Sumos is a noodle and sushi bar which might make you think it's Japanese, however they also do mee goreng, nasi goreng etc. I've tried a few dishes here: the only real disappointment was the laksa which was rather dilute and not recommended. I actually liked their Kuai Teow even though it's not really the authentic dish I've had in Singapore. Be warned: if you ask for it spicy, it will be, hot as!

What I really like though are the freshly made sushi handrolls. Unlike a lot of typical sushi places, the proportion of fillings to rice is pretty good ie the rolls are not overloaded with rice. They have the usual salmon and tuna rolls, raw and cooked. Also you may find a couple of brown rice rolls depending on what time of day you visit. Other rolls I like are the panko prawn and crispy chicken, however my favourites are the spicy hot tuna rolls. Probably the hottest sushi I've ever eaten, but so tasty! I do like my chilli but don't worry they have ones without chilli too.

Oh those rolls are addictive. I could do with one right now ;-)

Opening Hours
11am - 9pm Sat - Thurs
11am - 9pm Friday

Approximate cost: $2.70 for a spicy tuna roll; hot dishes $10-$12 approx

After visiting the area a few times and seeing no customers in this shop, I did not have high expectations of the food here. However I was pleasantly surprised when I finally decided to give them a go. The batter which coated the fish tasted light and was very crunchy, not heavy at all. The chips were very crispy and not underdone like I find in a lot of places (my pet peeve). My initial impression of the oil they fry it in is that it tastes a bit bland, however this is only my personal preference. I don't think most people would have a problem with it. I'm guessing it's one of those 'healthier' oils, the ones that are bad always taste the best!

Their snack pack for $5.50 is two fish bites, a dim sim, a potato cake and chips. It is enormous, would do me for lunch.

The prices of the fish start at $4.90 for trevally & fish of the day, blue grenadier is $5.20, flake is $5.60. Better value can be had with the value packs. I especially like the fish, chips and salad for $8.50. Next time I will have to try their fish burger for $6.50 which is seasoned grilled fish with lettuce, cheese, tomato and tartare sauce.

I was quite amused today while eating in; a couple of customers came into the shop, but they ended up ordering coffees etc. I was the only one having the food.

This is a further walk from my home than my two regular fish and chipperies but if what I had today is any indication, I will be happy to trek the extra distance.

Approximate cost: $8.50 for fish, chips and salad

Monsieur Truffe is a chocolate café founded by owner Thibault Fregoni, who started with a chocolate stall at the Prahran market. There are now two shops, the original one at Smith street and the second, L'atelier de Monsieur Truffe, at 351 Lygon Street, East Brunswick. After stepping through the beaded curtain at 90 Smith street, you can see the shelves along one side of the cafe stocked with a variety of goodies: Monsieur Truffe chocolate bars, white and dark couverture, neat little bags of chocolate covered almonds, nuts and pralines, chocolate hazelnut spread, chocolate themed books and greeting cards and powdered hot chocolate to take home. It is obvious Monsieur Truffe has a passion for chocolate.

Some say the hot chocolate here is the best in Melbourne. Their 70% House Blend is recommended for a first-time visitor. For those who like it darker an 85% version is available. They serve the hot chocolate in a small Japanese-style cup with a little spoon. It is not an overly huge serving but with quality chocolate a little goes a long way. I find the House Blend extremely satisfying, a smooth rich beverage, neither too bitter nor too sugary, that goes down a treat.

They also serve tea, coffee, pastries and treats such as the plain, almond and chocolate croissants, puddings, and scrumptious looking gluten-free chocolate brownies. I can't help admiring the range of mendiants, disks of chocolate studded with nuts and fruit, in white, milk and dark versions - ideal if you are feeling full and just want a delectable morsel to sample. I tried the dark chocolate version with almonds and it was freshly nutty with a light coating of chocolate, not too overpowering, just a great balance of flavours.

If you find yourself in the vicinity feeling frazzled and tired I would suggest coming in here, sitting down with a hot cuppa and relaxing while the hustle and bustle continues outside.

Highly recommended if you love chocolate as much as I do.

Opening hours
8am - 5pm Monday to Friday
8.30am - 5pm Saturday
9.30am - 5pm Sunday

Approximate cost: $Around $5 for a hot chocolate; around $4 each for the brownies and croissants; $2.70 per mendiant

I lived in Ryde for 15 years and this was my favourite local Chinese takeaway. There were a couple of Chinese restaurants nearby which I tried but did not like at all (one had bad food, the other was too expensive, served too many veggies with barely any meat, and was open at odd hours) so I usually found myself ordering here. Most of the food is fairly typical Chinese takeaway. The quality of the food is variable, mostly okay and nothing too awful, but after numerous takeaways and the occasional eat in there are a few dishes worth trying if you find yourself in this location.

When I needed a bit of BBQ I ordered their roast duck with rice which was not bad. I also liked the egg noodles with seafood and the rice noodles with prawn and egg sauce (one of the more expensive dishes, around $13). My partner and I liked their version of Thai beef salad which is not as fancy as what you'd find in a Thai restaurant but it was good enough. Later on we frequently ordered the beef with rice noodles (braised style but also good dry fried) and the chicken cashew nuts with rice, which were probably two of our most frequent dishes ordered.

However there is one dish above all others that stands out – I've not been able to find it in any restaurant since – the Thai Basil Beef. This is stir fried spicy beef with Thai basil, served with rice. Thai basil is not the sweet basil herb used to make pesto, it is the basil herb with the small leaves which has a different flavour. The first time I ate this dish I could not believe how good it was, it was amazing. We've ordered basil beef in many Thai restaurants since then but the one here has a unique taste which I've not found anywhere else (still looking).

I have to disagree with the previous review about their service. In general the service is quite good, though it can be a bit slow when they're busy. The restaurant is quite spacious but the décor rather basic, which probably explains why most of their business appears to be takeaway/delivery. I liked the fact that it's quiet in the evenings and you can get a meal in here and not have to shout to make yourself heard.

Approximate cost: $12 approx; there are usually lunch specials for cheaper

I'm surprised none of the other reviews have mentioned anything other than pizza! I was in the area and had my usual mid-morning craving for a hash brown but Macca's had none left since it was just after their breakfast menu finished. I walked into Pepperoni's next door and saw they had a whole range of breakfast foods in the front counter: sausages, bacon, grilled tomato, mushrooms and my fave, hash browns. I got some bacon, a hash brown for 90 cents and some mushrooms on the side for $1.50 and I could not finish my meal, it was so big. I could not help but notice that their hash browns were better than Maccas, and much cheaper too.

If the breakfast foods don't look freshly made and have been sitting in the counter for a while, I would recommend an a la carte breakfast. They're very reasonable and good value: bacon and eggs/hash brown and eggs $7.50, double decker pancakes $8.50, eggs benedict $9.50, veggie big breakfast $10.50.

I also noticed some attractive cakes on the side including a white mud, a cheesecake, a tim tam cake and a mars bar cake. Will have to try these next time.

They also do sandwiches, salads, pastas, risottos, burgers and steaks. Oh yes, and the pizzas include a gluten free choice, which I definitely must try next time.

This place is not what I would call flash, but it provides decent food for an honest price. Not what I would expect from its central location - it's opposite Flinders station. I would have expected typically jacked-up prices, so this is a pleasant surprise. Open 24 hours.

Approximate cost: $8 for a typical breakfast; I typically get a few sides for under $5

My partner currently works in the area and this is by far his favourite lunchtime hangout. He has been here on numerous occasions but keeps ordering the same dish nearly every time. It is the Basil Chicken Stir Fry with rice, with fried egg, $10.90. (option without egg is $9.90). Based on his recommendation I've tried it and can vouch for the fact that it is delicious: spicy chicken pieces with plenty of basil stir-fried with vegetables such as green beans and bamboo shoots. I especially like the addition of the egg, which has a crispy base, and contrasts nicely with the rest of the food.

Their lunchtime dish mains are mostly around the $9.90 mark. They do have a lunch special priced around $7 which is usually Massaman Beef. My partner says it's okay but the Basil Chicken is heaps better. We definitely recommend the chicken! If you can't handle chilli, you'd better advise the staff because on some occasions this dish can be pretty hot. (It has been known to vary).

Dishes on the dinner menu are slightly more expensive, typically running at $13.90 to $17.90.

If the weather is good, we recommend dining in their courtyard, which is very pleasant. This is very popular but not overly huge so don't expect a seat at peak times. The main part of the restaurant upstairs I find a little cramped so would recommend the downstairs section if it's open.

Open weekday lunches 12pm to 3pm
Dinner from Sunday to Thursday 5.30pm till 10.30pm
Dinner Friday and Saturday 5.30pm to 11pm

Approximate cost: $10 lunch (approx)

I stumbled in here looking for a mid-morning snack to appease an empty stomach. I tried a fish cocktail which was satisfactory. Would have preferred a somewhat lighter batter but otherwise nothing to complain about. Old fashioned looking place but extremely good value. Flake, Blue Grenadier, Whiting $4.50. I especially like the Blue Grenadier pack: 2 Blue Grenadier and chips for $10.

They do good value bulk packs. 2 flakes, 2 dim sims, 2 potato cakes and chips for $14. 4 flakes, 4 dim sims, 4 potato cakes and chips for $25.

They also do steak sandwiches starting from $4.80, single (from $3.80) and double beef burgers ($7 to $7.50) using lean beef from the local butcher. They do a fish burger, lamb/chicken souvlakis and the usual fried snacks. I noticed fish fingers on the menu which I don't often see, 80c each or 12 for $8.

For an instant coronary, there is the deep fried Mars bar in batter for $1.10. I think I'll pass, but will try the Blue Grenadier special next time I'm around.

Approximate cost: $Lunch Box special Flake+Potato Cake+Chips $6.80

This was my local Lebanese grocery shop until I left Sydney in 2011. I have to agree with the previous review, their bread is absolutely fresh. You can see the breads coming down the conveyer belt and packed into bags, fresh as fresh can be. I came here all the time because I was addicted to their manaeesh (sort of pronounced "manoosh") which is lebanese bread topped with za'atar, it looks like a sort of herbal pizza. When I asked the ladies what was on it, they told me it was sesame seeds, oil, thyme, oregano and sumac. Their manaeesh always sells out quickly so if you want to try it, you'll need to go in the morning.

Their hummus is very popular too. They have a range of specialty groceries available as well as herbs/spices such as za'atar if you're clever enough to make your own manaeesh at home. They also have a range of sweets with several varieties of baklava - I tried their baklava and it was pretty good. But oh, how I miss their manaeesh!

Approximate cost: $1.50 a manaeesh in 2011, hopefully it hasn't got up by much since then

I'm really happy I discovered WOMO. I think it's such a great idea. In the past I've found a couple of really good restaurants which then closed down due to lack of business, which was quite upsetting. Businesses that are good deserve to do well, and sites like these can really help.

WOMO has a good rewards program which I really appreciate. I have received my first card which made me quite excited. Thanks WOMO!!

The only real criticism that I have with the site is that I've discovered a couple of mistakes (not mine) in names/addresses and advised the site that these should be changed, however the mistakes are still there. I'm guessing the staff must be pretty busy however I think it's important that phone numbers and addresses should be correct, so I hope these get fixed up soon.

My major peeve is not with the running of the site, but that some reviewers don't give enough detail, which I find really annoying. Especially when they don't give indications of prices, or go to a restaurant and say they didn't like the food but don't say what dishes they had. Also I don't like reviews such as, "went here last saturday...what a great place...loved it so much...you must come and try...it was so yummy...can't think what to say..." Hello, capital letters, punctuation, please can you use them? It hurts my eyes to look at writing like this, it's like the reviewer couldn't be bothered and wrote off the top of their head. And yes, I do try to give as much relevant information that I can think of in my reviews; I just hope others find them useful. (Sorry for the rant).

However I have come across some great reviews and new ideas and places to try and visit, so I shouldn't really complain too much. Thanks to all the reviewers out there striving to write useful reviews, I'll make sure to give you some compliments soon!

Update: Looks like they are getting around to fixing the mistakes, it's just taking a bit of time.

*The name of this eatery is K & J Chinese Takeaway.

This is one of my Sydney haunts (which I frequented up to 2011) that I miss terribly, a popular takeaway at a busy Eastwood street corner with efficient service and good value food.

They have so many dishes that I always had enormous trouble deciding what to order. I like their chicken ginger shallots with rice, the braised beef with flat rice noodles, the country style noodles (Chinese version of Singapore noodles), poong gong noodles, Fukkien style fried rice and Zhe Chuan stir fried chicken/capsicums with rice. I also tried the salt and pepper pork chop with rice which I'd heard was very popular. I got a surprised look from the staff when I first ordered it, presumably due to me being non-Asian. It was a little heavy on the garlic but I quite enjoyed it.

The most memorable dish that my partner and I have had here has got to be the bitter melon. After ordering the same choices week after week we got adventurous, went out on a limb and tried the bitter melon options, never having eating Asian style bitter melon before. They do beef and bitter melon with black bean sauce, and also have fish (fried or braised) with bitter melon. These dishes are served with rice. We preferred the beef-bitter melon combination but the braised fish is good too. The first couple of times we ordered this the staff were like, “Are you sure, it is bitter,” and we were like, yeah! It may be an acquired taste but if you're looking for something different from the usual Chinese takeaway, you might like this.

Our other standout dish was the seafood fried noodle. In the menu this is actually the thin egg noodles however I prefer wheat-free dishes and asked for rice noodles instead. I was surprised to find out how delicious it was. We've tried both versions of this dish and we preferred the rice noodle option by far.

There are a few tables on the street corner but this really is a takeaway. They don't have any tables inside. Open every day from 11 am to midnight except Sunday when they close at 7 pm.

Approximate cost: $9-$13 for most dishes