I was really pleased with this fabulous online store. I stumbled across bakingpleasures.com.au while searching--frantically--for a very specific cake decorating tool on a very short deadline a couple of weeks ago (mid 2013). They had a huge range available.

The shipping was very reasonable (and sent registered!), the transaction fast, and I received my order in less than a week. I'll definitely be ordering from them again.

Another place set in the pretty North Strathfield Bakehouse Quarter, there's not many rocks to be seen... but there are certainly pancakes. Prepare for the pancake-SPLOSION.

I'd only ever been to the original, Rocks-location Pancakes on thereof until a couple of months ago when we wound up here. It doesn't feel quite as 'special' as the original, but it's in a pretty location, and there was nothing much to fault. I ordered a single 'stack' pancake and it came out dripping with butter and a generous serving of maple syrup. Was amazing.

Offering mainly thick, american-style hotcakes, you can pick if you want them dripping with syrup, butter, chocolate sauce, buttercotch, berries... you name it. But they also offer tasty mains like nachos and pizzas.

The service is good, and fast, but while I've never seen it particularly busy, it's frequently NOISY. Whether it's from loud music, loud children, or some particularity of how the place is constructed. Still, the cozy wooden booths insulate a lot of it, and it's a lovely place for an indulgent Sunday breakfast.

Tucked into a Norwest business park office block, Thai Waterfront Restaurant sits, as its name suggests, waterfront. It's a very pretty, quiet, tucked-away location.

I went here for a work lunch recently, and it was a lovely afternoon. The food was hot, fresh, and came out SO quickly, and the table out on the verandah was such a pretty place to eat in the sunshine.

Their food is fresh and tasty, the service fast, and their prices are reasonable. There are 2 other Thai restaurants within 100m of this place. The prices are more or less the same, and honestly, the food is comparable. Neither of them have this beat on location!

Approximate cost: $15

This gorgeous bookshop in the (very) pretty Beecroft specialises in--you guessed it--Children's books. Picture books, teen books, school books, beautifully bound classics... it feels a little bit magic.

They have a large collection, a very pretty store, and I was lucky enough to visit the shop for the first time when they had a very special event arranged--an intimate talk with author Lauren Oliver!

The shop really was fantastic, the staff were lovely, and I could lose hours (and hundreds of dollars) wondering around this TARDIS-like shop buying books!

Definitely not the cheapest place to eat in Jindabyne (having said that, I'm not sure what it is--everything is expensive, and fair enough in a town that relies so heavily on very seasonal tourism), I can't fault Mario's. Not on service, not on quality, and you know what? Not even on value.

There's a reason prices aren't cheap. That spaghetti bolognaise you're about to order? It'll feed a small army. Well, maybe not an army, but two hungry adults, comfortably.

I nearly fell into my bowl when the dish came out and was twice the size of my face. But seriously, I can't go past the pizza. They're amazing, and depending on where you sit, you get to see them being made cooking in the proper wood-fired oven.

We make a point of visiting Mario's every time we visit the area. The service is friendly and fast, and woodfired pizzas are delicious. The restaurant interior is dated, but warm, family-friendly (there's a large tucked away play area for the kids playing movies, and with toys), with a massive, roaring fireplace that'll have you peeling off layers faster than you can make turns down the slope the next day.

My number one dinner recommendation for a nght in Jindy :)

Approximate cost: $25-30

I kind of expect The Outback Steakhouse to be like McDonald's--you expect the same food/service/experience wherever you go. The US-style, grease-heavy food is--let's be honest--REALLY tasty. If you're after a burger the size of your face, or more ribs than you have in your own chest, you've come to the right place.

But... meh. The food is the same at North Strathfield as it is at the Outback's first Australian restaurant, located out in Parklea/Glenwood area, in Sydney's Hills District. Unfortunately the service is not.

On a quiet afternoon recently, I waited 20 minutes to have my order taken, had my food come out before my drink, and, after waiting for 30 minutes to get a waiter's attention to ask for one of their offered free refills and waiting another half an hour, had to go up to the bar and ask the bartender for one, there. I wish I could be surprised, but it's not the only time it's happened... I keep going back for the freaking delicious Cheese Chips, though (seriously. it's worth the infuriating wait for the cheese chips).

The thing is, I've been there on a busy night, and received fantastic service. It seems that their busiest periods will also be their best for service. So there you go.

It's set in the Bakehouse Quarter of North Strathfield, and it's such a pretty place. The restaurant itself doesn't offer much of a view, but it's nice to finish your meal and walk down the lovely cobbled street for a coffee in a quiet cafe.

So props for location, and the evening staff.
Kind of dissapointed that the ABUNDANT stuff in the quiet periods can't handle a table of 2, though.

Approximate cost: $20-25

That it's Sydney's only remaining drive-in is kind of sad, but also makes a night at the twin-screen open-air cinema kind of more space--gives it a certain nostalgia.

For about $15 (per person, NOT per car), we got a ticket to see TWO movies. If a sequel is coming out (a new Fast and Furious is particularly fun to see at the drive in!) you'll usually see the two films back to back, but if not, expect a new release comedy or drama, paired with a older, similar-genre film. If you have a Greater Union/Event Cinemas Cinebuzz card, you'll get a discounted ticket, too!

The place is huge, and even when you get there late (as the movie's starting), you'll find a decent parking lot. But arrive early! Stock up on popcorn and soak in the vibe!

Make sure you pick a clear night to go. Drive-in in the rain isn't so much fun :D

Approximate cost: $15

Quality, service, atmosphere, and the FOOD. All to die for.
This massive restaurant in Quakers Hill has a sort of 'cafe' half (which I've not eaten in), and an actual sit-down restaurant, sumptuously decorated, offering the best curries and Indian food I've had in my life.

The meals are well priced, designed to share, and so, so tasty. I have daydreams about the Paneer Butter Masala and saffron rice I ate here at my last visit, though I had to giggle about the mango lassi that came out in a milkshake glass, topped with whipped cream, but who am I kidding--authentic or not, it was a delicious milkshake.

The service is friendly, reasonably fast and--albeit delicious--lassis aside, they offer some fairly genuine, and utterly delicious, Indian cuisine. My fave Indian restaurant in Sydney.

Approximate cost: $15

The Edge in Hair aren't the cheapest hairdressers... but for me, they're certainly the best.

I've been visiting them for over 5 years, mostly for a cut and style, but a few times for a colour, and during that time, I've seen faces come and go (except for the lovely owner who is always there, ALWAYS smiling, and always lovely), but the standard, quality and service has never dropped.

I always leave the salon feeling fabulous. The stylists are attentive, polite and friendly; always willing to offer advice and feedback but--most importantly--to LISTEN. They're chatty, but never obtrusive.

In the years I've been going to the Edge, I've walked away with a haircut I was unhappy with just once. I called them the next day. They had me come back in that afternoon, and 'fixed' it (mind you, nothing was wrong--it was cut well, I just didn't LIKE it), completely free of charge, and with a smile, that day. I've since moved out of the area, and I still drive halfway across Sydney to visit them when it's time for a trim.

I can't comment on their cakes, but I can comment on the store, and service. Finding specialty cake supplies (piping bags, cutters, cake board covering, tools) can be tricky without going online--which poses a whole other difficulty when you need something fast.

Cake Art saved my bacon a couple of weeks ago when I needed supplies RIGHT THEN, and couldn't order online. I rang the store, and the staff were exceptionally helpful, then were polite, unobstrusive, and helpful all over again when I turned up in store. A great little shop I feel lucky to have so close by.

They're certainly not cheap, but what they sell ISN'T cheap. It was no more expensive purchasing from them, in-store, than online. They don't have a massive range, but they do have a good variety.