the restaurant area was neat & tidy, although very small but somewhat felt very cozy. there is this sort of mixed up sensation tho when you go there... the restaurant is balancing on a very fine line between a fine dining place & a more casual venue. the staff was exceptionally nice & friendly, was feeling like a queen on a pea hehe! their lemon cheescake was yummy and their risotto was one of the best i`ve ever tried! even though an overall impression was very good, i somewhat thought they could improve their menu (for although there is a wide range of dishes to choose from, many of them seemed to be overly simple and a bit boring).

Approximate cost: $35

been there a couple of times with friends to dine. it was a very busy looking environement and no surprise, it took a while to get our order. the food was alright, but definetely without the wow factor. food seemed to had been plated on a rush and somewhat not attractive. the portions of the main dishes are really generous, thus guys were really pleased with that hehe. overall, it`s not a bad place i guess and very sutable for casual occassions or a very simple meal (in those cases when your fridge at home is desperately empty hehe).

Approximate cost: $25

i do book a treatment at endona whenever there is a special occassion :) it is a lovely place, a pure retreat oasis in the midst of the industrial gladstone. there is a somewhat calming effect from the very first minute of entering, which is probably created by the pleasant smells, bright colours and camomile tea which is offered to the customer :) i am a person very conscious regarding organic foods & higiene/health produce, thus it`s a perfect spa for my taste! it was also great news for me when i realised that endota products are also safe to use for the pregnant women. my favorite beauty treatment was the "scrub & glow endota", while as a mom-to-be a switched to "pick-me-up pregnancy". it`s really relaxing and pleasant. however, the level of ecstasy does slightly vary depending on who's doing the procedure (as it seems clear that some beauticians are more experienced than the others). but the overall result is always very good or even excellent and at the end i do feel like i`ve spent my money wisely. coz although the prices are rather high, it is most definitely worth every bit of it! have to add tho, that my experience with tthe bikini waxing was not that exciting: the wax applied is amazing, but the waxing techniques used by the beautician was terrible (as she didn`t make sure to tighten up the skin and in this way to reduce the pain effect). surprisingly enough, the swelling which developed after this whole procedure lasted only for 2 days as i was expecting much worse results hehe. but in general, it`s an amazing place packed with good energy & lovely products. and it always works good as a gift for the other ladies (or blokes) :)

Approximate cost: $110

i have been regularly coming over to Chattin for a cuppa coffee as a part of my morning ritual. my husband is claiming that they are making the best affogato in the whole Gladstone, while i have never been disapointed with my latte... however, the quality of their food started steadily decreasing lately, which is very sad, for this used to be one of my most fav places in the town to have a light lunch or brekkie. today was probably the worst experience at this cafe for not only i was served a severely burnt toast, but also had to complaint a few times regarding my fried eggs (which i like having well-done all the way through withouht any runny yolk) even after i had specifically stressed how i want them to be cooked. a pork wrap from their brand new menu tasted terrible and was a completely non-balanced dish. overall, the service is always good and the staff welcomes the customers with a smile on their faces. but the plates coming from the kitchen seem to be often messy, and not too clean, over-salted and not catchy at all. i`d guess the kitchen staff has got some wrong attitude going on... thus, the food is most definetely over-prized :/ the cafe itself is quite small and the interior badly needs some refurbishment, as it feels somewhat murky and dark, probably it`s its central location that makes it so attractive and convenient.

Approximate cost: $15

to my knowledge, this is the best place in the whole gladstone to buy fresh seafoods. therefore, i always buy my salmon, prawns, crabs and oysters here. and never got disappointed with any of them. the quality is much much better in comparisson with the ones that you can get at the shopping centers... but saying that, the prices at this fish market is almost double higher than in the shop. but you know, the quality fits the price :>

i went there with my husband for breakfast while we were visiting the Gold Coast. we ended up there by a pure chance, for we were not familiar with the area and after half an hour or so blindly searching for a nice place - bumped into the Domanis. we were lucky enough to get a table inside (for it was raining outside) and received an excellent service! the staff was really attentive to my "special" needs (regarding the pouched eggs which i like having extremely well-done). although we have ordered very basic breakfast meals (like eggs benedict with salmon) they were presented very elegantly. the biggest WOW for me was the freshly squeezed juice bar! juices were lovely! so, overall experience was a very positive one: friendly & attentive staff, cozy environment, tasty food. it`s a bit expensive though. and the weirdest thing was that the staff did not know what sort of coffee "afogato" was (although it's on their menu). and the staff even came over to us to ask how it should be done...very odd, but since i`m a barista myself, wasn`t too disfficult to explain :)

Approximate cost: $17

i went there to have a light dinner before the stand-up show that was about to take part in this venue, and i was very pleasantly surprised with the food that i was served. vegetable hot pot (despite a few undercooked veggies) was lovely n the apple muffins were divine! in general, the whole menu seemed to be delicious and (judging from what i`ve seen on the other tables) well-presented. although it took a while to get the meal, it was worth waiting for! and the overall atmosphere is very nice and cozy, a perfect place to discuss the exhibitions or simply to have a chit chat with an old friend :) have to say tho, the staff seemed to be a bit grumpy and tired...but the overall impression was a really good one :)

Approximate cost: $18

this is very true - their pies are yummy! they do have an extended menu, but i just drop in there to grab a few beef burgundy pies every time i`m travelling through Gin Gin :) that`s a must-do stop whatever my destination would be that day.

Approximate cost: $4.5

although this tiny Thai food store doesn`t look like much from the outside, it sure does provide with some stunning food! their sushi & noodle taste simply amazing! unfortunately, didn`t have a chance to try their main dishes or soups yet...but the shop looks really clean & tidy, while the staff is more than happy to create any kind of sushi you want according to your wishes (even if it`s not on the menu). aaaand, the food is prepared really quickly, thuss it kinda became my favorite spot for a lunch break: quick, tasty, healthy & all for a good value ($10-15 is usually enough in order to get a lunch box).

every time i go there i`m surprised how helpful and friendly the staff working there really is! their advice and recomendations are indeed very useful. since i`m a mom-to-be i have clearly became a picky customer and finding the right higiene/health products at this stage can be a bit challenging at most times as the labels very often don`t provide too much information. in these cases the staff was willing to call directly to the suppliers and ask them about the suitability of the products (such as the sun protection lotion or mosquitto repellents) for the pregnant women, which, i thought, was indeed a very kind thing to do :) the only problem with this chemists, however, is that although they do provide a wide range of drugs and other sorts of products, many of them run out of stock very quickly (e.g. it`s always very hard to get most of the SUKIN brand products especially the face mosturiser). buti guess it`s because they are located in such a hectic venue as stockland...