It's tough competition in Melbourne, to have a good breakfast cafe. Kettle Black do a pretty good job. They're amazingly busy, so expect to wait. We waited for 25 minutes and ended up being seated at a table that was empty the whole time, but we had time to kill so that doesn't matter too much. The food was delicious and had the usual mix of interesting grain/ health salad, fresh fruit concoctions with tapioca/ sago/ oats etc, and the assortment of bacon and egg creations. I had a delicious ham hock dish which was fresh and full of flavour. if you're in the area and want to try somewhere hip at the moment, head on over- perfect place to stop after a jog around Albert Park lake.

Approximate cost: $20

I ordered takeaway from here and was quite impressed. They are certainly not cheap when it comes to Japanese takeaway, but are consistently full and raved about so I thought I'd give them a try.
They have the most delicious eggplant dishes, both of which are sweet and soft, and their lightly battered tofu with a tasty clear broth was delicious. I never order tofu and don't really understand it's point, but this turned me! Their Nigiri were also well constructed and tasted wonderfully fresh. I will definitely be back.

Approximate cost: $20

I came here for a work celebration and we had the banquet dinner (about $32 ea, excluding wine- was BYO). It was fantastic! Often when you order the banquet menu you can get less than expected, however Cumin thai were generous and their dishes were delicious. I particularly enjoyed their thai green chicken, which is always a good sign at a thai restaurant, but also their earthy spiced lamb shanks (star anise, cinnamon etc). The staff were really friendly and accommodating, and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole evening. Nice to find some quality thai in the area.

I've been to No Name a couple of times for dinner and had a great experience each time. They are a Greek/ Mediterranean restaurant in the heart of Oakleigh. There is a lovely atmosphere at No Name, with a fireplace keeping it toasty in Winter. Their food is a reasonable price and the servings are huge- you never go hungry! I've eaten a couple of their pasta dishes which have been lovely and well cooked, with a generous amount of sauce. Their pizzas are also lovely, with a thin crispy base. I particularly like their Greek food, and have enjoyed their octopus which was cooked to perfection and was beautiful and tender, and their veal cutlets, also cooked perfectly and with a crispy crumb.
Always busy, this is a great restaurant to meet at with friends, especially in Winter.

Approximate cost: $30

I love Haddon's because it is hugely understated. It's a pretty standard uni cafe- but in a suburb like Hawthorn, you're inundated with hipster joints claiming to have the best coffee, leading to a place like Haddon's getting lost. I found out, after trying all of these places claiming to have amazing coffee, that none met the standard of Haddon's. Not sure what beans they use but they are creamy and not too strong, and on top of this, they don't burn their coffee! It's consistently good quality, and the staff here are soo friendly, always smiling. I go here for my coffee now- always!

Approximate cost: $3

I've been here a couple of times and had a really lovely time. They make a great coffee and have a gorgeous assortment of cakes and snacks- which are really tasty and well made. They have a cute little area at the back of the cafe which is a bit quirky but a little more private if you're having a meeting or just want a bit more space. A nice place to grab some morning tea.

These sorts of places often pop up in Malvern, but this one is of really high quality whilst maintaining fair prices. They have a beautiful range of cakes, slices, and other sweet treats which really hit the spot and are amazingly decadent. Their coffee is also really nice. They also have a nice little range of gifts which is good.

Approximate cost: $5

I must admit I've changed hairdressers a fair bit, never finding one I'm quite happy with. My hair will always come out different to what was asked for, or wayyyy too expensive (having long hair is not always so great)! I've seen Bebe at Millennium hair and she is amazing! As I said, I have long hair which is pretty wavy and full of cowlicks. On top of that I have glasses that mean my fringe usually shoots out in all directions! She cut it perfectly, fitting around my face but a really manageable hairstyle, and also helped me choose a colour that worked really well. She was also that perfect balance of friendly but not overly chatty! Will definitely be going back again and again!

Approximate cost: $100

It's often hard to know where you should go when there are lots of options, and this is definitely the case at the Children's. I love Sandrock for a number of reasons: They have nicer coffee than any other cafe I've tried at the hospital, they have tasty tasty blueberry and cream cheese bagels, they are always friendly, they have loyalty cards so I don't feel so bad for going here ALL the time, it's a good point to meet people at the hospital! All in all it's just a really nice good quality cafe with friendly staff.

The most gorgeous little log cabins, these were perfect for our time in Cradle Mountain, and in our opinion a much nicer stay than in the big chain resorts. They were self-equipped and our only gripe was that we were unaware our cabin did not have an oven (which we had planned on). The cottage website did happen to state that, however we booked through Expedia which didn't mention it. It was okay though, we did have a microwave so made do with that! The staff were very friendly and the cabins were well equipped. We were here in Summer (it reached a scorching 29 degrees!) but I'd love to come back when it's snowing in Winter.