It was some months ago that I visited this lovely salon, but this is the first opportunity I've had to write about it, & I have to say it is impressive. It's small & quaint, & I was a little surprised at it's location, but it's great. I had a lovely therapist, Bec (I hope that's right) & she was brilliant. She took her time to get to find out about me & then explained every little thing she was going to do, & why she'd selected the products she had, for me.

The whole experience was fantastic. The place was really peaceful with no outside noises, & REALLY clean. The treatment room & towels were spotless.

What I loved most was the finishing touch... a beautiful hand-made chocolate at the end (that was YUM), & then Bec took her time to explain the products again, & gave me some samples to take home.

After a hellish year with illness, which was at it's worst at that time, this was a welocme treat. I highly recommend this establishment.

Approximate cost: $90.00

This is the 2nd time I've been to one of these establishments, & I should've learnt the first time. My first was at the Daylesford spa. This is a very over-rated franchise.

The treatments were ok, but the service poor. I only ended up here because of a gift voucher given to me, & after a hellish year of illness, I was looking forward to a treat.

On booking my 'treat', I was up-sold a facial, at an extra cost, which I didn't mind. Unfortunately, on the day, I was legitimately delayed on my way there because of a booze bus & roadworthy check on the main road, & called them to let them know. In the end I was ONLY 5 mintues late, (if that), but instead of the consultant suggesting we forego or shorten the facial she actually had the gall to drop part of the treatment on the voucher, that my step-daughter had paid good money for & the only thing I was really looking forward to. She didn't even have the sense to actually ask what I'd prefer...remember me...the client?

I don't know if I'm really fussy, but compared to the Ella Bache salon down the road, this facility was actually a little grotty, & for a place focussed on comfort & relaxation, the furniture in the waiting room is really horrible & uncomfortable, & there's nowhere to put your glass of tap water. I had to put it on the floor!!

I think I'll stick with my properly trained massage therapist, where I'm ALWAYS greeted with a smile, & where there's ALWAYS somewhere to put your glass.

Approximate cost: $overpriced

This website has some of the coolest stuff & really cheap. The service is incredible. I ordered a box full of gadgets & goodies on Friday, (yes 4 days ago) & it all arrived on Monday!! (just 3 days later). They also have one main thing that's heavily discounted for 24 hours or until it's gone, whichever comes first, & once it's gone, it's gone. The prices are incredible too.

I also got genuine Rockport shoes for my husband ten days ago for $60 a pair. These are shoes that we've paid over $200 for, both in David Jones & the Rockport shop. So hubby's thrilled with that puchase.

Due to ill-health this year, I've had to rely on the internet for a lot of my Xmas presents, & so far these guys have come up trumps! (I'm still waiting on stuff from a couple of other sites that I ordered 3 weeks ago). I'll definitely keep buying from these guys.

Approximate cost: $cheap

Anthony is a gem. I called him last week with very little notice to quote & then clean up a proverbial jungle here. He quoted on Friday & was back Tuesday to clean it up, & did a fantastic job, not only mowing weeding, & cutting back an overgrown shrub, but cleaned up beautifully afterwards. I feel like I'm living in someone else's house.

I highly recommend Anthony.

Approximate cost: $60

In the words of today's youth, OMG how nice are these people? Hubby & I ate here a few weeks back on a friend's recommendation, & having never been there before, we went with the owner's suggestions. One meal was a little spicy for me, but boy was it good! The premises are tiny & really outdated but there's a kitchy sort of charm about it. It probably only seats about 20 people, but they certainly do a lot of take-away, & it was very busy. Even so, the owners both took some time to chat to us, & they're both really adorable & that level of service can change an average night into an excellent night.

Approximate cost: $20-25

We didn't actually eat here, but we probably NEVER will & I'll tell you why...
Hubby & I just spent the weekend in Daylesford & part of our accommodation extras options included an antipasto platter from this cafe, which I thought "hey what a great idea, we can arrive at our villa, & after a long week, day, & long-ish drive, we could just settle in, open a nice red, & snack at our lesiure", so stupidly, I ordered one.
I have to say, for $45 it was just awful. The salad was limp & some of it, slimy (YUK!!!), with a wedge of Coles brand tasty, (maybe colby?) cheese sitting atop it. I think everything on it came from Coles Deli, which I could've got myself, at half the price & enough of it to actually feed the 2 of us.
Just when we thought it couldn't get any worse, we discovered grilled zucchini placed on top of the Coles smoked salmon...too bad if you don't like smoked salmon.
In the end we ended up at Coles, supplementing what we could salvage from that disastrous & over-priced ANTI-pasto ANTI-platter, with some edible bits from the Deli.
So if this place can't get something as simple as a decent antipasto platter right, what hope have they got with the whole menu?

Approximate cost: $who cares?

After discovering that the place we wanted to eat at didn't open for dinner (on Saturday???); then driving around Ballarat for an hour looking for somewhere to eat (that didn't just serve chinese), we came across the BLC, & pulled in out of desperation more than anything, so weren't expecting much except to satisfy our extreme hunger.
Even though they were booked solid, they accommodated us, albeit in the Bar, but I was impressed immediately because the place was really clean, & didn't have that greasy smell that some of these types of clubs seem to have, (usually because everything is deep-fried, or served with something that's deep-fried).
I had a calamari salad with sweet chilli, lime & coriander dressing, & Hubby had the kangaroo. Being a seasoned foodie, I'll be honest here, I expected the meals to be average, but they were anything but...
My calamari was so tender you could cut it with a spoon, & the salad was so fresh & crispy, with tons of vegies, I'm happy to say (including 6 big pieces of tomato!). My pet hate is when you order salad & you only get one scabby cherry tomato (cut in half to make it look like you got more), but there was nothing of that sort going on here.
Hubby's kangaroo was exactly as he ordered, (rare) & again, you could cut that with a spoon, & that had a perfectly roasted sweet potato with it, mash, & this nice tomato chutney.
No wonder this place was packed, the food was surprisingly good.

Approximate cost: $20

Everything about this place was fantastic! Hubby & I have eaten at some of the best restaurants in Victoria but not enjoyed a meal as much as this. I can't contain my excitement over this place, because everything about it is so unpretentious, with great wholesome, comforting food. I think our experience was heightened by the awesome service, & the kitschy, quirky decor; & to further excite me, my chowder was served on this daggy plate, that took me back to my (wonderful) childhood, 'cause my Mum had the exact same set.

I had prawn chowder, which was SUPERB, with those sweet, perfectly cooked prawns in that velvety, creamy broth, & Hubby had the sensational Manhatten seafood chowder...(better than any bouillabaise I've ever had), which is in a tomato based broth. Both were absolutely faultlesst!
Now that all important cornbread; what can I say? More of a griddle cake, I'd say, & cooked to order; it was SO damn good I had to have a second piece.
What a revelation this place is. I'd happily drive the 150km again just to have a bowl of goodness & a dash of that wonderful service. Hats off to Shane & staff, they're lovely, lovely people :)

Approximate cost: $15? (didn't actually look, sorry)

Fine dining this isn't, but I actually love this place. The food is always consistently good. I'm a casual employee close-by, & don't get much time for lunch, & I'm not a salad or sandwich kinda gal. So when I do get called in to work I just call these lovely people, & they always have my meal ready on arrival, so I can actually relax & enjoy my break & don't go back to work with indigestion. So big, big thumbs up from me!!

Approximate cost: $16-30

What can I say...I'm a Michael Ryan groupie. he was the owner of my original favourite restaurant, Range in Myrtleford, until late 2008. He now owns this gorgeous establishment. I could rattle on & on about the food but the menu was changing the week after we visited, but as an avid foodie, I can assure you, it was spectacular! The food is so creatively put together, but at the same time it seems really simple, because the integrity of the ingredients always shine through. On top of that the service is outstanding. We visited on a very busy Saturday night, but the staff were on the ball & incredibly attentive, even finding the time to have a chat & a laugh with us.
I was so thrilled because not only was my favourite dessert on the menu (the bay-infused creme catalan), but Michael himself served it to me! It was definitely worth the 3 hour drive to eat here. It's just one of those places where the price is so un-important because every little thing about Provenance is faultless.
Everyone should have a fantastic dining experiences at least once in their lifetime, so do your tummies a favour & visit this beautiful place. In fact spend a luxurious weekend there in one of their beautiful suites.

Approximate cost: $20-25 entrees, 35-40 mains