I was looking for a new hair dresser in the area and decided to try House of Obsidian as they had a special offer. I went to have a hair cut and half head of foils.

The premises are fairly nice and are promising but they were let down by the too loud, depressing music plus also there were no lights on in half the salon making you feel like it wasn't really open or welcoming.

The one hairdresser was running 40 minutes late before she was able to speak with me about my hairstyle and then she disappeared out the back for over 20 minutes to prepare my colour leaving me on my own in the darkish salon.

My half head of foils turned out OK except it was really just part line foils - not a half head as discussed.

My cut which was done by the same woman was an absolute disaster. I am trying to grow my hair out and just wanted a simple neaten up of the ends of my neck length hair. By the time she was done I was left with a micro bob with jagged ends and a random chunk cut out of it on one side... and not in a stylish, edgy way, rather a 'I haven't had any hair styling training' kind of way.

I had to go to another hairdresser to fix the mess I ended up with.

The hairdresser did give me a good head massage with my hair wash but other than that it was the worst hairdresser experience I've ever had. This isn't a case of miss-matched expectations in terms of styling - it was really like she didn't know how to cut hair.

I would love to support a local business and give a positive review but I really can't in this case.

My boyfriend and I have been on the search for a good fish and chip place for a while and after reading good reviews on Womow we decided to give Fish Tank a try. It was very busy when we went and it was a warm night so we had to wait a while to order and to get a table outside. It took about half an hour for us to get food but I guess that's what happens when somewhere is popular. Fish Tank isn't your average fish and chip place... it's set up like a nice cafe and you can get reasonably priced beer, wine and nice salads with your fish and chips. It's more expensive than a fish and chip takeaway but less expensive than a cafe. When you dine in your food is served on plates and the chips come in cute Asian bamboo steamers. They have a great range of fresh seafood and the food is very good. My only complaint is that the fried fish was a bit oily. I'm sure the grilled fish would be very nice and will probably try that next time. Overall a great experience - just don't be in a rush if it's a warm Friday or Saturday night!

You don't expect to get quality in a food court but Jia is pretty good. It's a little cafe on the edge of the food court and has quite a lot of seating. Whenever I need lunch at Chadstone I come here for the dumplings. You get 10 for about $10 and they're amazingly good for a shopping centre. Their other dishes are as you'd expect - the usual Chinese offerings. Noodle dishes and stir-fries. Don't go here for the service - it's pretty brusque.

Approximate cost: $10

This place is very casual and friendly. It's great value - the serves are very big for Nepalese. We over-ordered and couldn't finish everything. The lamb momos are very good and the fish in lime was beautiful. The wine list is very reasonable too (though basic as you'd expect) and it's only $2 corkage. It's not in a happening part of town but makes a good casual dinner out.

Crossfit Melbourne is an awesome PT and group training gym. The only reason I rate service as not amazing because when you first go there's no one really to greet you and it's a bit intimidating. I'm so glad I got past that, because now that I'm a member the service is great! This is probably one of the only gyms where the actually want you to come in. When I don't show up they ask why! But the great thing is, the gym is so good that I always want to show up anyway. They have an $189 monthly membership that entitles you to come to evening group classes. It's great value - there's always one trainer to about every four people so you get lots of attention. Every class is different so you never get bored and it's always challenging. The Crossfit style of fitness focuses around olympic lifting and gymnastics. It's all very basic moves and you get lots of technique training - it is great for fitness and strength.

Mediterraneo does great food and service. It's an amazing experience. I've been back multiple times for the exceptional service. They do a great meat platter and seafood platter, both for two. Be careful, don't fill up on the wedges that come with it as there is plenty of tasty meat! Great for a intimate dinner or for a small group of diners. Watch out for the hot marinated chillis - we nearly died when we accidentally ordered these instead of the sweet marinated chillis.

Approximate cost: $35

The Grill Room (recently renamed Squire's Loft) does great ribs - they are basted and marinated for ridiculous lengths of time and fall off the bone. Yum! The steaks are also great - they all come basted too, so this isn't the place for steak purists who don't want anything on their steak. The ambiance is good for a steak restaurant - it's quite dimly lit. It's very popular for work lunches and is a bit quieter on weekend nights as it's in the middle of no where. The staff are very friendly.

Approximate cost: $35

Kantipur is pretty casual as you'd expect from a Nepalese / Indian Restaurant. The staff are very friendly. The food is good with the usual dishes. I particularly like the chicken tikka. It's always pretty busy but I've never had trouble getting a table.

Approximate cost: $12

Sugo is a great suburban casual Italian restaurant. Being in Malvern is often packed with Mum's and pushers. They have a great assortment of pastas, plus really good Italian Tapas. The rosemary flat bread is excellent too. And coffees are great. It's a good place to stop in at any time for a coffee or a glass of wine. Beware mid afternoon as the kitchen shuts - I've been caught out a few times unable to order food.

Approximate cost: $25

Pierssene is a great bakery and cafe. I love the raspberry and white chocolate brownie and the steak and red wine pie. They also make a fantastic fruit bread and a million other tasty treats. Their baguettes are huge and really tasty - you can pick what you want on them. Enough for two to share or for one very hungry person. They make a nice coffee too. It gets very busy around lunchtime when they have hot food available too like soups.