Surly and Big Sal called this morning to see if I wanted to do lunch with them today at the GrandView, which was one of our fav pubs/beer garden type places years ago. It was a rather classier sort of beer garden with a family friendly sort of atmosphere and you could go and have a fantastic steak or seafood lunch with a beer for around $20 each. I dont know what the hell happened to the place. I probably haven’t been there for about 2 years, and they have doubled the size of the al fresco eating area which is cool but everything has gone dodgy as all hell.

http://www.gvh.com.au/index.html

The menu is about half as diverse as it used to be and is now hideously overpriced. A deep fried seafood basket was $28.00, and a simple Caesar salad was $18.00. Dearer than West End cafe prices. Kids meals were $9.00 and 2 x light beers and a LLB was $16.00. Obviously attracting a lot of the Raby Bay crowd if these prices seem reasonable. They dont even have table service here – you have to queue at a window to place your order.

Anyway, normally you dont mind paying if the food turns out to be fabulous or you feel you’ve received excellent service. Not so today, we waited nearly an hour for our meals – chicken nuggets and chips for Rosie, a chicken Caesar for Big Sal and a seafood basket for Surly and myself to share (we must have had visions of the seafood basked at the Straddie Pub, which for under $20.00 easily feeds two). But when our meals came out, BigSal’s wasnt impressed with her salad, and the seafood platter wasn’t a large meal – but never mind that! The scallops used in it had obvsiouly been frozen (something you only discover after one was consumed and the other half eaten.

Big Sal had a whinge to the management and demanded they refund the meal and complained about the time it took to produce such simple meals when the place seemed half empty and we had turned up before the rush. Will definately not be going back to the GrandView in a hurry – such a shame.

I hate it when you end up feeling ripped off. I mean, we went to the CourtHouse, also down in Cleveland, a couple of weeks ago for dinner, where the meal for four cost $266.00, but the food was excellent, the wine was wonderful, the waitstaff were attentive and friendly – so it felt like money well spent.

http://www.courthouserestaurant.com.au/index_NEWEST.htm
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Big Sal has this thing she’s on about at the moment where you are asked to make a list of the five people you would like to sit with at a boring awards dinner and why…. so here is my list for you!

Top 5 People to Talk to –
Vin Diesel – about anything so long as he doesn’t stop talking
John Cusack – to discuss his filmography – hits followed by puff – something wrong there?!!?
Paris Hilton – to lecture about being an absolute non talented git.
George W Bush – to see if he is as dumb as he looks.
Ethan Hawke – cos he might actually have something to say

Top 5 People To Snog up the Back –
Vin Diesel – so long as he can keep up the saucy conversation
Matt Damon – cos he’s about the right height for me and Scotty wouldn’t know
Dr Nick – this week (but I’m fickle!)
Dita Von Teese – cos I adore her, she’s fabulous
George Clooney – like you need a reason!

Which Major Arcana Tarot Card Are You?

You scored as II – The High Priestess. The High Priestess is a card of intuition, instinct and hidden knowledge. She knows all your secrets, you can hide nothing from her. Yet you will never know the secrets she herself protects.If well aspected in a Tarot spread, this card can indicate the use of intuition to solve problems; trust to your instincts. If badly aspected, it can mean suppression and ignoring of such instincts – following your head at the expense of your heart.