This restaurant, situated along the lovely waterside precinct of Nelson Place, is the best of the ones I've been in.

This is in part due to the location, right across from the leafy Commonwealth Reserve - a park with a band rotunda, and Gem pier, or it might be because of the lovely old former Bank building which it occupies and the gracious features which remain from this such as the panelled doors and big windows.

But putting those two things aside, I think it has a lot to do with the managers/owners of this place. They actually are an Italian family and live the slogan of the place "Eat, love, live Italian" as a fact. There are photos of places of international interest on the walls and photos of people who've come to eat here at their restaurant.

We've had numerous take away pizzas from here and it's always a good night out for a special occasion for all the family as it's not too expensive.

The room is small and there are a lot of tables crammed in, but there are other areas you can go - especially outside on a fine day/night.

Food was very nice - I asked for an addition to my chicken and avocado tortellini and they missed it and put it on my daughter's pizza instead (ham) but other than that, it was tasty and the portions were large.

A very pleasant place to go, and afterwards pop around the corner to the ice cream shop and go for a walk on the pier while you eat it.

Parking is pretty limited and watch out for the metered spots, go around the corner and up a little, the walk is enjoyable anyway.

Approximate cost: $10- 18.00 approx. Under $100 for family of 5

This is more like a warehouse than a shop. It's in a huge building in the Harvey Norman homemaker complex off Old Geelong Rd - watch out turning into it as the traffic is bad along here sometimes.

But it's a great place for a big browse around. They have many aisles organised into the different needs for each group of animals - cats - dogs - small rodents - birds - fish etc.

One wall is devoted entirely to the bulk bags of dry foods from all the best makers - Royal Canin, Eukenuba etc. and although they are pretty pricey, they are in bulk and these brands cost a bit anyway.

There are toys, beds, grooming aids, leads, pest control ... all the products you could imagine wanting for your pet.

Up the back they have cages and runs for sale - most of these are fairly high priced too, but look good quality and are some designs you won't find at other places.

On the back wall are the animal enclosures and they have a small amount of animals for sale - puppies, kittens, rats and mice, guinea pigs and rabbits, fish and birds.

I like to go and look at these sweet babies, but I have mixed feelings about them being for sale in a large shop environment like this.

I went there for guinea pig equipment and was able to buy a lovely "castle" hide away for $12.95 which is a pretty good price. They also had bulk boxes of canned cat food which was not bad either.

The front desk is either side of the door and although the staff here were reasonably helpful, I did not see any of them wandering around the shop to provide any assistance and they looked rather bored.

So, it's a good place to check out the range of things available, but not my favourite place to ultimately do a lot of business.

Vanbar is one of the very few places around which still deal in film and developing photos. Digital is great but there are just some things which require the different options film gives you. Of course it costs a bit more, but there's not much alternative. Rolls of film $8 - 14.

For digital photos they have machines where you can print your own photos. It can take a while, but you can lighten, darken and crop your photos to suit. We recently did a whole lot of our trip photos here and once you know the machine, you can do this fairly quickly - about 17c per print.

They offer a lot of services at this place, and its for professional photographers to get their really top notch equipment from. There are brands from all over the world. Half of the stuff in here is too high tech for me, but it's amazing the range of equipment they have. There is a rental division, a spare parts service, camera sales, darkroom equipment, lighting,cases, tripods and also on-line photo service.

They're open from 8.30 - 5.30 on weekdays and until 5.00 on Saturdays. If you're really into that sort of thing, you can get a VIP membership which entitles you to discounts and monthly specials.

The staff are highly professional and pretty passionate about photography but they're not the kind of people you want to ask how to take a basic photo.

All in all, a pretty amazing place.

Just another $2 shop? Well, yes but one of the best. Tucked away in this busy little street between restaurants and supermarkets is this great little discount shop.

I was desperate for some last minute birthday gifts and found plenty here among the homewares and decorative items - fake bonsai trees which actually look pretty good. They have lots of pet stuff, and a great range of party goods, cards and paper. They also have toys, tools and a few quirky items you might not see at other places.

The lady was kind enough to keep the shop open for me for a few more minutes while I completed my search for that ultimate funny gift item.

Prices very reasonable.

They are set back a little from Anderson St with a big window and lots of bargain buckets of interesting stuff to draw you in. Well worth a look here while you are checking out the other shops in this street or going to the supermarket.

Approximate cost: $Lots of bargains.

When you need a break from shopping and need a snack, there's always a table in Routley's.

There's plenty of room to have prams and strollers next to you as well.

It's not a fancy place and run primarily for food service, it's a good no-nonsense bakery - more in the country town mode of shop. They bake very nice breads and rolls. I find that the yeast type goods are the best - doughnuts, delicious coffee scrolls that are so soft and yummy. They also have caramel slices, jam tarts etc. There is a range of gluten free as well. They also do catering.

They have hot pies/pasties/sausage rolls of various flavours. I like the steak and mushroom.

They also make sandwiches and rolls.

The coffee isn't the best I've ever tasted, but the cappuccinos have plenty of froth on top which the kids like to scoop off.

There are also milkshakes etc.

A large, centrally located shop in the middle of the Douglas Pde shopping area, not fancy but good for a time out or to pick up something to take home.

It's a good thing this place is close to me, since I had to use them twice in the last few months - once for a Chest X-ray and the other was an ultrasound on my ankle and for that, I couldn't drive.

They are situated up Ferguson St, past Detroit Clothing on the corner at the roundabout. It's actually a little bit creepy as this premises once used to be a Funeral Parlour and the white walls and dreary carpet give a slightly off-putting ambience. I would recommend they redecorate.

The waiting room is painfully small - with the reception desk crammed across one corner. There only seems to be one staff member on here at any time so they have to answer phones, sort out your enquiry, print out your info sheet, tell you where to go next ... it's a little hectic sometimes.

But I cannot fault the actual technicians who did the services for me. They were both very kind, caring and attentive to their work, repeating angles to make sure they had a good image. And very reassuring to nervous patients.

One other slight problem is that the changing room is just a cubicle in the corridor and the curtain doesn't go right across. It was back to my skills of changing clothes at the beach under a towel to make sure I wasn't on view to the passing patients.

Then when you check back at the desk, they tell you exactly what's going to happen to your films - either you have to pick them up or they are sent to the doctor.

And the best thing for me, was it was billed in such a way as there was no cost.

So - good bedside manner and professionalism from the people doing the x-rays and ultrasounds, but place needs a facelift and a bigger waiting area with another staff receptionist.

Approximate cost: $Mine was free under Medicare

Believe it or not, just across the square from one Chinese restaurant, is another - Wah Sing. I don't know if they are cousins or not, but their food is definitely different and delicious in its own way.

They have a variety of all the usual Chinese menu foods you like but I find their Special Fried Rice has some sesame oil or something added to it to make it darker in colour and very nice taste.

This is a quicker shop to use as there are the stainless steel serving trays with already made up food in there - Beef and Black Bean, Honey Chicken, Singapore Noodles etc so you can run in here and get some "to go" very quickly. At the end of they day they also pack up a meal with rice or noodles and sell these at a cheaper price.

The steamed dim sims are also very nice - regular or home made but watch out for too much soy sauce.

And they seem to be open later than Tong Sing which is a bonus sometimes.

A little more expensive than the opposition, but good Chinese food. It's a larger shop too, and you can sit at the tables and chairs if you don't have to rush off. Pleasant staff, if anything the lady is a little slower than the man, but very obliging.

Approximate cost: $10 approx.

The guys who run this shop are almost as worth coming for as the fish. They are a zany bunch, all one big extended family. They give me a friendly greeting and ask after my family every time I go in there.

Of course the fish is wonderful, with that smooth, tasty batter I like and just a little crunchy at the edges. Potato cakes are a must here too and they always give me more than I actually ordered. Fried dim sims and corn jacks are cooked to perfection.

My husband has the grilled flake and they're never small apologetic pieces either - nice and big. It's not the batter that makes up the size. Their pieces are good value.

They went through a stage where I didn't like their chips - maybe they changed oil or something, but they're back now to being big and delicious.

Parking in this other main street of Williamstown can be a pain. There's middle of the road parking, but all the shops up in this section are popular so sometimes there's no spots. Go down to the next cross street - Cecil - and park there. It's just a short walk around the corner.

I always come out of here with an armful of good tucker and a smile.

Approximate cost: $10 per person - around $40 family

EVERYTHING for the comic book, sci fi show or memorabilia fan - and I mean everything. If you're into superheroes - Batman, Superman, Green Lantern etc, whether Marvel or DC, this shop has everything you would ever want. There are books, comics, statuettes, calendars ... you name it.

They also cater for Sci fi fans - Doctor Who, Star Trek, Supernatural etc. And TV fans - Scooby Doo and other niche market followers.

Anything that anyone might collect or be a fan of, they've got.

There is also a whole wall of just novels - of all types of fantasy, adventure, the occult and science fiction.

You can spend ages just wandering around. I agree that the staff don't leave the counters much, you have to queue up just to ask a question. But when you do they are quite helpful. Wish I worked here.

I found this shop by accident a couple of years ago and it's been like a mine of treasure ever since. But if it's rare and hard to get then of course you have to pay for it. Some of the TV show novels are same as book shop price - around $15. But some other stuff is very expensive. Depends how bad you want it.

I love getting the calendars and then have envious people ask me where I got them.

It's not obvious from the street. Go along Elizabeth St from Flinders St and there's the entrance with a few glass cases of stuff to entice you in. The shop is down stairs in a basement.
They have cool purple and black shopping bags and you get a buzz from carrying one home if other people recognise it.

For fans of all types and ages - save your pocket money citizens and go.

Approximate cost: $So many items - various prices but on the high end for scarcity.

This shop has the best chicken in the Altona area, without doubt. You can see them cooking fresh before your eyes and the smell is just divine.

They also have delicious chips cooked fresh. Even though they have a stainless steel serving tray with foods kept hot such as potato cakes, they usually make a fresh batch of chips for you. And they are long, crisp and soft in the middle, never soggy at all. But my all time favourite is the scalloped potato - I think I need some right now. Soft and tasty, creamy and cheesy, with a hint of pepper. YUM!

They have a range of salads which are health and tasty and of course you can also buy a whole chicken to take home for the family - around $12 for a beauty.

To tempt you even further are some cakes and slices and some lolly bars. Good range of drinks in the fridge too.

There are tables and chairs to eat "al fresco" in this cute little square.

Only downside is they are often busy, and service can be a little slow. The man who does all the cooking is mostly busy and then the lady takes your order and has to ask him sometimes the prices or what you got.

But overall, a very nice shop with a good range of foods and you can get "dinner boxes" etc of chicken and chips to take away.

Approximate cost: $Under $10 with drink