Not a restaurant to visit if you are looking for an intimate atmosphere, but the bright lights, tile floor, real cacti and gurgling fountain help set an energetic mood. 

For main course we tried grilled scallops with sweet chilli sauce and crème fraîche, duck breast on braised hijiki and buckwheat noodle salad. The vegetarian in our party declared that the baked globe artichoke, buffalo mozzarella and wild mushrooms with honey-braised blackbeans and wilted spinach simply divine.

For dessert don’t miss their dark ice cream platter (chocolate, coffee and caramel) with cardomom and cherry sauce. It’s not cheap, but if you’re looking for to impress a date of a client you can do no worse.

Nowadays its patrons lean more toward the 2-car, 2.4-children variety. Finger-licking good ribs, juicy burgers and all sorts of comfort food are the mainstay of their menu. There is also a famous “mountain of ice cream” sundae that will quieten down the most hyperactive of children.

Relaxed atmosphere, friendly service and good prices too. A place I can bring a date, out-of-town visitors, and my mom.

For appetizers I had the marinated organic tomatoes with broad beans, sautéed onions and Parmesan croutons dressed in extra virgin oive oil; my date had beef carpaccio that was meltingly good. For mains I had saltimbocca with spinach, Gorgonzola and sultanas; she had spaghetti vongole that was simple yet spendid. For dessert we shared a lime sorbet accompanied by strawberries marinated in spumante and balsamic vinegar.

We’ll absolutely be going back.

Did I mention the shakes already? If you need any reason to visit Mike’s, the shakes does it. Chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, banana … plus fillings like oreos, maltesers, marshmallows, peanut butter or anything you can think of.

If you’re not already filled up with shakes, you have a choice of burgers, ribs, hot dogs, grilled chicken, chicken salad and roasts. Everything is cooked with size in mind, it’s great. 

The second time was also in a group, this time of 6 people. I ordered rare steak and was astounded to be presented with one that was chilled (verging on frozen) inside. I brought it to the attention of the waitress who took it back to the kitchen. Shortly after she took the dish back out to me again and told me that according to the chef it was “normal” for a rare steak to be chilled inside. That’s news to me! What do I know, I only eat rare steak at restaurants quite often.

If I have a choice I will not return to this restaurant, the staff are not helpful and seem to lack the most basic understanding of how food in a restaurant should be served.

Buttery, delicate pastries from the bakery next door are great ways to finish the meal at this popular suburban dining spot.

Willy works the bar — it doesn’t matter who it is, the name tag always say Willy. These Willys have one thing in common: ratty slimeballs, gossipmongers and someone who would sell their grandmother for a fag.

The beers taste watered down, the peanuts were stale and the food menu was a joke. The only item that was available was fries, and these were microwaved, cold and soggy.

There are “special” drinks one can’t get anywhere, which is why Willy’s is able to survive. Once in a while you see a person who looks a bit unusual, be it extra ears or wrinkly skin or bumpy foreheads, and Willy gives them something from those “special” vats behind the bar. It is at that moment that you are grateful for the dim lighting and that you are sitting near the exit.

This restaurant came highly recommended, and we were instantly impressed with the relaxed atmosphere and polite wait staff. The food was delicious and well prepared, the chef seems to have made a real effort in presentation. We ordered beef rolls, frog legs in lime juice (surprisingly good!) and fish cake for appetizer. For main course we shared mekong catfish claypot, breaded soft-shell crab and a hotly named beef-on-the-fire for main course. Everything was served with jasmine rice and an assortment of chilli, fish sauce and fresh lime.

We had several bottles of icy cool Chang beer, which later I found out is from Thailand. For dessert we had the small sago rice puddings wrapped in lotus leaves. Excellent!

We went there expecting Italian food, considering the price and location. When my friend commented that she wasn’t happy with her veal, the waiter offered to cook another dish for her, after the restaurant closed. My salmon was lukewarm and dry. We asked for Sardinian wine and were told that they can’t be expected to stock something that isn’t on the wine list can they.

The waiters seemed more interested in ogling every woman in sight. When they’re not doing that, they were cocky and brash and unpleasant. Appalling service. Lousy food. Don’t waste your time.