A year ago it was very good. You could usually get an appointment for the next day or two and more than once I got seen the same day I phoned. Never waited more than 30 minutes to be seen and usually less than that. The normal fee was $50 before the Medicare rebate, and for that quality of service it was worth every cent. Unfortunately it's not like that anymore. Don't know if they've lost most of their doctors but when my wife rang recently she couldn't get seen for several days. When she went in for the appointment she had a two hour wait before they asked if she could reschedule for two days later, and since it wasn't urgent and she was promised she'd be the first patient seen she agreed. When she went back she was still kept waiting - so much for being seen right away because she was first up. And to add insult to injury the price has gone up to $60. Sixty bucks for a lousy service? We started going there because we were fed up with the usual waits at the bulk billing place we used to use, figuring that if we wanted to be seen right away it was worth paying extra for. The flip side of that is that if the service you have to pay for has deteriorated to the point it's no better and actually not as good as the bulk billing place there's absolutely no point in using it. Like I said, used to be very good, and maybe it will improve again. But for now we're not going to use it again until we hear good feedback about it from someone else.

Approximate cost: $60

Very good food, decent portions, served nice and quick. We thought the quality of the service was pretty good, especially since we were with someone who has coeliac trouble and often needs to explain to restaurant staff about the gluten intolerance. At Groove Train they knew exactly what was gluten free on the menu as soon as we mentioned it, as opposed to some other places we'd been where the staff have tried to bluff through the question. Will certainly eat there again.

Approximate cost: $17

Thought we'd try a different pizza delivery for a change, and we called up Patony Pizza who'd put a menu through the letterbox recently. Wish we hadn't. When I phoned the order in I was told delivery would be in 30-40 minutes. More than an hour later I got fed up with waiting and rang back to chase it. Frankly if I'd had something else to hand I'd have cancelled it at this point. Anyway, I was told that the driver had left a short while before (which would have been some time AFTER the pizzas should have been here) and would be here shortly. Give 'em their due, he arrived 5 minutes after that, but when we got opened the boxes we found that the pizzas had cooled down to more or less room temperature. Shame, because they they'd have been nice if they were still hot. But the bottom line is that it took twice as long as they told me to deliver a couple of cold pizzas, and on that basis I'm chucking the menu in the bin.

Approximate cost: $12

We went out for dinner with friends a couple of weeks ago and at their suggestion tried a Japanese restaurant round the corner from them. I'd passed Wasabi, which is a small BYO place on Clarendon St, a few times and had been meaning to get round to trying it out. Wish I hadn't left it so long. The food was fabulous and the portions generous. We enjoyed the meal enough to grab a copy of the take away menu on the way out. Unfortunately no delivery service, which would make it just about perfect for us when we don't feel like driving for take out food. But next time we want to eat out and stay fairly local Wasabi will be top of the list, and for take away I don't mind picking it up myself if the food's worth it. Can't wait to go back and try something else from the menu.

Approximate cost: $16-$20

It's an online directory of goods and services in and around Melbourne, mainly aimed at migrants and others new to the area. Easy to navigate, kept up to date, easy to suggest new links and of course, free. Worth adding to your favourites if you're going to move to Melbourne.

Approximate cost: $0

Hand car wash and 50s style American diner with old records and US number plates on the walls, and Elvis and Marilyn Monroe on the toilet doors. I went in the first time just for a quick car wash but since the menu looked good decided to have a more thorough clean so we could have something to eat. The food was good and the service excellent. Slightly disappointed to find the car wash guys missed a few bits on the interior, but Misty did say that some were new and it wasn't bad enough to stop me going back. I've used a few different car wash cafes before we moved to Melbourne and Misty's beats the lot hands down - I'd rate the car wash about 7/10 and the diner about a 9.