off area for kids from 1 to 4. The cafe has an extensive menu and the staff was very friendly. Overall it was very clean and didn't smell of burned fat from all the fried stuff other play centres have on offer. It was quite noisy when we went there (especially from the airguns), but it probably reflected how much fund the kids had :-) Although it is quite a drive from Brsibane city centre it was well worth it. On Friday and Saturday night they open up their restaurant from 5.30 til 10 pm - while the kids can play in the playcentre the adults can enjoy their meals. Actually, this is the best play centre we have been to so far.

Approximate cost: $12.50 per child, Adults and

We went to Ahmet's on an early Sunday evening (6 pm) and we didn't have a reservation. As it was already a bit chilly outside we asked if we could sit close to the BBQ area/ kitchen, which is an integral part of the restaurant. Although that particular table was reserved already it was no trouble at all for the friendly staff to accommodate our wishes and we got the table. The menu is quite extensive and has genuine turkish cuisine on offer. Our food came in a timely fashion and tasted wonderful, especially the barbequed meats. Leave some room for the excellent baklava for dessert. Although slightly on the pricey side we had an excellent experience and I am looking forward to going back to Ahmet's.

Approximate cost: $30