I didn't understand the fuss about self serve frozen yogurt, a craze which seemed to have swept the USA before taking over Australia, until a friend insisted we visit Tutti Frutti at QV one summer afternoon.

I really wasn't sure what to expect. The only frozen yogurt I had ever tried was the Bulla frozen fruit & yogurt out of a tub from the grocery store. I couldn't imagine that chocolate flavoured yogurt was appealing at all. However, I took my friend's word, I helped myself to a cup of chocolate soft serve frozen yogurt. And I will never look back.

Whilst "fro-yo" is a healthier alternative to ice cream, the flavours offered at Tutti Frutti have a similar taste to ice cream. The chocolate and salted caramel flavours are absolutely delicious.

They also offer a range of toppings - lollies, chocolate, yogurt buds, and various different fruits. I added chocolate buds, yogurt buds, and strawberries to my chocolate fro-yo, and it was great.

As Tutti Frutti is self-serve, you pay for your fro-yo creation by weighing it. An reasonable size serving costs between $6-$8 depending on what toppings are added.

While it is expensive, it makes a wonderful summery treat, and I definitely feel less guilty about this than ice cream. I can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can return!

Approximate cost: $6

I have recently become a huge fan of Elle's! As I spend 2 or 3 mornings in the city and I am fussy with breakfast, I was looking for something different and tasty that I could have on-the-go.

Then, by chance, I stumbled across Elle's Natural Ice Cream at Melbourne Central.

As well as having a huge range of delicious ice-cream and some sorbets and frozen yogurts, Elle's offers a huge range of 100% fruit and vegetable juices. You can pick and mix your fruit and vegetables, and the staff put them in the juicer right in front of you. 100% fresh and they taste amazing.

The staff are absolutely wonderful, and always have a smile on their face, making mornings a little more bearable.

Prices are a little high, but for the amazing quality and service you get, I really don't mind. I'll definitely be back! :)

I first visited Harajuku Crepes recently with a friend. The store offers Japanese crepes with a variety of sweet toppings (fruit, cream, ice-cream, Nutella custard, etc.) as well as drinks such as Hershey's Hot Chocolate and Bubble Tea.
When we arrived at the store, my friend's choice for "lunch", I was a little bit reluctant to step inside; It has an open front, styled a little like a patio - chairs covered the majority of the area and left a small gap to walk down to the counter. When we visited, the line stretched from the counter all the way to the front of the shop.
The menu board is printed on the wall alongside where customers were lining up, so we read our options as the line moved forward and decided what we wanted (I liked the sound of the Nutella and Strawberry Hot Crepe, but I wanted to add whipped cream to the crepe, which the staff were happy to do). The lady who took my order was not particularly friendly, she seemed to want to push me aside to serve the next customer as quickly as possible.

After ordering, there was a platform you could stand upon to watch staff cook your crepe fresh for you, and add your toppings, however it was quite crowded and customers there appeared pushy. One by one, receipt numbers were read out for customers to collect crepes; I found that people with numbers for or five after mine were being called out, and I still did not have my crepe. Finally, I noticed what appeared to be my crepe being made.

The staff were generous in applying Nutella to the crepe, but were very light on the strawberries, which was a little bit disappointing. They rolled the crepe up into a cone shape, which was lovely presentation, and then added quite a lot of cream to the top.

I found that the strawberries did not seem fresh, and the nutella and cream drowned them out a bit; I might as well have just ordered a nutella and cream crepe. The actual crepe itself had a wonderful light taste to it.

I would say that for the low price paid, the crepes are somewhat worth the money, however I would rather spend a little more in turn for fresh fruit, and more of it on the crepe. In terms of service, I liked being able to watch all of the crepes being made, however it would have impressed me more if crepes were made in correct order, and if staff had friendlier attitudes.

While my experience at Harajuku Crepes was not the worst, it wasn't a standout experience either. I would consider returning at a less busy time, to try something else, but I am not in any hurry.

Approximate cost: $7

Luna Park in St. Kilda is Melbourne's only real theme park, and although it is somewhat decent, it could do with a great deal of improvement. I would recommend it mainly to those with kids aged 10 and up who haven't been to a theme park before.
As it is on St. Kilda's Esplanade (opposite the Palais Theatre and nearby the St. Kilda beach) there is frequent access via tram and also a great deal of parking available (however it may be hard to park on evenings when the theatre is hosting and event or concert).

Entry to Luna Park is free, however nothing inside is free. Rides cost around $8 each, or an all day ride pass can be purchased (a good idea, especially if you arrive early or plan on staying there or in the area all day).

The rides in the park are rather average - a spinning spider ride, a mad mouse roller coaster, a ferris wheel, bumper cars, and a few things that spin you upside down or sideways if that's your thing. The most popular attractions at the park are undoubtedly the Scenic Railway coaster which runs around the park's border (giving a great view of the beach and surrounding areas, but can be scary when it is windy), and the beautiful antique carousel (perfect for the whole family). There are also sideshow carnival games (such as laughing clowns) which can be played for an additional cost, and a souvenir store which can get quite pricey with items such as character showbags available.

Food available at Luna Park is quite expensive and while not bad, also not great. A family favourite is the curly fries, however they are not really worth the price. I would recommend bringing a lunch from home, or you are welcome to leave the park to purchase food elsewhere; There is a McDonald's across the road.

In terms of service, I've never had a bad experience at the park, however staff are not always readily available. A noteable experience has been buying a single ride pass and the ride operator insisting my friends and I keep our tickets and go on a second ride with the same ticket - a kind gesture which was much appreciated.

Generally I enjoy including Luna Park as part of a bigger trip to St. Kilda, but wouldn't bother with it otherwise. It is great on a summery Sunday, with the beach, and the Esplanade Market also open; Or if you are attending a concert or event at the nearby Palais theatre, it can be fun to stop at Luna Park for a quick ride beforehand.

I have visited Myuna Farm multiple times, both with school groups and alone, and I have always enjoyed my experiences.

While I find Myuna Farm is not as "hands on" as some other farms in Victoria (e.g. there is no opportunity to milk the cows etc), you are given bread on entry to feed the animals, and you can cuddle with the rabbits and guinea pigs in their pen. The farm is also quite large, with a beautiful wetlands area, making it interesting and fun for those of all ages.

Entry is cheap, and "extras" such as the train ride and pony rides are reasonably priced.

As for food, I can't comment as I have always taken a picnic lunch. There are plenty of picnic tables, however I have found when it is busy, it can be hard to get a seat. I would recommend taking a picnic blanket and sitting on the lawn area.

Overall, Myuna Farm makes a great full-day outing which can be educational as well as fun for young children.

The farm also hosts the Doveton Eumemmerring Show in September each year, which is great value for a gold coin entry, and boasts a range of additional fun activities for the day.

I would definitely return, especially for the show.

My family and I have stopped by the Fountain Gate Hotel a few times after shopping trips at the Fountain Gate shopping centre. I have never had a negative experience here, however there is a window of opportunity for improvement.
The bistro area is very nice, kept exceptionally clean, and is definitely family friendly, with special meals and clubs for children. I found the one downside to this, was there is no play area for children, meaning that any restless children were playing games and being noisy out in the main dining area. - Due to this reason, I would recommend it mainly for families with children who are old enough to not become easily bored.

As for the food, it is great. Perhaps not the best bistro style food I have tried, but definitely far from the worst. They are able to accommodate to most, if not all, dietary needs.

Staff were friendly and helpful where necessary.

I found that the only problem with this venue is that it has been quite busy every time I have visited - this means longer waits on food, and on one occasion, not all of our party's food was delivered to the table at the same time - leaving the option of half of the food going cold, or half of the party eating before the other half were delivered their order.

Overall, I have always quite enjoyed my experiences here and if I was in the area, I would likely return.

The Keysborough animal shelter is a very well run shelter and veterinary clinic in a convenient location. They offer a range of services including cat and dog adoption, pet check ups, microchipping and vaccinations, all of which are completed in return for customer donations which go back into running the shelter.

Pets housed at the shelter are kept in facilities which are comfortable and safe for them, and they are cared for exceptionally well by the friendly team of staff (and veterinarians where necessary). Staff are well informed and helpful.

The veterinarian service is especially great, providing well priced services, especially for those in need. I'd definitely return and I would love to adopt from this shelter in the future.

I attended Kid Space as a party guest for a younger family member, and I will definitely keep it in mind as a great recommendation for parents looking for either a fun party idea or a rainy day activity.

Kid Space is an indoor playground which caters for toddlers through to 12 year olds. They offer a basic cafe-style seating area for parents or older siblings to enjoy a coffee and chat while children run around exploring the playground.

For the party, Kid Space supplied a range of snack foods and cordials (and water), followed by a selection of hot food. I found that the range of snacks was limited, and they don't allow you to bring your own food or drinks in, which was slightly disappointing. The hot food provided was clearly all out of a box in the freezer - things like party pies, sausage rolls, and mini pizzas - and hot chips were the only meat free option for children who cannot consume meat for religious or health reasons. We had an ice cream cake brought out for when happy birthday was sung (although we were given the option to supply our own cake) and lolly bags were given out (they weren't very exciting, however the rule against bringing food meant that the birthday child's parents couldn't add to them, slightly disappointing)...
The parents of the birthday child were fairly impressed with the pricing of the party (I believe around $200 for the birthday child and 8 guests). As well as this, guests' parents and older guests were able to stay in the party room and purchase additional food and drinks or supervise.

As for the playground itself, the kids seemed to be enjoying it. The most popular attraction was the 6m tall vertical drop slide - however it required parental permission to go on the slide, which meant party guests whose parents had not stayed for at least the first 20 or so minutes, were unable to take part in this fun.

Overall, it was an enjoyable (though noisy) day, and the kids had fun. I would recommend it to anyone in the area looking for some holiday fun or a birthday venue.

I am a huge fan of Brady Road Pizza. They make amazing pizzas, including my favourite margherita variety!

Pizzas are great value, especially considering the size and quality of the pizza provided. I also love that there is no additional charge to change toppings where need be. This makes it easy for me to make any pizza I like vegetarian.

Staff are friendly and the service provided is great! If I was in the area I'd definitely return

Approximate cost: $8

I love Womo! As a student who works part time to get by, sometimes I can't have everything I want - extras (especially entertainment type extras) are often given a miss so I can save for more important things... I've found WOMO is useful for a number of reasons.

I love that WOMO gives me a chance to review any businesses I may use regularly or on occasion, as well as find useful reviews when looking for specific services or types of facilities in various areas around Victoria and the rest of Australia. This is great for the times when I may be out of town and looking for somewhere to go, or simply when I have some free time and money to try something new.

I also love that WOMO offers the chance to earn vouchers in return for reviewing and reading reviews online. I feel as though I am being somewhat rewarded with extras in exchange for sharing my everyday experiences. This is a great incentive which keeps me returning to the site.

I'll definitely continue to use WOMO.