"Are we nearly there yet"? I can hear you all saying.
Nearly. Day 10.
And Friday too - time to unwind.
So, how about going out to dinner?
In today's Giveaway I wanted to talk to you about Groupon. And Melbourne Restaurants.
Groupon, is one of the fastest growing companies in the world. It is a deal based website that really is the best way of eliminating the ''FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) which plagues most of us. Well, me anyway.
Let's face it. No matter what city you live in or visit anywhere in the world there are so many options. The choice of what to do and where to go can be overwhelming. Groupon shares deals each day with its members and highlights thrilling experiences that only cost a fraction of what it would cost normally if you went and arranged it yourself. There are savings of up to 70% on attractions and events right across all cities.
I was recently offered a voucher by Groupon to try one of its Melbourne restaurant deals. I love to eat and besides it was an opportunity to try somewhere new and find out how Groupon works.
Melbourne has thousands of restaurants and eating well is very easy here. However, there are so many options and often I take the easy way out and go somewhere familiar that I've been to many times before.
I signed up to Groupon (easy) and then went to check what Restaurant deals there were today. There were nine and they ranged in price from $19 through to $69 (savings of up to 70%).
I decided to try a small Vegetarian Indian Restaurant recently opened in Hawthorne called Only Vegetarian Kitchen which is inspired by India's all vegetarian state Gurjarat.
I bought the deal online and immediately was able to access the voucher. It cost $29 for two for a vegetarian feast (seriously - are you worried for me?). It would normally cost $88.90 so that is a saving of $59.90. Two hundred and eleven vouchers had already been bought by others so I figured it must be ok.
The process was simple and straightforward although there is a lot of small print to read about the terms and conditions set by the restaurant - so be sure to read it before making a purchase. For example, sometimes you cannot make a reservation on a weekend or a specific time.
I rang to make a reservation for tonight and had no problems. I was asked just to text the voucher number and security code (from the voucher) to the restaurant. All too easy.
Only Vegetarian Kitchen is within walking distance to Glenferry train station and easy to get to. It's a small place which is brightly decorated and quite homely. We were greeted on arrival by a very friendly waitress. I handed the waitress the voucher and she accepted it without question.
The restaurant offers a wide variety of vegetarian Indian cuisine. The deal we bought was for an Authentic Vegetarian Indian Feast of entree, unlimited mains, dessert plus lassi. Rather than explain how it would be served the staff seemed to assume we knew. They just bought out the food and we found we had to ask them a lot of questions about what we were eating.
However, the food was very good and it was most definitely authentic. The veggie vindaloo and aloo masala were one of the best I've had. We had two small main dishes but the staff made no mention of any other dishes. We also were not offered a choice of dessert either. The meals were sufficient for us and quite filling but I know that many people may be disappointed that it was not quite the feast they were expecting.
The restaurant also does takeaway and this seemed quite popular with people while we were there. I certainly would get takeaway from them in the future.
It was fun and I will be trying Groupon again to discover more restaurants. My only advice is to make sure that you are very familiar with the contents of the deal and discuss it with the Restaurant staff before the meal is served to make sure everyone knows what is going on.
Overall, I am very happy with my first Groupon experience and will try some more deals.
Now what about you?
_______________________________________________________
GIVEAWAY
Groupon has given a $100 voucher for one of you to win. Now that is exciting and even more so because you get to spend it on any deal you like in the nearest Australian city you live. Shopping, travel, meals, whatever!
TO ENTER
Go to Groupon and choose your city at the top of the page (or Capital City nearest to you) and tell me what deal you would buy (of course it changes daily so it may not be there when you win on 1 December). Submit your entry below.
