Joanne Lee Phin 's Reviews

Possibly the worst customer service I have ever encountered. I have been calling and emailing since March the 16th for a quote and each time I call, I am promised a quote or a call back by a certain day. The day will come and go, and I will then call again to ask for a quote. I understand that there has been management changes recently, but frankly, they need to get on top of this situation or just tell me straight up that they don't want my business.

Still great after all these years. I came here last night with the husband and a friend in order to satisfy a Korean BBQ craving. We ordered a couple of BBQ meats, marinaded beef rib and sweet chilli chicken, as well as the usual favourites - seafood pancake, jap chae (potato noodles) and egg soup.

The seafood pancake came out nice and crispy, and I like that they give you enough dipping sauce. All the food was great, with the only hiccup being that they forgot to give us a charcoal pot for our BBQ meats.

I left my phone there and only realised it when I got to Glebe, but when I called it in a panic, staff reassured me that they had it and I went back to pick it up. Points for honesty!

Great little bakery and cake shop selling asian style bread rolls and cakes. I love the mini fruit tarts here and they are a favourite when catering for events. The tarts are tiny but they look and taste great and are reasonably priced at $10 for a dozen tarts, $5 for six tarts, or $0.90 each.

The most amazing Australian butter you can get your hands on. I love Pepe Saya cultured butter on anything - I eat it like cheese.

Absolutely loved it!

We first tried to get in on a Friday night, but the tiny little room was packed out with people seated along the walls and even standing. We happened to be in the area again on Sunday and popped in for a quick meal before we had to fly back to Sydney.

Dining at sidecar is like sitting around a large kitchen bench with friends, wine in hand. There were 3 seats so some other people moved down to let the 4 of us in. I love the decor, the dark walls and bench, and is how I'd love my own kitchen to look. It was just a two man show, with one guy looking after the drinks and Shae looking after food. She came and talked us through the menu - which changes seasonally - and she really has this gift of taking you on a little journey as she explains the dishes. We got one of almost everything - the dishes are small tapas-styled plates anyway, and we had the pleasure of watching her prepare them in front of us. I was most taken by the sound of the sliced wagyu (I think) and cabbage and the pannacotta dessert, and not surprisingly, they were the two dishes that impressed me the most.

Great spot to catch up with a few friends over a wine and some shared plates.

Still great after all these years. Marigold is a huge restaurant that spans two floors, though I think only one is open on weekdays. The yum cha here is always great, but service varies. The cart ladies are generally pretty friendly and can speak some English, but one of the staff member (they make/set the tables) gave us attitude when we asked for chilli sauce - and then never returned with chilli sauce.

The food is good though - everything we ordered was fantastic. Be careful of the dishes they try to push on to you - they tend to cost a lot more. At the very least, there is price list on the table, which not many other yum cha restaurants provide.

The asian-style egg custard tarts here are the (equal) best I've had in Sydney. The shortcrust pastry is nice and buttery and crumbly, and the custard filling is not overly sweet, eggy, or gelatiney. The prices have gone up over the years (they used to be 80c each and they are now $1 each), but they are still well-priced and just as good. If you are lucky, you might get a freshly baked batch right out of the oven. They are divine!

The Admiral's Loft apartment we stayed in was extremely well equipped and a lot larger than it looked in the photos on their website. We thought we were "slumming it" by not going for the Penthouse and Sub Penthouse style apartments which look absolutely amazing, but we were all blown away by how roomy, clean and modern the apartment was.

It sleeps four and has one bathroom and another toilet downstairs. The kitchen, living and dining areas were large, and the kitchen was equipped with the best of appliances and Le Creuset cast iron cookware. The bathroom upstairs comes equipped with a rainshower and a heated towel rail, both of which were much appreciated after a day out in the cold. Bathroom amenities are by L'occitane, which are great.

We had a slight hiccup on our second day where housekeeping actually left dirty black footprints in the bathroom (the floor was cleaner before they came in to service it) but reception came and took care of it after we asked for assistance. Housekeeping seems to be externally sourced and appears to be the only letdown - when we checked in, the kitchen bin still had rubbish in from the previous stay.

Overall, the apartment was still extremely clean, and I would happily come back for another stay.

They have a range of one and two bedroom apartments and we stayed in a two bedder in Adventure Bay. It's a bit of a drive in from the Neck in Bruny Island, but the view and the area is absolutely beautiful.

The two bedroom cabin is small and very "open" - the front of the cabin is all glass and looks out to the carpark and the trees and the water. It's great but lacks a bit of privacy. The kitchen is a reasonable size and has a small stove, sink, fridge and the necessary amenities.

The living area is small but cosy, as are the bedrooms. One bedroom has a queen or king, and the other has two singles. The bathroom was bigger than expected and the shower pressure was great. I wasn't keen on the Buddha statues on the wall and outside near the recycling, but that's just me.

In the morning, they delivered a fresh loaf of bread, croissants, butter, jam, Vegemite and some homemade fruit and nut bars. Breakfast was absolutely delicious and the croissants were beautifully light and fluffy. We lightly toasted the croissants and bread and had it with some cheese we bought on the island the day before.

The short one night stay was lovely and comfortable, and if not for the incredible winds we experienced during our stay, I would have loved to get outside and enjoy the scenery around Adventure Bay a bit more.

Cute little diner/takeaway with four or five small tables inside. They do offer vegetarian options, but here, it's all about the barbequed meat and hot sauces. I'm not a huge meat eater but I enjoyed it. I found some of the meat was overcooked, but the food in general was really tasty and the staff are extremely friendly. We came on a Friday night and there was a mixed crowd - couples on a date with a bottle of wine, a young family, some people in suits and a large group of people having beers and drinks on one side of the room. When we left, a group of older people took over our table.

Great casual environment. BYO grog and grab a delicious meal on the cheap.