Food is great, prompt service and inexpensive. Not a lot of personality in the decor, but it has new owners so this could change. They have just started doing breakfast on the weekends - cheap and good!

Approximate cost: $18

Tomomi is just a little local Japanese restaurant in Kew - but it is definitely worth visiting. I drive out of my way to get the California Rolls from Tomomi whenever I can make the excuse to drive to Kew! Beautiful food - and fast. They also do a lunch special for hand rolls ($2). If only I worked nearby...

A great business who are able to do all kinds of signage!! I have used them for professional satin-banners, vinyl window graphics, digital printing and pull up banners - but they also do car graphics, A boards, lightboxes... Any kind of sign you can think up, these guys can create promptly and professionally! Fantastic quality, and not cheap nor expensive. You get exactly what you pay for, and they will always make suggestions around your $$.

For brides who want a large range of styles and designers, great assistance and excellent prices - Brides of Melbourne is for you! Forget the rude assistants in some bridal stores, BOM staff are helpful and friendly and really go the extra mile. They also have evening events to meet many of Australia's leading designers.

This beautiful spa is perfect for anyone who wants a quick eyelash tint, massage, or waxing treatment. The staff are fabulously friendly and extremely professional - and of course you can have a drink after in one of the cafes of bars that have opened in Yarra's Edge!

This newly renovated pub in Footscray is more "bistro" than "pub". It still offers great pub fare (fantastic woodfire pizza!) and is family friendly.

Approximate cost: $15

This little gem of a cafe is a place you'll visit once and then become a regular! Very casual with great breakfast & lunch food (including tapas-style dishes) and even "home cooked" takeaway meals. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for a lovely breakfast out with friends, without combating the crowds and tourists in the New Quay area of Docklands.

Approximate cost: $15

If you like little specialty bookstores, this one is fab! It often stocks a local publication on the history of Footscray & Yarraville, and also has some really unique books that the major stores don't carry. It's a bookstore like I remember from my childhood, before the Mega-Stores opened.

These guys have some of the best Gyoza around! Great sushi, fantastic Japanese style curries and a stunning Sake bar for people (like me) who like to complete the total Japanese experience. Being away from the "New Quay" area of Docklands also means there are a lot less crowds - so better service.

Approximate cost: $15-20

If you are after the best steaks in Melbourne, this is your place! Absolutely fantastic service, a wine list to photocopy and replicate at home, the best ribs in (or outside) of Texas and the Best Long Island Iced Tea cocktail in Melbourne. Great service and fabulous food every single visit!

Approximate cost: $30-45