sy88

It's a very nice little shop, selling puzzle, board and card games. The service and quality of products cannot be faulted We came here with the intent on finding something we couldn't find at a rival shop. We found it, but it was $33, as opposed to $24 at the other place (which was out of stock).

So they get bonus points for having it in store, but the price difference was quite unreasonable, considering it was the exact same product. Perhaps that is due to the upscale nature of the Royal Arcade, but regardless, a 33% increase on product price is generally too much.

Still, it is a decent little shop, if you want to browse and get ideas for games.

Korean Deep Fried Chicken... that's all you really need to know.

There are only 2 Gami venues in Melbourne, and they are both quite small and often require bookings. We went to the one around the corner from Flagstaff station, which had space (they other one was full). Whilst the place might seem a little ragged, that is part of the charm - you're here to eat fried chicken, not caviar. Of course, they have other stuff as well, like kimchi pancake and topokki (the topokki is actually quite excellent) but you'll come here primarily for the chicken.

They have their chicken in 3 different flavours, and they come family style to share. Each plate is $27-$30 depending on whether you mix and match, but this is more than enough to share amongst a group people. In fact, we shared one $30 plate with a few sides among 4 people, which works out extremely well value-wise per person. Their beer on tap is also pretty good too.

Lastly, I gotta say, whilst somewhat oily and most likely fattening, it's not on the level of your KFCs - so you don't need to feel TOO guilty about your hedonistic pigging-out tendencies here!

I'm actually planning to go again, but make sure you go in a group, as the portions are made to be shared amongst several people. Mmmm, deep-fried goodness...

Secret Recipe is a restaurant and cafe that specializes in fusion Asian and Western cuisine. They also have a great assortment of cakes that are usually displayed right out front, which makes it difficult to ignore sometimes.

I have had the Catch of the Day and the Chicken Parma on two separate, but recent occasions. They were both excellent, the Catch of the Day was a standout, although I'm sure they might change it from time to time. They also advertise their chicken parma in-house as a larger portion, and it sure was filling! I also had one of their curries a while back, which was also great.

The wait staff look and act very professional, which enhanced the overall experience. Overall, very good.

I needed a place around Kew for a one night stay, and the Pathfinder Motel did the trick. It's not a big room, but it has most of the basic amenities that you might require for a short stay. It's also very well positioned and for a one night deal, the price is quite reasonable.

The room didn't have plates and cutlery, but we just went down to the reception, and they got that all sorted out for us thankfully. All in all, very decent for the price you're paying. Just don't expect Hilton style quality and it'll turn out more than adequate.

This place is much better than you'd expect, given its location and comparatively small size. The interior decor is fantastic, the service is top notch (but maybe that's because we got all the attention because it was quiet) and the food was great as well. Perhaps the 'Thai cuisine' is a bit Australianized, but it is still quite tasty nevertheless. We got the Pad Thai and Massaman Curry, and it was very good. Not the best I've ever had, but definitely above average.

T-Man's Pizza is a decent take away pizza and pasta place on the edge of Rowville, verging on Lysterfield.

The pizzas taste great and there's a large variety of choice as well. The pastas used to be exceptional as well, but recently the quality has declined. Furthermore, whilst the service is friendly and welcoming, the time it takes for them to get the food ready is far too long. It takes approximately 20 minutes, verging on half an hour for an order sometimes. When this happens, they offer a free 1.25L drink, which is nice, but I'd rather have my order ready in a reasonable amount of time.

Having said that, T-Man's is located is Lysterfield, where there are few other decent pizza and pasta places, so as an option for someone living in that area, it's not bad.

My friends and I go to Star East Cafe either every week or every second week or so, not because it's great, but instead it's our choice when we can't come to a group consensus.

Having said that, the food is pretty good. It's a Hong Kong style cafe, but doesn't specialize in any one style of food in particular. It has Chinese, Japanese and Western cuisines, as well as fusions of each sort of cuisine. The pricing is very competitive as well, and so it should be, since Glen Waverley is not short on good eateries anyway.

The one problem Star East has is in its mediocre service. The wait staff are constantly hurrying you to order, often do not get the order correct, and generally go around the restaurant with a surly and unapproachable manner. Perhaps this is the 'Hong Kong' style of service, but it shouldn't carry over to Australian service.

Having said that, the service quality doesn't usually deter us from going to Star East, as it is usually an acceptable neutral choice for most people, I suppose.

Captain America's isn't the greatest quality burger joint around, but isn't that the beauty of American food in the first place? The portions are quite large, the food is regular American burgers, steaks and ribs - which is what you'd expect, nothing fancy, plentiful portions and fills you up. I'd recommend the burgers, after all, it is a burger joint. You might need to book for Friday-Sunday nights, as they tend to be quite full at times.

Also, the feel of the place is uniquely American, which is always a plus. Special shout out has to go to their Jaffa milkshake. Where did all the Jaffa flavoured products to anyway?