We looked at the Hell of the North as a venue for a birthday party. In sampling it, we loved the room but as soon as we mentioned it was an 18th birthday, the waiter lost interest !

The menu was essentially one page of food and 20 pages of drinks which should give an indication of how the type of venue it is. The location is just off Smith street and is a discrete entrance - so a place to go after hours when looking for something a bit different.

The food was a bit eclectic for our group's tastes but I very much enjoyed the buck wheat and beetroot Faro salad. Worth a try !

Approximate cost: $25

Stokers is a little bit different - its not a coffee shop, rather an out of the way place to meet & talk late at night. My view is that its best in the winter when its cold and they have the fire on. Its quite a cozy spot which is remarkable given the main road is centimetres away.

Stokers has been open for years and the pancakes and the warning never change ("mind the plate - its hot"). Coffee is almost a throwback to that stuff in a clear jug they brew. No coffee-machine/celerity barista-moving-with-the-times here !

I've always found the pancakes great - you can see them cooking using ingredients (butter,eggs, flour - who knew?) rather than heating something pre-made at a distribution centre. They have a variety of flavours they accessorise with and so far, all have been pretty good.

The two things I'd suggest need improving - firstly, the interior needs work. Since the old guy sold out a few years ago, no maintenance has been done. The big speakers that made it like a club have been ripped off the wall leaving a comical outline behind. Secondly, if it gets busy, the enthusiastic students (different every night) who provide service just aren't up to managing fluctuating demand. Expect to wait in this situation.

Having said that, what a great place and I'd recommend it for a late-evening snack and chat.

Approximate cost: $12

I've been to Tsuru lots of times and its only because of the Singapore Noodles. Product wise, they are loaded with vegies and I dont feel that heavy stomach after eating there.

At the time of writing, the dish is $10.50 which is OK - I suspect they think they are in the city and can charge those prices but the Noodles are good.

Service wise - well, at least they take the order correctly. Its barely above a grunt so from my experiences, dont expect to build up a relationship. If you are after a completely blank stare and a hand out for money, Tsuru is your place !

Approximate cost: $11

We've eaten and had coffee at the The Dish regularly over many years. One of the best attributes is its consistency - all the products are of a strong standard each time we have visited. For lunch there is a small range of high quality meals. These range from lasagna through to rice and range of chicken/pasta combinations. Its all been good.

I stopped getting coffee from there for a while as they seemed very slow but they've changed over the barista a few times since and is now solid.

This is an anchor for the Eaglemont village which is a great part of the world - surprised its not at least as popular as Maling Road.

Approximate cost: $15

Having been to the public bathing previously, we (couple !) went to the private bath courtesy of a Christmas present voucher.

The bath is a good sized spa in a private setting with a choice of oils. The staff member took the time to run us through the different benefits of each oil and in her words, 'took us on a sensory journey' - probably didnt like that line so much !

I think like the rest of the place, the private bathing room is relaxing and the attention to detail very good. We spent a bit of time in the relaxing rooms outside as well as having coffee and lunch. Our only issue was that we wanted to extend it from half an hour but they couldnt fit us in - on a Thursday morning during winter !

Coffee was excellent and the Vanilla Slice outstanding !
The lunch menu was adequate and food of a restaurant quality. I had the steak sandwich whilst my wife had the seafood pizza. We would both thought our meals were of a very high standard.

Nothing about it was particularly cheap but for a relaxing half day thats a bit more than an hour from Melbourne, it was hard to beat.

Approximate cost: $75

Having never noticed Hibachi before (and thinking I was booking somewhere else !), I had a work lunch there today.

The worst I could say about Hibachi is that the decor is fairly dated/tired. Its a cozy but not crowded layout, with primarily suits having lunch.

The service was attentive and friendly, whilst the food was very good. I had the Sukiyaki Bento set which was both fresh and diverse. It wasnt laden with the usual heavily fried suspects and the Sashimi was great.

It cost about $19-20 per main and had a variety of packaged up meals. A nice find !

Approximate cost: $19

I've been working with Sandro at Red Alligator for the past few months, having used the Personal Training and group class facilities.

Sandro varies the PT sessions which keeps it both interesting and difficult ! His approach is encouraging not drill sergeant that works better for me. The studio has an extensive range of new and well maintained equipment which makes for a pleasant environment.

There are a range of group classes offered and I've tried the boxing - its fair to say I was spent afterwards ! Class started at 6.00am so its not for the faint hearted. They were a mix of male & females with numbers ranging from 4 to 7.

Red Alligator is a great local business which I would recommend!

Approximate cost: $45

Perhaps the expectations of a tradie are so low these days that a prompt call back is considered good service !

Whining aside, Gary called back quickly, came and fixed it promptly and just got on with it. The job was reasonably small so I wasnt sure if I could expect much interest.
I would be happy to use him again.

I gulped a bit when looking at the bill but it covered the travel time to get the parts and I guess, the urgency with which we wanted it fixed.

I found Heidelberg Plumbing on WOMO so am pleased for the recommendation !

Approximate cost: $260

We went with a party of a dozen for dinner. Keeping it brief, it was average - some meals were quite good (seafood linguini) and others not so (very pedestrian burger). The linguini came out about 15 minutes after the others so that suggests they simply forgot until we enquired. Staff were pleasant about it and offered a drink whilst the diner in question waited.

Ambiance wise, it was quite spacious and loud with about 30 TVs lining every available surface.

Two things I thought worth mentioning:
- Inner-city prices so dont expect a bargain
- Not setup for kids

Approximate cost: $20

We have purchased two bikes here in the last twelve months - one from the old shop, one from the new.

The new place is great and the staff really helpful - they dont mind if you test ride it in the shop or even run it up the street.

The owner (cant remember his name !) was very knowledgeable and helped size correctly the bikes for the kids. We didnt feel we were ever being upsold and the insight into getting the right size for the age/growth really helped.

We probably could have bought the bike cheaper over the internet but we felt the expertise provided more than compensated for saving a few bucks and hoping it works out.