I'm rating this place better than the one in Heidelberg for a few reasons.

Firstly its possible to get in the door to place your order/pick up. Secondly, the lady behind the counter is marginally more friendly than the one at Heidelberg who looks like she has taken one-too-many orders. Thirdly, the hamburgers are better cooked - Heidelberg under-does them and Blue Ocean is ahead on the ingredients.

Plus, the lady who is in charge runs a very tight ship !!

Approximate cost: $10

Our team had Christmas lunch at the Mess Hall and overall, it was a very pleasant experience.

I was unable to make a booking for 8 (minimum booking is 10 people) and they reminded us a few times that there was a group coming at 2.30. However they also advised to come a few minutes earlier and we would be ok - on the balance, all worked out.

We were then very fortunate to have the upstairs room to ourselves. Its a pleasant space with its own bar and not so noisy.

I had the risotto special - a pumpkin & peas dish which was very tasty. Probably not the biggest serve but that left a space for dessert (amply filled with a sticky date pudding). Two of our party had the lasagna and were surprised to get what looked like a vegetarian meal. One drawback here was a fairly limited menu but nobody struggled to find something they liked.

Cost-wise it was about $270 for 8 of us, essentially not drinking.

The lady serving our table was very pleasant and managed our table well - 10/10 in this aspect.

Overall, glad we went and would happily go back.

Approximate cost: $22

Very little royal about this place - chips are average but expensive (lethal combination).

I've also tried the burgers which The Age rated as one of the best in Melbourne (a triumph of marketing) - again, average.

The place also emits a most bizarre, pungent smell which should never be associated with food.

Strictly for the gullible - keep walking.

Approximate cost: $11

There must be more Thai restaurants in Melbourne than there are in Bangkok; its like finding a Starbucks in America - every second shop seems to be one.

Given this, I think the expectations are a little higher than usual.

For me, the highlight is the food (not the decor). I typically go for some variation of a beef dish and have never been disappointed here. The meals arent fatty nor saturated in some indistinguishable sauce - they are fresh, not excessive in quantity and served for eating, not just looking at. Our children often get a variant of the fried rice which somehow finds a balance between healthy (looking) and tasty. It must be how they disguise the vegetables ? The kids do find a counter-balance with the sweets they have available on the counter...

The service is attentive and given that its always full, they co-ordinate the tables effectively. Probably the most difficult thing about Suwan Thai is finding a car park.

Approximate cost: $18-20

There is no value in heading to Max Brenner and ordering the salad - its a chocolate & ice-cream type of place where you'll put on a kilo just paying the bill.

My first time there (post-lunch/dessert treat) , I purchased the waffle and ice-cream option which was drizzled with chocolate. It might have set me back about $15 and 2 years of dieting. I've also bought a pistachio chocolate to take-away and it was fantastic -small and expensive, but I had forgotten all that when I launched into it.

No issues with the service - its a bit slow only on account of it being busy and no real table service.

Well worth a try when looking for a treat.

Approximate cost: $15

We have had family dinners here numerous times and always enjoyed it.

My favourite is the Weiner Schnitzel which is a generous serve and remind me of how my Mother made them (the ultimate compliment).

The staff have always been helpful and friendly, with nothing too much trouble.

There didnt seem to be an extensive kids menu and although they werent made to feel unwelcome, there doesnt seem to be an orientation toward them. A lot of people however, might find that a good thing...

As a brief review, we plan to go back.

Approximate cost: $25

Scintillas is our regular for coffee - Steve is certainly the best Barista in Heidelberg and probably up there more further afield. He is always pleasant, remembers a lot of people's names and their orders.

Beyond that, the staff and owners really arent that friendly. We have been going there for more than 5 years for coffee and the rest of the staff look straight through us. Maybe like the way they do their jobs, we're ghosts ?

We have had breakfast there a few times and its probably quantity over quality. Its not bad and there are a few choices, but its pretty basic.

They have always been polite and welcoming with the kids and unlike some places (we have a few u/10s), we dont feel the daggers of other patrons if noise is made or something spilt.

One last thing - depending upon your view on the world, Scintillas is either noisy or has a lot of atmosphere !

Go for the coffee.

Approximate cost: $18

Like some of the other reviewers, this is our local supermarket.

The quality of the fresh produce is so superior to the local rivals (in particular, Safeway in Heidelberg should take a site visit and write notes) that we dont consider the alternatives.

Staff are friendly to a person, and they know the products in the store. John the Baker is a real character and believe it or not, is still making lamingtons ! I recommend doing the Pepsi challenge on these against the Coles equivalent.

Expect to pay a bit more at the register, but its a quality experience well ahead of the competition.

In short, get the lamingtons.

Our family has been there numerous times given the proximity to home - its a local.

Our experience with the staff has been that they were always pleasant and keen to please - we've found the owner, Jamie, always keen to say hi even if on the move.

I'm no expert in this field but decor wise its not my thing - more African rhythm meets Ikea. But, again, its not my thing.

The feature is the kitchen - a solid menu and having a chef there makes a difference to the quality of the meals. I've had the burger and (separately !) the felafel which were both excellent. Our kids have had the pancakes + raisin toast for breakfast which have been devoured.

Coffee wise, I think it started out a bit rough but have steadily improved and in my view is the best of the cafes in East Ivanhoe. Its strong, so if you dont like it that way, probably best to mention it.

Price-wise, its what you expect to pay in Melbourne in this day and age.

Thumbs up for breakfast, coffee and lunch.

Approximate cost: $12

Our party of 8 family members went to Amigos with a reservation. All that part of it went well and given that its reasonably small, would recommend booking ahead with more than 2 diners.

All up, it was a success. Lots of details to remember:

- portion sizes were huge; I had the sweet potato soup as an entree and with some dips, could have gone home full at that point
- the guacamole dip with the nachos was superb
- dont get the jalapeno peppers added unless you are hard core
- the drinks (mojitos) were excellent
- I had a sizzling beef dish on a bed of mash (yum) - except I was so full it was a struggle to finish
- others on the table had paella which was also well received
- food wise, a hit and a fair variety available. Vegetarian was available on a lot of the dishes and looked appealing.

The menus were a bit odd in that they were photo albums with pages of choices put in. Quite creative but equally painful when they kept falling out.

Staff were a mixed bag. The key person was quite experienced and knew all the dishes. The backup was on their first night there and whilst pleasant and helpful, didnt know the food at all ! The head waitress must have been the backup's opposite - knew the game well but was fairly stern.

I found the room quite loud in a way that didnt promote conversation ( as opposed to a loud but intimate setting) and its pretty expensive.

If the last bit doesn't cause too much concern, I think its well worth a try.

Approximate cost: $28