Located in the busy food court of the Broadway Shopping Centre, if you want a truly top burger, Burger Bun is unbeatable. They're not the cheapest, and they are 'just' a takeaway, but they have fantastic, thick-cut chips with their own special seasoned salt, and the best vegetarian burger anywhere in Sydney, packed with a delicious pumkin and sweet potato pattie, avocado, and aioli.

When my friend took me here for lunch I thought I'd died and gone to food heaven.

I paid about $15 for my lunch, but it was for a MASSIVE burger, chips and drink. I really didn't need those chips, given I barely managed to finish my burger, but it was worth it!

Approximate cost: $15

A popular lunch place for Broadway workers and Sydney Uni students, there's a good reason for the Lansdowne's little restaurant's success--$10 for a drink and steak for lunch? WIN.

When my co-worker suggested we go here for lunch I was a little dubious. It looks a litte seedy from outside, but upstairs it's warm, cosy (even though it's HUGE) and our seat by the window was sunny and comfy. It was really busy, so food took a while to come out, but at such a great price for a hot meal and drink, well worth it.

The noisy little pub downstairs is a great place to catch up for cheap Friday night drinks, and the best thing about The Lansdowne is the total lack of pretension. It's a comfy, good old fashioned pub, selling good old fashioned pub food.

This tiny little Thai takeaway is named for it's proximity to Sydney University--it's right across from the uni and the very pretty Victoria Park.

The food is decent and tasty, but the real appeal here is the price. For less than $10 you can grab a can of drink and generous serving of Pad Thai, Pad See Eaw, curry, or whatever else takes your fancy.

Top tip? Don't eat in. It's cheap and cheerful, sure, but take your plastic container'd lunch across to the park and eat in the sunshine. Unbeatable.

Easyway make my favourite bubble tea (but I know people'll judge me for that :D)

The lower level Parramatta store has to be my favourite. I'm really picky with how I want my tea (not too sweet, with ice, quarter sugar, etc) and the staff were fast, efficient, friendly and actually listened to my order. I've been back dozens of times since, and they've always got it right, and I've never had to wait more than a couple of minutes. Brilliant!

Approximate cost: $6

Simply can't get better priced books. Pretty much anywhere.
With free shipping, Book Depository beats Amazon on price every time (funny, given they're owned by Amazon!), and my orders usually arrive in under 2 weeks (sometimes in less than a week). Pre-orders arrive quickly, and if you DO pre-order books, you usually get them cheaper, too!

It's important to keep in mind you'll be ordering US editions of books, though, so they won't match your local editions if you're buying books in a series, and your money isn't going to support local publishers, either, which leads to higher-priced books if you ever DO want to buy them locally!

I've always had excellent service, though. I've needed to cancel orders, or ask after the status of one, and the staff have always been prompt and helpful.

This MASSIVE indoor climbing gym sits in a centre with a bowling alley, go-karting, and a kid's play area. After a fun day? I'd pick just one. You'll be exhausted.

Offering a huge variety of climbs and generous 13m walls, the Villawood Indoor Climbing Gym has walls for the very newest beginners (and a dedicated kids' area) through to top-roped and lead-climbing walls to challenge the most seasoned professionals.

They've also got caving available--tunnels about 1m x 1m, pitch black, going through the walls. I'm terrified of trying them, but the kids seem to LOVE them, and the not-so-little-kids, who, frankly, I'm just impressed managed not to get stuck. You can purchase glow-sticks to go through them and see a few feet in front of you.

The gym can get very busy, especially Saturdays and Sundays, and certain nights, but it's so large, and so varied, I've never been left waiting for a climb. The staff are friendly, professional, and vigilant for safety. Prices are also fantastic. $20 for equipment hire, your first-time climber lesson, and then you're free to use the gym for as long as it's open. You can climb for a full 12 hours if you don't get too tired, first!

The gym is enormous fun, a new challenge, but just a tip: please, please, please remember not to wear pants you can move in! You will regret those skinny jeans later ;D

This SUPER glitzy hotel sits in a refurbished ex-tiling shop. The outside is nothing to look at. The inside is DAZZLING.

It's loud with a combination of voices and music, and it's busy, though never crowded or unpleasant. Just feels... energetic.

Our team went to lunch here recently on a Wednesday, and it's very nice place for a work lunch, or office drinks. The menu is decent, offering some really tasty options, but not a huge amount of variety. But hey. Pizza. It's hard to go wrong with that, and the place just feels... very SPECIAL to sit in. There are separate areas for dining and those after-work drinks and it's definitely worth a look-in!

Approximate cost: $25

Baby Bunting is like Disneyland for the expecting parent.
Row after row of tiny clothes, massive prams, brightly coloured widgets and whatsits!

I was there on a Thursday night a couple of weeks ago, which seems like it's the pick of the time to go there. The store was quiet, but not dead, and while the staff weren't offering help, they were readily available and friendly. I've been there on a weekend before, and it's been CRAZY busy.

Baby Bunting isn't the cheapest on price, but when I was there, they were running their mid-year catalogue sale, and had some really fantastic deals. I wound up saving $240 on $790 worth of purchases. They also had a fantastic range, so I found it really helpfkul browsing the massive store and figuring out what I actually did and didn't need!

It's a rare person that approaches any kind of medical testing without a little trepidation. I'm certainly no different. So it's been much the case as I've found myself in the busy waiting room of Norwest Medical Imaging 4 times in the last 6 months.

I needn't have worried, of course, but I was given extra reassurance. The first time I was here the staff at NWMI, from the front desk, to the sonographers and doctors were friendly, polite, accommodating and incredibly reassuring. The technician who did my scan talked me through what was happening and made me comfortable, and put up with my nervous babbling with a gracious smile. All my costs, save a third party blood test, were bulk billed., and my results were ready within a couple of hours (and have been every single visit since).

I owe all the staff here a big thank you for their excellent service--and I specifically request referrals to NWMI now. They're a really fantastic imaging centre.

When I rolled my ankle last year (very exciting story: Silly shoes. Outdoor wedding. Uneven surface), I'd never been to a physio before. I've never hurt anything so badly I didn't think it'd heal by itself. Uh... needless to say, this was a new experience. I knew something wasn't quite right.

I booked an appointment with Grant, the practitioner at Hills Elite, and he was fantastic. He explained what I'd done, how to handle it, how to make it best heal, and he did with a smile, calm demeanour, and not an ounce of condescension. I don't have much basis for comparison, but I thought he was well priced, too.

Grant made me comfortable, gave me wonderful advice, and I'm sure he hasn't seen the last of me, given I carry that extra-special gene for 'clumsy'.