On a recent trip to the Barossa, we popped into this charming little cafe for a late lunch. Barossa Gourmet Cakes provides an all-day breakfast and a small range of brunch/lunch options, as well as a mouthwatering range of baked goods. The service and atmosphere were top-notch.

Garran Bakery sells a wide range of baked goods. Their lunch offerings are pretty basic, but very good value for money. Their takeaway coffee is a favourite with the local tradies, so you will want to get in early!

I have been using Garran Dry Cleaners for longer than I can remember, after they were recommended by a saleslady. They are truly "Valets for the Fussy Folk" and I won't trust my clothes to anyone else, even though I live at the other side of town!

Little Garran promotes itself as a breakfast and brunch cafe. They offer an enclosed outdoor area with a heater which is ideal on a cold Canberra day.

I thought the menu was a bit on the heavy side, with lots of mayonnaise and chips with everything, but enjoyed my turkey and brie sandwich, which included freshly-sliced green apple. The cost for a coffee and the huge sandwich was only $13.00, which is very good value. The service was friendly and prompt.

A staff member at my local health food store recommended Naked Foods for hard-to-find products.

The store sells a wide range of health foods (mostly organic) as well as cleaning and beauty products in bulk. You can buy as little or as much as you want and bring your own containers, or use the provided paper bags. The bins containing health foods are clearly labelled with allergy information and country of origin.

Highly recommended!

City Edge is located on the ground floor of an apartment complex, so there's not much the proprietors can do about the ambience and it gets pretty draughty in winter.

However, the selection of food and the service is great.

Elemental is a funky little cafe in the hipster heart of Canberra, with a focus on healthy, locally-sourced food. My smashed avocado on toasted sourdough with chunky dukkah was wonderful, and my husband loved his roasted vegetable soup. They provide gluten free and vegan options too.

The service was very prompt and friendly, and the prices very reasonable.

I visited Axis at their new location in Lonsdale Street, Braddon, today, and couldn't be more pleased with my new colour. My stylist immediately understood what I wanted, and provided that extra care and attention to give me a really great result.

All the staff are friendly and helpful and go out of their way to make sure your visit is a great experience. You will need to book ahead, as they are very popular!

The cost is higher than I had been paying at my previous hairdresser, but I think the results are worth it.

We used Dollar Curtains & Blinds recently to refurbish our lounge and bedroom. We were promised delivery in 4-6 weeks, then *after* our order was sent to the factory, we were notified about a problem with our order. After this was rectified, we were promised delivery in a further 4-6 weeks, but after two weeks, were notified that the fabric we wanted was out of stock.

When the installers arrived, the more experienced one left to attend another job — after drilling a hole in our lounge-room wall about two feet below the window to anchor the curtain cord! I wasn't too impressed with this, but my husband was able to shorten the cord, remove the cleat, and plaster over the hole. His colleague was on her first day on the job, and didn't understand how to hang curtains; my husband had to re-hang them. Also, the installers arrived with only the curtains for the lounge and had to return to Mitchell to pick up the curtains for the bedroom.

We are happy with the finished job (after further work by my husband) but wouldn't give Dollar Curtains & Blinds an unqualified recommendation.

Espresso Fix is a convenient little cafe in the industrial suburb of Mitchell, where you can grab a quick takeaway, or have a sit-down coffee and snack inside.

The service is very friendly, and our beverages and snack were great value for money.