Reviews by matthewf

This review is for Vyve, Heidelberg VIC

verified email - 24 Jun 2014

There must be 20 coffee shops in Burgundy Street, most offering some form of meal or snack. Vyve would be towards the head of the queue in my opinion.

Coffee is pretty good, the layout works very well, pricing is relative, and the staff are competent (not fast, but friendly and eventually attentive).

Their food though is really good, and the burgers are worth testing against anything else in the neighbourhood.

However, the go-to dish is the Vanilla Slice - whatever the calory count, whatever else you have to give up, this is worth the trip by itself. Its fabulous. By the first mouthful I had already forgotten how much I paid for it.

Approximate cost: $15

This review is for Kimchi Tray, Melbourne VIC

verified email - 16 Jun 2014

Kimchi Tray is fairly unassuming - easy to walk past among a dozen similar looking frontages. Per other reviewers, I just happened to be hungry when I walked past this place and thought I'd give it a go.

There were only a handful of people inside but that was not a deterrent. People came and went - its really a fast turnover type of place.

The owner (John Hwang) went out of his way to show me the right way to eat Korean and be helpful. He pointed out they were MSG free - wonder if they weren't busy and happy for any custom ?

I found the meals tasty - had the Beef Bibimbak (?) and tried the various side dishes that came with it.

Korean food is the greatest ! There are lots of these springing up in the city and just about all of them that I have tried have been great. The service is patchy in that the English of the staff is at times weak but its friendly enough and generally the get the dishes right. Price-wise its excellent and the food always seems fresh and tasty.

Thumbs up from me !

Approximate cost: $12

This review is for Tailem Bend Bakery, Ashville SA

verified email - 14 May 2014

Stopped at the Tailem Bend Bakery whilst traveling from Adelaide to Melbourne for a coffee and cake.

I ended up going with the apple turnover which was really good - am sure it added kilos to my body but I certainly enjoyed it. Old fashioned cream and nice pastry.

They have coffee here but it certainly isnt a cafe. A rung up from servo coffee but that's hardly the benchmark. Service again, was ok but wouldnt rave. It seems like staff in some of these bakeries dont like their jobs anymore ? Is that a societal change right there?

In any case, worth a stop but only because its on the way.

Approximate cost: $10

This review is for Albury Manor House, Albury NSW

verified email - 17 Apr 2014

Excellent !
We thought we could make it from Melbourne to Sydney and then realised late at night that we couldnt.

Luckily for us, the Manor house were available, very reasonably priced and easy to find (at that hour, that was important to us).

They guy on the desk stayed around to make sure we checked in without any problems and made that aspect seamless.

The room was very spacious and the bathroom had been renovated fairly recently. They had a breakfast available but we were in a hurry to complete our journey so didnt try it.

We dont have too many reasons to stay in Albury but when we next do, I would be more than happy to go back to the Manor House.

Approximate cost: $100

This review is for Gourmet2Go, Melbourne VIC

verified email - 14 Mar 2014

We recently stayed at a hotel in Melbourne's CBD and ordered room service using the the website provided in the credenza.

For our meals we ordered a lamb & mint salad, an Atlantic salmon and some desserts. The meals arrived about 35 minutes after we ordered which was great because by that stage we were starving !

I was quite impressed with the delivery guy as he didnt look shabby like others I have seen - neatly dressed in a uniform, clean shaven and quite polite. Pretty good start and reflective of the meal.

Both meals were very good - they arrived hot, were generous portions and quite tasty. We were congratulating ourselves afterwards for making this order rather than a greasy pizza or a takeaway.

The desserts were fruit salad and an apple pie - both ample sizing and tasty. I had the ice-cream with the apple pie and my wife had some cream on the fruit salad.

Price wise, it was about what we'd expect to pay at a restaurant for the equivalent.

The quality and delivery were very good and it saved us from going out when we just wanted to relax - all up, a great experience.

Approximate cost: $25

This review is for The Trust, Melbourne VIC

verified email - 13 Feb 2014

The building and its insides are quite impressive - I went there on a hot day and all that marble inside is quite cooling !

As noted elsewhere, its fairly quiet and the lounge chairs well spaced apart so if you dont feel like dining with strangers, this is a place to look at !

I didnt have any food - more a coffee stop - but all up a positive experience and one to keep in mind when at that end of the city. If this is possible, its almost tucked away.

Approximate cost: $4

This review is for Theo's Fish Bar, Ivanhoe VIC

verified email - 07 Feb 2014

This is a new place in Ivanhoe - there are now 3 fish & chip shops within 100 metres in this area. Perhaps its the new district ?

As part of our order we had grilled & fried fish, potato cakes, dim sims, a hamburger and chips. Our group was split on the potato cakes whether they were the best ever or worst ever - quite a diversity ! For me, others are better.

The fish was good as were the dim sims and chips - price wise it was probably in the upper-end for fish and chips.

One issue we continuously face in this area is parking - its always difficult in that part of upper Heidelberg Road.

Overall a good experience and we will definitely try them again.

Approximate cost: $50

This review is for At The Heads, Barwon Heads VIC

verified email - 22 Jan 2014

Per the other reviews, I found the view great. We ordered two meals for our party (2 adults+2 kids) and found the food, probably a 7 out of 10. One was a calamari, with the other a chicken schnitzel - nearly $70 with a side of chips.
the decor is ok - worn, but in a well-loved, seaside tavern way.

I thought the staff were trying a bit hard to flog the drinks and when I asked for water (tap variety), that somehow got forgotten. No big deal but the enthusiasm with which the paid drinks were pushed seemed consistent !

Approximate cost: $30

This review is for Coconut Lagoon Indian Restaurant, Heidelberg VIC

verified email - 20 Nov 2013

This was a recommendation and not a bad one at that.

My meal was the vegetarian korma which was tasty and an ample proportion. Service was the disengaged type that you might see in a movie but not in a rude way, so it didnt matter too much.

Its surprisingly quiet given a fairly solid meal and reasonable pricing. Worth a look !

Approximate cost: $20

This review is for 63 Degrees Cafe, Geelong West VIC

verified email - 20 Nov 2013

Quite a unique menu and set in an interesting inside/outside cafe.

Our group went for the burgers and they were quite different from others. Different sauces and turkish bread with a pretty good patty.

Fairly dopey service, its a little on the expensive side and almost impossible to park nearby make it a 3 out of 5.

Approximate cost: $25