MandMs 's Reviews

Kam Fook is not just for yum cha during the day. We decided to visit on a Saturday evening recently. It was quiet, perhaps their patrons were still away on holidays. At this restaurant, one can point at the water creatures in their aquarium to pick out what you wish to eat - don't do this at home. As there were 9 of us, we sat at the furthest end from the entrance at the large table.

It didn't take long before we were given menus to choose from the numerous dishes. The menus were a bit tattered and old (not in line with the overall quality of this restaurant) but I was quite taken aback by the number of dishes they offer. From experience, too many menu items meant that the kitchen can be disorganised and foodstuff less than premium condition. However, this was not the case when our food came.

Table service was a little disappointing due to seemingly inexperienced waitstaff but the head waiter was good help and saved the day. The waitstaff had spilled sauce from a dish due to holding it at an angle. Placement on the large 'Lazy Susan' was also quite haphazard as they try to fit all the dishes in. We were happy all dishes came out almost within 10 minutes. We ordered 9 dishes ranging from a fish, a beef, a couple of chicken, prawns, tofu, a fried rice and vegies. All dishes were presented well and tasted delicious. We would be back more often if it was not for the high end pricing and eating standard which this restaurant represented. When you have important dinner guests, this place will fit the bill - not your suburbia Chinese restaurant, unless you know a good one.

This is truly a place that 'Chocoholics Anonymous' should definitely avoid! From whatever angle you look at this, it's all chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate! To the left of the entry, we found 2 large tubs churning chocolate and it almost felt like we've entered the world of Willy Wonka. The store atmosphere is very warm and welcoming and it's probably the dark browns of the chocolate themed interior design.

The staff serving us at the counter was really friendly and upbeat. Due to our large group (9 in total), taking our order must have been painful as there were ums-and-ahs before we made our picked our desired item from the extensive menu. Nevertheless, the team member never flinched and patiently took our orders. Each one of us must have changed our minds at least once - such was the offering on the menu. We had to join 3 tables together and this was easy enough, but this was late evening and there number of other patrons were sparse.

Our orders came quite soon and greeted with Ooohs and Aaahs. Once we chomped into our chocolate and strawberry fondues, took our chocolate shots and gulped down our chocolate inspired cappuccinos (served in a kangaroo cup!), we felt truly satisfied and sick (in a good way). Oh well, off to the gym to burn off those calories. Must visit again!

Another outlet sprang up in our local neigbourhood Centro, hardly ten days old, it's in a very convenient location on Level 2 near the centre's Jacob Street exit where the bus stops are. When you come in from the summer heat, you see Moochi straightaway and may fall into temptation for something nice and cold. Something different about this fro-yo (frozen yoghurt), it's got mochi in them of course. Little bits of chewy and gummy glutinous balls mixed in with several flavours of fro-yo. It's delicious. We visited the kiosk on a Sunday afternoon and there were two queues of at least six deep with the staff in full swing trying very hard to keep up. Friendly and hip service with a smile at the counter as you make your decision. Despite the throng, the team member took a little time for small talk and personalise the order taking. Time in the queue was an opportunity to decide what to have. After our order was taken, we waited at the side for our turn. Staff hurriedly scooped toppings onto the Moochis and called out customers' names. So organised and systematic; they hardly stumble over each other when there were five the behind the counter, not including the two staff taking orders at the tills. Prompt and happy service. A little pricey but you get something unique and refreshingly delicious. Would try again.

Not another retail bread shop I hear you say. This one is different from the other large franchises - it's family run and you get personal service. From time to time, one of their staff will stand outside and entice you to try a bite sized offering of one of their baked products. We were inducted to this shop in this way and were pleasantly surprised at how neat and tidy the store was. The main island cabinet is all glass and you get a full eyeful of all the goodies on offer. Baked buns, breads and scrolls were all looking so glowing and appetising. We felt we had to try them all. Along each wall, more glass cabinets presented cakes and more buns. They don't bake too many of each variety and we got there in time to purchase some freshly baked egg tarts at 3pm!

They have table settings for customers that wish to have a coffee and bun there and then at the front of the store and at the rear. No need for you to eat your buns whilst being eyed by Bankstown pigeons.

They also do special cake orders for occasions such as birthdays and had an album near the counter, especially for kids with their favourite animated characters in mind.

The baked goods here were cheaper than the other stores and tasted just as good. Most of the buns are under $2 and many are 10 or 20 cents cheaper than the other bread shops. You can't beat egg tarts at 50 cents each! (bulk buy). We would definitely visit them again.

They've changed management since our last review, the customer service is consistent and premises seem better maintained - improvement in cleanliness and general tidiness. As with most GJs, one can taste variations in the coffee, though they've always used GJ's Special Blend. I always drink soy latte and over the past several visits, found them to be inconsistent. However, this is understandable as they have different baristas at different times, even though it looks like they use the same soy milk.

Good customer service, nice clean premises - they're the newest kid on the block when it comes to Vietnamese cuisine and the ubiquitous Pho. They're in a good location on Chapel Road (South), however, this puts them in direct competition with four other Vietnamese eateries within a couple of minutes walk of each other literally. We were here for Sunday lunch (our first time) and the restaurants was not full. There were ample comfortable seating and with elbow room unlike others where seating is a little squeezy. The room was air-conditioned and a welcome climate from the heat, dust and noise. There was ambient music from the TV playing a Vietnamese songstress concert. Service was prompt as expected and friendly. There was a laminated 'specials' colour menu with pictures of dishes often ordered and a printed (or photocopied) black and white stapled paper menu (no pictures). A little odd with the menu presentation but understandable - probably still testing the market and a more permanent menu would be forthcoming. Looked like good value for money as many dishes were around the $10 mark.

The table service was attentive and satisfactory. We were able to quickly place our order - all beef noodle soup - yum! Portion sizes were good and satisfying, although one wonders how different is a small from a large besides the bowl as we didn't see a very obvious portion difference. The beef noodle soup was not the best that these taste buds have experienced but felt home-made - it's nice.

Overall it's good but they haven't won me over yet - perhaps another visit to try other dishes. We shall also see if they have adjusted any of their dishes to win the market - with eateries customers definitely vote with their taste buds (and feet).

We've been here several times over the years and most recently on Sunday for lunch. The standard impression from each visit has been pretty much the same. This is a family run restaurant that doesn't scream for your attention but commanded a prominent spot - an ideal spot to rest from shopping or catch up with friends. The seating and layout is fairly standard and neat, with booth seating and freestanding tables/chairs. Capacity is around 40-50. The decor is a mellow pastel peach colour that exudes conservatism and a bit dated - your 80's mob would feel most at home. Nothing out of the ordinary but highly pragmatic.

Their specialty is pancakes as the name so obviously suggests. The menu has a good variety of pancakes and other foods. We have had many of the different types of pancake meals from the menu and then some other dishes, such as bacon and cheese melts and waffles. Taste factor is good. The pancakes are soft, not doughy or dry. If you order pancakes, they will always bring out maple syrup. The Ranch Style Pancakes large meal is presented with a quirky smiley face (2 eggs for eyes, sausage for mouth, bacon for hair, tomato slices for ears and over 4 pancakes completing the face) - very filling.

The staff is very helpful and prompt but seems so engrossed and busy that they forget to smile. We had 2 different young ladies serve us and they both work very hard, cleaning and serving food, although there were only about 7 groups of customers (taking up only about less than a third of the seating).

Although it's table service, the standard method to pay for your meal is to take your bill to the front counter (which doubles as a barista station). They only accept cash, so you need to allow for around $10-15 per person. The cash only basis saves on a lot of overhead costs but the food isn't economical either, and you'll be hard pressed to find other reasonably priced pancakes nearby.

All in all, generally average with consistent standards and a nice place to stopover on a busy shopping day. To take it to the next level, I'd recommend improving on customer rapport skills and enable alternative payment methods. We would come again.

We can probably say we're fairly regular patrons here. We visited again last night (Thursday) during the tail end of peak meal period and this venue was just under 50% full. We ordered the meal deal again (good value at $46.80). The variety and combinations of dishes one can have with this deal continue to make meal time interesting. We've tried quite a few of the dishes and have come back for our favourites again. They've maintained most of the standards we've come to expect - short wait time, comfortable seating, prompt service. This time around two of our favourite dishes seemed different. We can only suspect a change of chef but stopped short of asking. The flavour of the sizzling beef was a little lacking and the King To Ribs were spiced differently. Don't forget to ask for refills of your hot Chinese tea - it's complimentary.

After hearing all the things about Costco, we manage to make our first trip to the warehouse in Auburn. The carpark entries are either at the front (off Parramatta Road) or via a side road. Entering the carpark (on a Sunday) and you can imagine how busy it is. It is definitely a car park with vehicles moving very slowly or stopped waiting for a spot.
The store entry was either via the long ramp or the hospital size elevators, enough to fit at least 4 trolleys. The thing that hits us first was the smell of cooked food and the queues of people. The signs are so large that you won't miss the prices and what food is on offer. After queuing for the 18" pizza and drinks for 5, the wallet's only about $25 lighter. The humongus pizza feeds a family - the first sign of value to come inside the store. The membership is currently $60 (or $55 if you have a business/ABN) - almost cost of cup of coffee monthly. Members are not just 'members' but immediately awarded the Gold status? The member cards are printed and issued straightaway but they'll need to take your mugshot.

It's strictly members only (and guests) entry to the store and diligently monitored by the entrance 'bouncers' asking, 'Card please'. Cards are flashed in their faces but I'm sure they don't know if the cardholder is the owner of the membership. Make sure you pick up your trolley from the carpark (or you'll have to make another trip down there). The trolleys are huge and perfect if you have twins as the toddler seating holds 2. These are not easy to maneuver and makes me wish that 90% of the people there had been taken through their L's in order to drive the trolleys. I can assure you there were plenty of bingles, due to partly driver, partly the rear wheels are fixed straight (unlike the usual Coles/Woolies/other trolleys). But isn't this the case with most cars?

The warehouse store has very, I mean very high, ceilings with huge white spot lights. I almost needed sunglasses in there. Goods are stacked so high and dwarfing the throngs of people. Goods that are for sale continue to be accessible at the ground floor level of the industrial shelvings. It's no wonder trolleys fill up quickly as you will find mostly bulk buys. Almost all sorts of merchandise you could possibly want in a warehouse buying environment - electronics, food, frozen meats, breads & pastry, fresh vegies (held in a large cool room - brrr!), household products, clothing, books, toys, outdoor needs (I saw a plastic kayak for sale).

Towards the rear of the store, or should I say 'Warehouse', is where the foodstuff is located and there are several food tasting stations in operation. You get to see, buy, taste - what more could one want?

With a trolley-full of goods, we queued at the busy checkouts. Looked like over 20 counters, each one run with precision process - products go on the conveyor, operator scans the product, trolley goes on the other side, another worker stack the goods down into your trolley, you show the member card, pay and off you go - not quite at Grand Prix pitstop speed but systematic.

Pushing the trolley back to the car is hazardous - heavy trolley, reduced maneuverability, many people (and children). The carpark does not have adequate walkways for pedestrians or trolleys so you're weaving in/out of traffic trying to get to your car.

Shopping experience = So-so, it's wholesale what do you expect?
Customer service = Non-existent, workers too busy,
Carpark = Busy, allow time to circle and wait for someone to leave
Value = Not all products are cheaper here, you still need to comparison shop, bulk sizes does not always equal cheaper
Stress free? Not at all, people, people everywhere
Would return? Probably
PROS: Bulk buys - Big/Volume product sizes, some massive savings
CONS: Crowded, long wait time (car park and checkouts)

Definitely Irish feel here - I walked in and got instantly transported to a pub in Ireland! The decor is unmistakable. Large barrels serve as tables with various dining table settings. The street terrace is also the perfect hangout to watch street traffic roll by or a smoko. The various drinks available in the central bar included the ubiquitous Kilkenny and Guinness - try a pint or schooner. Prices are reasonable. Other Australian offerings are also available for those homesick pub goers. We were here for our Melbourne Cup drinks and it undoubtedly has the atmosphere with at least 5 TVs on the races. It was a good visit.