Elk Espresso is an oasis of quality cafe dining in the pretty desolate desert of the Gold Coast and surrounding areas/beaches. It's on a great street only a block from the beach, and is overlooking an oval, which provides this sense of openness. Plenty of parking, too.

Lots of cheery, bubbly staff who were really attentive and knowledgeable. Menu is pretty small but the options are that good that you don't really notice. I had the pork belly open sandwich and it was YUM. Meals are around the $18-20 mark but they're big and filling, so definitely feel worth it. ALSO, I tried one of their 'Dirty Chai's, which is a coffee/chai hybrid. Sound weird but definitely works, it was delish.

After always despairing about being able to find somewhere to eat when on the coast, I'm so happy to have happened upon Elk. It's incentive to take weekend drives!

Approximate cost: $18

Tall Short Espresso (which a write informs me used to be based out of a kombi van!) now has a permanent location in Paddington which I happened upon last Friday morning. Their shop front opens out onto the street and has a low row of cushions where you can sit and read the paper. With it being a perfect Brisbane winter's morning, it was incredibly enjoyable sitting in the sunshine with a coffee (and the little gingerbread guy that accompanied it!)

Coffee is pretty strong, I went for a double shot which in hindsight was a mistake! With their strong brew you can definitely get away with just the one. But it's good quality and scrumptious. I'm not in Paddington all that often but if you find yourself nearby, I would think you'd be hard pressed to go further than these guys. (Presuming you were only after coffee, they don't do breakies).

Should also say that the service was great. Friendly and welcoming, but were happy to leave me to my own devices while I enjoyed the coffee and read the paper!

Approximate cost: $4

The QA is a fantastic pub located in New Farm, right on James St. We've been here a few times now during the week when they have their 2-4-1 steak, which are incredible value as you get a side (eg. chips, mash) with it too. They have a great atmosphere and a classy looking restaurant, plus the drive through bottleo means it is easy to pick up some drinks to take home with you if need be.

They get pretty busy during big sporting events, as we found out when we went there for the NRL grand final last year, but other than that it's pretty chilled out, which I really like.

Approximate cost: $20

The Villager has a fantastic location in the heart of the CBD, and was conveniently accessible from the North Quay ferry terminal. The venue itself has a great vibe, and they are open all day, from the morning when you can get coffees and breakfast, right through to the evening where they become more of a pub/bar. I had a meal here around 9-10 months ago and I remember it having a great menu, and the salt and pepper calamari was delish.

I returned last week earlier in the morning to grab a coffee after we'd been at the markets. I have to be honest, the coffee was far from the best I've had - it was bitter and weak. But I can't fault the service and it's really nice being able to sit outside and people watch along George St.

Would be happy to go back again, however. I know the food is good and sometimes you just have an unlucky experience with a coffee, so I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Approximate cost: $20

I'm not usually a fan of Mexican food, simply by way of personal preference. Avocado makes me feel yucky! But when a friend suggested we meet for dinner here, I was happy to come along. I'm glad I did because I was pretty happy with my experience here. While it's not the cheapest restaurant, I did get an entree, which was more than adequate, so it means if you don't want to pay for a main, you have other decent sized options.

My fish tacos were divine! Tempura fish, with salsa and mayonnaise. Would definitely get them again! I was also impressed by the drinks menu which has an affordable list of yummy drinks, like margharitas and daiquiris.

They had lots of staff working so we were always looked after well, and the restaurant, despite being downstairs and off the street, was bright and open, as opposed to dingy and overcrowded.

Really liked it - cannot compare to another Mexican place as haven't had much experience in authentic mexican food, but I would have thought these guys are up there. Welcome addition to Hawken Village

Approximate cost: $20

When you find a brilliant and affordable beauty therapist, it's really something you can take for granted, because in reality they are quite hard to come by. This is why I feel lucky to have come across Bronwyn so close to where I live, and not only is it really convenient, she is one of the best therapists I have seen in recent years.

Bronwyn runs her business from home, and has a warm and welcoming home set up. She is friendly and happy to explain everything in detail for you, and we had a great chat while she was doing my waxing. This is really important to me, having someone who is comfortable with a warm personality.

As a university student, I'm always hunting for the most affordable options and Bronwyn is certainly that. On top of her regular prices being significantly lower than any of the chain beauty therapies, she offers 50% of all waxing (except Brazilians, which are capped at $30 - still great value!) on Tuesdays for students.

These lower prices do by no means indicate a lower quality. Both my leg wax and Brazilian were second to none; I can say without a doubt that I'll be coming back to see Bronwyn again. Cannot recommend highly enough.

Approximate cost: $44

Streetbean is a revelation from Albury, a little slice of hipster Melbourne in a quiet residential street. They get their coffee from Axil in Hawthorn, and it is certainly delicious. I had a long black, and it was divine. The decor is bright and trendy, and the staff are friendly and warm. I think they did have a propensity to get flustered; they forgot to get me to pay for my first coffee and mixed up some food orders but for the most part I think these are small errors. I do prefer a coffee place that has a kick-ass breaky menu but Streetbeans pre-made selection of sweets, paninis and fritattas still hits the spot. The ladies I was with loved the roast vegie panini and my fritatta was very yum; remniscent of a fancy zucchini slice!

Definitely one Albury can be proud of. If you're in town, definitely check it out!

Approximate cost: $9

Little Brew is a brother/sister venue of the Brew wine bar in the city, and does much the same thing, however it has more of a cafe vibe rather than the wine bar vibe of it's original.
The decor is really cool and they have a great location on Latrobe. Lots of good coffee and alcohol on offer, and a good tapas menu. We had the arancini balls and trio of dips, which were awesome and I am still in a carb coma as we speak. Amazing.

However, in terms of their 'salads and sangas', the menu directs you to ask the chef/staff. I'm not really into that vibe and I like being able to choose things off a menu but I can't really complain when the food is of such a high quality. I had a pear, walnut and blue cheese salad, and my boyfriend had a sandwich with tomato, pesto, rocket and prosciutto, I think.

Super chilled and super yum, menu is really reasonably priced. Check them out!

Approximate cost: $12

I LOVE Wrapture, it's one of my favourite places to get food in West End. Their wraps are to die for, my favourite is the Faloumi, which has felafel and haloumi, with their salad and yoghurt dressing. They're huge and filling, and great value at $10-11. As mentioned below, they're a fantastic option for vegetarians, and they show you can have filling and tasty food without red meat required.

The other great thing about Wrapture is their drinks menu, they have a wide range of yummy hot chocolates, with flavours like chili, chai, cinnamon etc. I personally liked their original spiced chai which is sweet and hot and tastes exactly how chai should taste in my opinion. They do shut at 2.30pm, which can leave you disappointed if you're after a late lunch (this has happened to me many a time!) but if you remember that and get yourself into gear, you won't have a problem!

Approximate cost: $11

Cafe 117 is a bit of a stalwart on Swan St, and if you haven't been past in the past 12 months or so, you might not recognise it. They've renovated it, and not that their original lay out was poor but they've vastly improved the feel of the cafe in my opinion. They've put in a big communal table, which I love, and opened up some space. Since there were only a few of us in the cafe at the time it did feel a tad empty but I imagine that space would feel just right on a busy weekend morning.

Coffee here is pretty good, but not the best I've had. What's really great here is the Lebanese fusion food, it's brilliant. I had the smashed peas, which is a perennial favourite of mine and I was not disappointed.

Service left a little to be desired but that didn't phase us too much. Our coffees and meals arrived promptly so we were happy campers!

Approximate cost: $18