Harry's is a Sydney icon (an expanding one, too! There's now Harry's in Haymarket, the airport, North Parramatta, and on Parramatta Rd near Burwood!) but nothing beats the original. Literally a wheeled cafe by the water in Woolloomooloo, Harry's is more than a little special.

I visited here for the first time with a bunch of friends, and while I ummed and ahhed over the menu (Pie? Pastie? HOT DOG?!) the staff were patient and pleasant. For around $10 I got a massive pastie heaped with a huge amount of mashed potato and--a revelation to me--mushy pees, both drenched in gravy. Perfect. Hubby got a hot dog also heaping with peas and mash and gravy, and we all sat on the wharf by the water. A perfect end to the day.

My first visit to Harry was definitely NOT my last. A MUST-do for any Sydneysider or visiter to Sydney!

Approximate cost: $10

It's hard to describe La Piazza, it's a little camp, a little OTT, and a little brilliant. The entire place is done up like an Italian village (complete with pretend laundry hanging out on pretend balconies!)

I finally went here with my mum and husband after seeing the photography on their website. We ate from their Stuzzichino tapas menu, and the food really was excellent. The Bianchetti Fritti (battered, tiny little WHOLE fish) were a little creepy, but it was a really generous serving, and the stuffed olives were amazing. The arancini/risotto balls in particular were wonderful. The price was decent given the servings really were fit to share amongst a table, and we had a wonderful evening the slightly crazy, fun atomsphere. The place is HUGE!

It's never fun taking an animal to a vet, particularly in an emergency. I was faced with just such an emergency last year, when, at 11pm at night, my cat started gagging. We found the number for ARH, and were offered free, helpful, calm advice over the phone, and advised to give them a call and bring him in he wasn't back to himself in 30 minutes of supervisation.

He didn't get better by himself, so we found ourselves at the ARH at around 12pm at night. The woman at reception was friendly and accomodating, and the vet was lovely--really calm and reassuring.

As it turns out, the silly thing had just eaten a cockroach, and got a leg caught in his throat, and was completely fine. But the staff were wonderful, the hospital was clean, with good parking, and great facilities.

We'd definitely go back there again in an emergency--the fact they're open and available so late was wonderful. But they ARE expensive--you pay a premium for the late night call, which I can understand. But we'll still stick to our normal vet for normal-hours issues.

It's hard to believe that one of the--if not THE-- most centrally located accomodations in Jindabyne, offering some of the best--if not dated, but almost everything in the area is--facilities (good bathrooms, split level bedrooms so parents get some privacy, full kitchenette--LAKE VIEWS) is also the best priced.

But it is. After 7 years of making a point of shopping around, comparing prices, checking wotif.com, websites, recommendations, you name it, we just can't beat Alpine Gables.

The rooms are tidy, large, and comfy. The staff are friendly and helpful. We've made easy arrangements for late check-ins in the past, and the staff have always been really helpful, whether it's in person, over the phone, or by e-mail (I love that I can send them an e-mail and have a response within a couple of hours).

The hotel is next door to the Jindabyne shops and restaurants. And they are consistently the best priced, and best VALUE, accomodation we can find--Summer or Winter.

Located bang in the centre of the old Jindabyne shopping centre, Jindabyne Sports has a shop selling skis and ski gear, as well as a huge ski hire section. They have a fantastic range of brand new ski equipment for hire for advanced skiers--all 2013/2014 skis from K2, Volkl, Salomon and Atomic--as well as new, good quality hire skis for beginners (a lot of the time, when you go to hire ski gear, especially for beginners, you'll find it's a few years old and a bit banged up--not so here).

I took my mother and sister in law here on the weekend to hire a pair of skis and boots, and the staff were friendly and fast. They both got great skis and decent boots, though the guy fitting those boots nearly put my sister in the wrong size, though I can't really fault him too much on that (seriously, when hiring ski boots--SPEAK UP. Ask how they SHOULD feel, tell your fitter how they DO feel, but also: listen. Your fitter knows their stuff, but only as much as you communicate!).

When I went to buy a new pair of skis myself, they took the money I'd paid hiring the same pair of skis as a demo of the cost, too!

They're reasonably priced, and have the best ski rentals in Jindy. I'd recommend them to anyone looking for new ski gear, though they're NOT snowboard experts. I'd go visit one of the specialist snowboard stores for your gear :)

My cousin dragged me to this pizza place last year because she INSISTED it's the best local pizza place in the area. She kept on talking about how they actually have flavour, and there's herbs on the bases, instead of just tomato paste.

Man, was she right.

The pizzas are SUCH good value. For the same $12 we'd pay at Pizza Hut, we got a pizza twice the size (I am not even exaggerating. It was HUGE), topped with fresh, delicious ingredients, and ready in less than 10 minutes. The guys that served us were friendly and chatty, though we had to wait a couple of minutes to place our order, who could fault all that?

We've been going back ever since for our Friday night pizza, and won't be stopping any time soon!

Approximate cost: $10-15

There are a glut of Thai restaurants in the Hills District, and this one, tucked away in the business district is easy enough to miss (and I think it may be, often. It was quite quiet on the Tuesday night we were there). Nevertheless, when a friend suggested we have dinner here, I was all for it (seriously, who says no to Thai?) and was pleasantly surprised.

The restaurant is big, with plenty of seating and space, and our table of 4 adults and 2 very small children was well catered for by a really lovely and attentive waitress, who even brought out special cutlery and bowls for the kids (who very happily used them as drums for the rest of the evening). We ordered 4 dishes between us, and they were really generous, with a fair amount leftover.

The vegetable Pad See Eaw was delicious, and the Massaman Curry fantastic, and all of them really well priced, too!

Approximate cost: $10-15

I wound up at this ENORMOUS shop a few months ago while I was frantically looking for ribbon and paper for a last minute gift. The shop is huge, with just about everything you could possibly imagine needing for scrapbooking or designing invitiations. They had the most beautiful ribbons and little stick-on decals, and I grabbed a pink diamante stick-on swirl from a bargain big marked down from $10 to only $2.

I wasn't at a loss for things to buy, but the two staff members were a little distracted, chatting about someone else the entire time I was there. Even so, they were very friendly as I checked out and paid for my order, and I'd definitely go there again.

Though signed as 'The Pizza Factory', this place is actually called 'The Food Factory', and I've never eaten pizza at this odd little takeaway/cafe in Cooma, even though I've been there a few times. With walls covered on all sides with chalkboard menues, it's a pretty, peculiar little place with the most delicious burgers and roast rolls (seriously, roast beef, crazy, and baked potatoes on a roll = to die for).

But. It's expensive. And the staff are... um... interesting. Perhaps a little abrupt, if not rude. The last time we stopped here we were just treated with indifference--which is definitely the preference to the times we've been snapped at, and actually GLARED at :D

Approximate cost: $15

With the best spot on the mountain, it's hard to go past the Mid Perisher Centre for your morning ski break--or lunch. ESPECIALLY when you plan to make it before 10:30am for their legendary $2.50 chocolates (seriously, you're missing out if you take a trip to Perisher and miss these).

The place is huge, with generous seating, but it's often very busy around lunch, so if you're after a meal, you're best off arriving a bit early or late. On a gorgeous sunny day, eat out on the deck for the best view in the resort.

They offer the best variety of food on the mountain, and it's very expensive, but on-par with the rest of the mountain. I was back here on the weekend, and those $2.50 hot chocolates haven't changed in 15 years. They're PERFECT.

Approximate cost: $15