Imagine the paired joy and despair when I saw that a pizza restaurant was opening across the road from my house? Especially the day I watched them assemble the beautiful wood-fired pizza oven in the cosy kitchen. Would I ever fix myself a salad again?
Well, duh. Of course. Man cannot live by pizza alone.
But once Terranova opened, I was really pleased. The pizzas are exceptional. My pet hates with pizza are a base that is oily (yuck) or greasy (even yuckier). Terranova's bases are always thin (but not too thin) and crispy, with that lovely, slightly smoky taste that can only be achieved by baking pizzas in a good wood-fired oven. They are not piled high with toppings - they are modest and well put together. My partner says the meat is always excellent quality (I don't eat meat, but the anchovies and prawns I have had there are great). They also go a little easier on the cheese than most, something I appreciate - again, because so many pizzas these days are dripping with cheese and grease. These are really lovely.
Entrees include lovely antipasto platters (try the stuffed peppers). Desserts change a little and always include some lovely fresh gelatos (hmm, mandarin...). There is usually a pasta of some kind on the specials board, but I have never tried one - this really is a pizza restaurant. Walking past, of an evening, the smells will make your mouth water.
Terranova is fully licensed, with very reasonable prices and some perfectly respectable beers and wines, and BYO wine is allowed. Bookings are recommended, especially on Friday and Saturday nights, as the restaurant itself is small, although as most people don't linger too long, small groups and couples don't tend to wait long. Takeaway is the norm (no deliveries).
Pizzas range from $14 - $20, making them a little more expensive than the average takeaway, but well worth it. And as it is a family business, the service can always be counted on to be friendly. Doesn't take long before they will know you as a regular!
Check out the menu at http://terranovapizza.awardspace.com/

Approximate cost: $17/pizza

I often feel like a bit of an ugly duckling - and for me, going to the hairdressers is more scary than going to the dentist. I invariably feel unhappy with the result - even when I have had a good haircut, it never seems to be quite what I wanted and I spend the next few days telling myself "It's only hair...it'll grow back...it's only hair...it'll grow back..."

I say all this to place my rating in context. I have a deep and abiding fear of hairdressers and only the terrible 40 degree heat of the last few weeks finally sent me off to get a haircut.

So imagine my surprise when I walked out of Rising Angel last night feeling totally gorgeous!

Kylie cut my hair - meticulously. Even though we ran quite late and the salon should have been closed, she took her time, checked with me frequently about how happy I was, should we go shorter, etc, and never let me feel I was holding her up.

I have the best haircut I have ever had and have abandoned the temptation to grow my hair long again so that I don't have to keep getting it cut.

The salon has the feel of your best friend's sitting room - art by local talent adorns the walls, the music is great (and not loud, as it can be elsewhere!) and all the staff are friendly. Not "hairdresser friendly", where they ask inane questions they don't want the answers to, but chatty, interesting and interested.

They also do fantastic hair extensions and dreadlocks, using both human hair and synthetic alternatives. They do both "serious" colour and artistic colour; foils, streaks and full head colour. But Rising Angel is not only a hairdressing salon. They also do waxing, piercing (facial, body and intimate) (piercing is half price on Tuesdays), and ear candling. (If you haven't heard of ear candling, it is a traditional Hopi practice which can reduce sinus pain and blockages, ear pain (especially when caused by a build up of wax), and can relieve some headaches. I sometimes use ear candling when autumn and summer sinus pain starts keeping me up at night.)

Rising Angel also has a rewards program, where loyal customers are rewarded with a bottle of wine or a meal for two from time to time. Extended hours on Thursdays and Fridays are great for those of us working nine to five. And coffee, tea or a glass of wine are offered to make you feel downright pampered.

A full head colour, cut and style cost me $140 and it was worth every cent. In general, a short hair cut will cost around $50-60, and you can popinto the salon up to three times between visits to get a tidy up (great news for me. The bottom inch of my hair grows so fast I get Mrs Brady flicks before I can say NOOOOO!!!).

I will never look for another hairdresser as long as I live in Melbourne!

Approximate cost: $60

The Lonely Pets Club offers holiday in-home care for pets, and dog walking services on an ongoing or ad hoc basis. Dog walking starts at $17/30 minutes. Prices for in home care start at about $20 for one or two animals, though public holiday rates apply and can boost the price quickly.

They will put out rubbish bins, bring in your mail, and water plants, and they do have an option to perform these services even if you are not fortunate enough to have a warm, furry friend.

The carers are very professional, but obviously all pretty mad about animals - which matters, when you are missing your little friends!

Approximate cost: $from $20/day

Warwick Thai has two things going for it - and only two. The food is incredible, and it is extremely cheap.

The Pad Thai is quite possibly the best in Melbourne. It comes in vegetable, fish, squid, chicken, pork, and beef, and ranges form $9.50 to $13.50. The satay dishes and chilli basil dishes are also worth a mention.

The prices are so good in fact that if you choose to eat in, there is a $10 minimum spend per person. (Incidentally, if you eat in, especially as a group, you have to book. Friday and Saturday nights are crazy busy, so the earlier the better) But this raises the point - why eat in? The staff are neither especially professional nor especially friendly, and language difficulties can make it hard to order. The ambience is non-existent - the building echoes loudly, meaning even on quieter nights conversation is difficult.

I have given it three stars for an eat-in restaurant. If I was rating it for takeaway, I would give it a five. A Pad Thai will feed two small eaters for less than $10, and as I said, is tastier than any I have tasted elsewhere (especially if I ask for 'very spicy').

Approximate cost: $10-$13

At last, a really good bookshop in Brunswick!

This is a book deli, not a book supermarket - an excellent range of titles, including hard-to-find and independent publishers' titles. Fiction, ecology, the arts, comparitive religion and philosophy, music and film, and some decidedly 'odd' coffee table books dominate the shelves.

There is also a terrific range of comic books - you know, the grown-up kind - a small but well selected variety (think of an antipasto platter of literary genius).

The children's section is a thing of beauty. Such a great, quirky selection.

Brunswick Bound has a gallery upstairs, and they exhibit whatever they like - interested artists should approach the manager for details.

There is also a small selection of handcrafted jewellery and other accessories, CDs and DVDs.

Open 9am - 6pm daily.

The difficulty in describing a meal at Kin lies in the fact that the food is so good that it is impossible to think clearly.

Kin's menu is small, changing with the availability of seasonal produce, and only the best ingredients make an appearance on the plate. The food is allowed to speak for itself - nothing is over-seasoned or over-dressed. The night I ate at Kin the Specials menu included, would you believe it, a "mixed grill". No, not the mixed grill you would see at the RSL. This included duck sausage and goat, among other tasty treats. The meals are smallish, so you can enjoy 3 courses.

My favourite dessert in the world is vanilla panna cotta, so when I saw it on the menu I knew that would be my dessert. I almost wish I didn't. It was perfect. Not too sweet, and with flecks of vanilla seed throughout. I will never be able to east a substandard panna cotta again.

The staff are knowledgeable and skilled, offering fine dining experience which is friendly without being crowding.

The restaurant is on the posh side, and has a price tag to match, so it is definitely a special occasion destination if you are like me (champagne taste and a beer budget). It is well worth it for a splurge. My partner and I had a three course meal, a bottle of wine, champagne to start and dessert wine with, well, dessert, and the bill came to about $250.

Approximate cost: $40

The Retreat has a menu which is both bigger and better than the anticipated pub fare. There is something for everyone: great slabs of steak with beautiful fresh salad and chips, a fisherman's platter big enough to share, parma - both chicken and the herbivore friendly eggplant varieties, and even a gorgeous vegan spaghetti. The 'bar snacks' are great too, Asian platters, nachos, the best Thai style fishcakes outside of Richmond and tasty, tasty dips. Dinner is available from 6pm Mon-Thurs and 5pm Fri-Sun. Lunch is available from noon, Fri-Sun.

The tap beers need mentioning here - As well as the expected draught and light, the Retreat boasts Matilda Bay Brewery's exceptional Bohemian Pilsener and the inimitable Cascade Pale Ale, my personal favourite brew for summer. A surprisingly good range of wines - by the bottle and by the glass - rounds out the bar menu nicely. The main bar runs through the front saloon and the rear dining area (cmplete with a couple of choice video games and yes, an ATM). A second, small bar recently opened in the beer garden, opening when the evening crowd gets bigger.

And while we're on the subject of beer gardens, this is the best one in Brunswick, hands down. For a start, it's huge. A number of large communal tables runs down one side, and the recently installed astroturf is neither cheesy nor water wasting. It's also really comfy to sit on. Two 'rooms' in the back can be booked for functions and parties, making for a much cooler office Christmas party than some stuffy, overpriced set menu at some cheesy club. In the winter, most of the beer garden is warmed by large gas heaters. Most Friday and Saturday nights staff man the BBQ, selling hot dogs to the tipsy.

The staff are friendly, chilled out and knowledgeable, and help to create the overall great atmosphere. There is also live music most Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons.

Approximate cost: $15-$20