The food here is good - some of it is very good - but the servings are minuscule. I've eaten here three times. On two occasions I shared one of their sample plates which are supposedly meant for two people (and priced accordingly). I'm not a big eater by any means, but I thought: I could easily have polished a plate off all on my own. The third time I went there, I DID eat one of the share plates all on my own - and I was still hungry afterward.

There were some odd bedfellows cuddled up together on the sample plates, such as charcuterie sharing the plate with Thai-style morsels, but I wouldn't say anything clashed violently, and individually each item was very tasty. Oh, and they do excellent chips. This is food I'd be perfectly happy to eat if it weren't so expensive for the quantity that you get.

Like most things in the Arts Centre precinct - parking, bar snacks, drinks, ice creams - the Curve Bar is vastly overpriced, in my opinion. Check out the prices on their online menu, and keep in mind that the servings are small, even the so-called "platter for two", so you'll probably need to order several dishes in order to feel satisfied. You're paying for the location, the ambience, and the convenience if you're there to see a show. I'd only consider eating at Curve Bar if I were running very late for a show and had no time to eat elsewhere. And even then, it'd still be a risk, because apparently they don't take bookings, so there's no guarantee of getting a table.

On the plus side, the surroundings are pleasant, the couches comfortable, and the staff are conscious that many of their customers are there to see a show and they do their best to serve you very quickly.

If you have very deep pockets, chances are you'll like the Curve Bar. If you're making a once-in-a-blue-moon visit to the Arts Centre to see a blockbuster show, you'll probably just consider it all part of the special occasion, and hang the expense. If you're simply looking for a place to hang out after work, have a drink or two with your friends and maybe nibble on some food, you'll probably also like it; if ambience is important to you, then the Curve Bar certainly delivers.

But if you're a regular visitor to the Arts Centre, as I am, and your food/parking budget is tight, as mine is, and you're looking for a proper pre-theatre meal rather than just something to nibble on, then I suggest you do what I do: allow plenty of time, eat somewhere else in the city or South Melbourne, and catch a tram to the Arts Centre. Even if you don't want to tram it, there are other food options only a short walk away at Southbank or across the road at Fed Square. Even the Script Bar around the corner at the new MTC theatre is better value than the Curve Bar, in my opinion. It doesn't have the same ambience, but it has equally good food (and larger serves) at significantly cheaper prices.

I've eaten here three times, each time before seeing a show in one of the two theatres located in the same building.

That's its main strength, in my opinion: if you're seeing a show at the MTC theatre, the Recital Centre, the Malthouse, or at the Arts Centre, it's very conveniently located. Just tell the staff which theatre you need to be at and at what time, and they'll make sure you're fed and watered and out the door in plenty of time.

The menu is usually appealing, the food is good without being great, and the prices are a little high but not outrageous considering the convenience of the location. Last time I ate there, I ordered the calamari with a citrus salad, and I enjoyed it very much. Calamari is very easy to overcook, but the chef got it exactly right; it was tender and delicious, and the citrus fruit complemented it well.

If I have heaps of time to kill before a show, I prefer to eat in the city, because there are lots of places to choose from where I can get more bang for my buck. But if I've only got an hour before the show, or even less, I'll head straight to Script. I know I'm likely to get a meal I will enjoy, at a price that's not unreasonable. It's not the best value for money you'll ever see, but it easily beats the Curve Bar round the corner at the Arts Centre.

I only discovered WOMO a week ago, but so far I'm very impressed.

For me, I think WOMO will particularly prove its worth when it comes to finding tradies: builders, painters, plumbers, carpenters, electricians, plasterers, and so on. That's an area where I'm completely out of my depth. For years I've been wanting to renovate my house - it's almost in danger of collapsing round my ears if I don't do something soon - but the thought of finding reputable tradespeople, especially builders, has always scared the hell out of me. One hears so many horror stories. I'm relieved to have found WOMO, because it at least gives me a place to start.

For a lot other businesses, I'm not so sure I'll find WOMO quite as useful, but that's just me. Health care professionals? Happy with the ones I've got, thanks. Shops? Nice to hear of ones that are a bit out of the way, but as long as I know they're there, I can go in and browse any time I want. Restaurants? There are already plenty of review sites and blogs to help with choosing a place to eat. But if WOMO can help with finding me a tradie when I need one, it will be worth its weight in gold. And for everything else, I'm still happy to post reviews of my experiences in the hope they'll help other people.

Regarding shops: does it really serve any purpose to have reviews on WOMO of just about every Woolworths and Coles store in Australia? They're supermarkets, for heaven's sake. In all the Woolies and Coles stores I've ever been in, one store is pretty much the same as another. The only supermarkets I've found that tend to vary from one store to another are the smaller ones such as IGA. I suppose it does no harm that the reviews are there; I just can't see the point.

There is one feature I think is lacking on WOMO. I'd like to see some functionality added to enable the reviews WITHIN the one business to be sorted. At the moment, the only sort function available appears to be for businesses within a category. Within any one business, the reviews just appear in reverse date order. I'd like to see some functionality similar to Urbanspoon's, that allows reviews for a business to be sorted by any of four factors: by date, by most positive, most negative, and by a fourth factor that Urbanspoon calls "relevance", which here on WOMO could be made up of a combination of date, trustworthiness of reviewer, number of reviews this person has written, number of "Useful" compliments this review has received, and any other factor the WOMO moderators deem relevant.

For businesses with only a handful of reviews, this sorting doesn't matter, but already there are some businesses with 50 or more reviews. Look at this WOMO page, for instance; it already has 166 reviews, and I'm about to add the 167th. When faced with dozens or even hundreds of reviews of the one business, there are two types of reviews I'm particularly keen to find: (1) longer reviews, that contain a bit of detail; (2) reviews that swim against the tide: the handful of negative reviews sitting in amongst the hundreds of positive ones, or vice versa. At the moment, the only way to find these is to trawl through page after page after page in reverse date order, and that gets pretty tedious; there's only so many times I can read one- or two-line "Great service!" reviews without wanting to scream. An option to sort the reviews would be welcome.

However, no matter how many bells and whistles the WOMO team add to it, it's only ever going to be as good as the user contributions that are made to it. I would second the comments of Reeces below and encourage users to make their reviews as detailed and informative as they can. It's nice to give a pat on the back to a business that you like, and it may be satisfying to give a kick in the behind to one you don't, but if that's all you do, it's really not all that helpful to other people. The main purpose of WOMO as I understand it is to help readers find a business to suit their needs. If all you say is "great service!" or "loved the food!" or "awesome design!" or "amazing hairdresser!", that's nice, but not terribly helpful to others. What was it about the service that made it great? What food did you eat, and why did you love it? In what way was the design awesome? What specifically makes this hairdresser stand out from the others that you've tried? These things matter, because what one person likes will not be the same as what another person likes. It might not even be what the same person wants on two different days. It's nice to know that a business has at least one happy customer, but it doesn't help me decide whether that business is the right one for ME.

To take just one example: for some people, a great hairdresser loves to chat, remembers the names of your kids and your dog, remembers that it's your birthday next week, asks you how Georgie's piano recital and Ashley's hockey game went, asks whether Zac has gotten over his virus yet, wants to know what you'll all be doing on the weekend... For another person, a great hairdresser is one who simply shuts up and cuts their hair; the talkative one would make them run screaming from the salon. There's no one type of service that pleases everybody. The details matter, so if you don't want to provide the details of what you liked or what you didn't, then why are you writing the review at all?

I've been a regular Fishpond customer for just on three years.

I was curious to know just how much I've bought from them, so I logged into my Fishpond account, went back through all my past orders, and added it up. In three years, I have made 12 separate orders, consisting of 132 items, with a total value of nearly $3400. So I think that's a fairly sound basis on which to judge a business.

I was introduced to Fishpond by a friend who knows I buy a lot of books. I was initially reluctant, because one hears of a lot of internet scams. Fishpond? I'd never heard of this mob - how do I know I can trust them? But she assured me that she had been dealing with them for ages, and that they are trustworthy. So I sent off my first order, and I've never regretted it.

On the plus side:

(1) delivery is free for all new books. It used to be free only if you ordered more than a certain dollar amount, but now it's free regardless of the size of your order.

For used books, there is a small delivery charge ($4.99 at time of writing), but that's because used books are sent directly from seller to buyer. Other than putting buyers in touch with sellers, Fishpond has nothing to do with used book transactions, so it's understandable that each seller needs to recoup their postage costs. It's either that, or increase the price of the book.

(2) Fishpond's prices are very competitive. I'm not one of those people who uses Booko to compare the price of every single book I'm seeking to buy, to see which online retailer is cheapest. Unless the book is particularly expensive, I reckon life's too short to spend time haggling over every little cent. But on the occasions I have used Booko to compare prices, Fishpond stacks up well.

(3) They'll send each item as it is ready, rather than waiting until the whole lot are ready. This means that if one of your items is taking a lot longer to ship than the others, it won't hold up the others. Fishpond's items can come from several different sources. Some come via Fishpond's warehouse, some come directly to you from their suppliers. So if you have ordered several items, expect a lot of separate parcels to arrive, at different times.

(4) they give you an estimate of how many days it will be before the item is shipped to you, and generally I have found those time estimates to be short and fairly accurate. I occasionally order books as gifts, but rarely with a delivery date in mind (Christmas, birthday, etc). Rather, I think "so-and-so will like that book," and I order it, and the book can just turn up when it turns up. If it takes several weeks, that's OK with me - but it rarely does. After I submit an order, the first book usually arrives within a few days, and the majority within two weeks. The occasional straggler might take a bit longer.

(5) they send you regular updates of how your order is going, usually emailing you as each item is despatched, or warning you that it might take a little longer than anticipated. I've been very surprised to read other people's reviews saying that they sometimes wait weeks and weeks with nothing arriving and no word from Fishpond as to what the problem is. With one exception, which I'll get to later, that has not been my experience. Moreover, if you are feeling impatient and want to know what's happening with a particular item, all you need do is log into your Fishpond account and use the "Track my order" function. It will tell you exactly what's going on.

(6) they fill orders accurately. So far, I've never been sent the wrong item. I've also never been sent a damaged item and had to send it back.

(7) I've needed to contact Fishpond on three occasions, twice with general complaints and once with a specific query about an item I'd ordered which hadn't arrived. It was easy to find the "Send us an Email" link, and each email was answered very promptly.

On the minus side:

(1) the fact that you receive a lot of separate parcels may be annoying for you if you're not at home to receive them, and the delivery person either won't leave them on your doorstep or you don't want them left on your doorstep in case they get stolen. You'll find yourself regularly coming home to a little card in the letterbox saying there's a parcel to collect at your nearest post office. Once or twice is not too bad, but it can be irritating going back and forth to the post office almost every day. If you think you'd find this annoying, do you have a trusted neighbour who is home most of the day? Ask them if you can change the Fishpond delivery address so that the parcels arrive at their house instead of yours. Offer to do a favour for your neighbour in return - if they're elderly and a bit housebound, can you pick up something from the shops for them? - and you'll probably find they won't mind.

There's no point asking Fishpond not to send the items separately. I already tried that. They can't. As I mentioned earlier, not all items are sent via their warehouse, and even for the ones that are, they don't have the space in their warehouse to accumulate the items in your order and send everything in one hit.

(2) they tend to overpackage things. Whenever my orders from Fishpond begin arriving, my wheelie bin fills up rapidly with a veritable mountain of cardboard. The most egregious example was the time I ordered a thin book that measured 21.5cm by 14cm. It arrived all by itself in a thick cardboard package that measured a whopping 52cm by 38cm. I am not exaggerating. I can understand that Fishpond is anxious to protect the contents of the packages, especially CDs and DVDs, but this is ridiculous. When I complained about this excessive packaging to Fishpond, they said that sometimes the packaging was handled by their suppliers and was therefore out of their control, but that they would pass my complaint on to their own packaging department "for their consideration", whatever that means.

(3) I once ordered an item which I was charged for but never received. It was a used book (which Fishpond sells via a function called "Sell Yours"), the one and only occasion I have ever ordered a used book through Fishpond. When the book had not turned up a full month after Fishpond charged my credit card, I went to the "Track Your Order" section of their website, and it said the book had been "Released to Warehouse". That was not only unhelpful, it was plain wrong, because used books do NOT go through Fishpond's warehouse; they go directly from seller to buyer. I then consulted their FAQ page, and it said (paraphrased): we don't get involved with used book problems; if a used book doesn't arrive, consult the seller directly. But I had no email address for the seller! It wasn't on the order page, nor on the invoice. So I sent an email to Fishpond. They replied promptly, and the following is an extract (comments in square brackets are mine):

"It appears that the seller may have cancelled this item as you were placing the order as there is no record of their email address." [I doubt this is the reason; it would be jolly coincidental for the seller to be cancelling it at EXACTLY the same moment I'm trying to buy it. Rather, I suspect a computer error on Fishpond's part.] "Normally with Sell Yours orders the email address is clearly displayed as advised on our FAQ page. The item does not come through our warehouse. I have passed your feedback on to the relevant department for their consideration. We will get involved with a Sell Yours order if you have emailed the seller and not heard from them. We will email them from there and if they are unable to send the item or we do not hear from them we will cancel the order and refund you for the item plus the $4.99 postage. We will soon be implementing a Seller Rating to give buyers a better choice when purchasing used items. Naturally, the higher the rating the better the seller."

I never did get the seller's email address, or the book, but Fishpond refunded my money promptly. I remain sceptical of their explanation. I am reluctant to buy used books from them again, and I am astonished that my "Track Your Order" page shows, to this very day, that the used book in question STILL has a status of "Released to Warehouse"! You'd think they'd change it to "Cancelled" or something, but it doesn't appear that they're ever going to change it. However, I'm not much bothered. At least I got my money back.

That was my only significant negative experience. It was one item out of well over a hundred, and as I said, it was also the one and only used book. With new items, I have found Fishpond's track record to be excellent. I would recommend them for new books and DVDs without hesitation, and in fact have already done so to more than one person. I see Fishpond are now branching out into other products (toys, games, electronics, bags, beauty products), but I have never ordered any of these so cannot comment on them.

POSTSCRIPT 12 Nov 2011: Seven whole months have gone by since the unsent used book kerfuffle described above, and I finally got sick of staring at its incorrect "Released to Warehouse" status that is making the order look as though it's still outstanding. So I mailed Fishpond. I got a reply less than 12 hours later, apologising for the error, and cancelling the item, so that order is now closed off. In summary: glitches do occur sometimes, but Fishpond makes prompt and diligent attempts to rectify them when you bring them to Fishpond's attention.

I've only visited Chai once so far, but I've tentatively given it a thumbs up.

We arrived at 6:30 on a Friday evening, and the place was about two-thirds full. Water was placed on the table as soon as we sat down, which always gets a big tick from me. We were having a pre-theatre meal, so we needed to be out of there by 7:30 at the absolute latest.

The service did not disappoint. I think the waiter sensed we were in a hurry, although I hadn't said so. She was at my side ready to take our orders the very second I closed the menu. Drinks arrived within a minute of ordering, and meals within ten minutes. We were out the door at the very comfortable time of 7:10. Not bad for a Friday night.

I'm not Asian, so I make no claims for the authenticity or otherwise of Chai's food, as other reviewers have done, on this site and others. All I will say is that it compares favourably with other Malaysian restaurants I've tried.

My seafood curry laksa was an excellent example of the type. The liquid was deliciously coconutty, well balanced by the hot and sour notes of the laksa paste. Sitting on top of the laksa was something that at first sight looked alarmingly like a piece of driftwood, but on careful nibbling turned out to be a large chunk of fried layered beancurd. Underneath was a generous pile of thick and thin noodles, studded with prawns, mussels, fish balls, fish cake, and fried tofu. All was fresh, tasty, and well cooked.

My friend's char siew pork was slightly less successful. The flavour was very good, but the meat was fattier than he would have liked.

He agreed with me, though, that Chai is worth a return visit to try some other things on their menu, preferably on a night when we're not quite so rushed and can order some entrees as well. I'd return solely for the laksa.

UPDATE 14 Nov 2011: Dropped in here again, on a Monday night this time, again for a pre-theatre meal.

I had the seafood laksa again. Just as good as last time. My companion had the black pepper beef and rice, and it was a much more successful dish than the pork he had last time. He said the beef was tender and well cooked, not at all fatty, with a taste that was very peppery and had just a hint of sweetness. He polished the lot off - I didn't even get a taste.

Service was again super fast - in by 6:30, out by 7:10, same as before. Not the place for an intimate, romantic meal, but when I'm in a hurry, and want good, inexpensive food, and friendly service, this place ticks all the boxes.

Over on Urbanspoon, someone said the service here was cold and detached. I haven't experienced that, but then again, I smile at the waiters, pretty much everywhere I go, and they nearly always smile back. If I've eaten at a place before, and loved the meal, I tell them that. I did that tonight at Chai - told them the seafood laksa last time was excellent, and I'd like to order it again, thanks. The waitress positively beamed at me. Not surprisingly, I tend to get good service. Treat service staff well and they'll tend to treat you well - it ain't rocket science.

I've been eating here for years, and I've never had a bad meal, or even an ordinary one. Some have been outstanding. The produce is fresh, seasonal, excellent quality, and cooked with care.

In particular, the desserts are often the highlight of an already very fine meal. Il Vicolo makes the finest creme brulee I've ever eaten anywhere: rich and creamy, wonderful real vanilla bean flavour, and not a trace of graininess.

On a visit earlier this year, I chose a banana semi-freddo with leatherwood honey. I was hesitant to order it, because leatherwood is my least favourite honey; it has a strong, slightly bitter flavour that tends to dominate everything it's added to. But I needn't have worried. The honey was used judiciously, and complemented the banana perfectly.

The prices are not the cheapest, but considering the quality of the produce and the cooking, they're not outrageous either. If you're on a budget, consider the special weekday "Carlton Lunch" menu, which is excellent value: two or three courses from a limited menu, plus a glass of wine, at a special price. I forget exactly how much it was last time I was there, and the website doesn't say, but if I remember correctly the three courses plus wine still came in at less than $30 for the lot.

The serving sizes of the main courses in this special lunch menu are smaller than those in the a la carte menu, but perfectly adequate for most appetites, and if you're like me, you don't want a huge lunch anyway, especially if it's a work day.

Service is attentive without being intrusive. The only thing that annoys me is the waiters' relentless pushing of things to bump up the price - garlic bread, sides, salads, and so on. I can read the menu, thank you; if I wanted those things, I'd have asked for them. But this is a relatively minor criticism.

I've eaten at this place many times, more often than I'd like, because my dining companions like it. I don't know why. About the only thing it has going for it is that the food is cheap, but that's not saying much. You can get better Indonesian food in the Carlton / CBD area for the same price.

The interior of the place is most unusual, possibly unique in Melbourne. It really is a garage; you can park your car along one side, and the dining tables are along the other side. Click on their website link for a photo and you'll see what I mean. But the novelty of the layout wears off quickly, especially in the winter months when Antarctic winds blast through the garage door. And no matter how quirky the room, you can't eat the scenery. It's the food that matters, and the food here is just not up to scratch.

I've roamed all over the menu, and I've yet to find a meal that was more than just barely adequate. The flavours tend to be on the bland side, and they often use cheap, fatty, tough cuts of meat without trimming them properly. On one visit, I finally thought I'd found a dish I liked - the beef rendang. It had a good spicy flavour, and tender meat (although there wasn't much of it). I ordered it again on the next visit - and this time the meat was so fatty and gristly that it was almost inedible.

There are two other things I dislike about Garage. One is the cheap, nasty plastic cups supplied with the tap water. I loathe plastic cups. I don't use them at home, and I don't want to see them when I eat out. To Garage management, if you're reading this review: you wouldn't expect customers to eat off plastic plates or use plastic cutlery. Why, then, do you have plastic cups? Are you really too cheap to supply decent glassware with the tap water?

The other thing I hate is the toilets. Now, my expectations of toilet facilities in the Carlton area are not high - they're often housed in sheds or lean-tos, and are consequently pretty shabby. But I do expect them to be clean. The Garage's toilets are upstairs, and look like they are essentially unchanged in terms of layout and fittings since the days when this place was a working garage or factory. So they'd be fairly grungy even on a good day. But on my most recent visit, they were just plain filthy - and it didn't look like recently deposited filth, either.

That visit was the last straw. I've given the Garage more than a fair go - about eight to ten visits in total, because when my friends ask me to come have a meal with them, I don't like to say no. I'm prepared to put up with a fairly average eating place in order to spend time with my friends. But the quality here has been consistently well below average, and I've had enough. I finally said to my friends: look, I know you all like the Garage. Continue to go there by all means, but count me out from now on.

I've been visiting this practice for many years. Fiona has probably the best bedside manner of any doctor I've ever met. Warm, friendly, caring, very easy to talk to, never judgmental.

Found their one-size-fits-all approach completely inappropriate for my needs and their "computer says noooooo" attitude frustrating. Eventually went to a competitor.

This is a place you hope you never need to visit. I've visited it once, and I hope I never have to go back. Yet it gets my highest rating.

It's an emergency vet clinic, and it's open all night and all weekend when your usual vet is closed. It's not a replacement for your local vet, because they don't do routine stuff here, such as vaccinations and sterilisations. It's an adjunct to your local vet.

If you're not sure whether your situation is an emergency, phone first and ask. They'll let you know whether your animal's problem can wait for a consultation at your local vet the next day, or whether you should come straight in. In fact, they recommend that you phone anyway. They don't make appointments - because they deal only with emergencies, they treat their patients in order of need, not in order of appointment time. However, they like to know you're on your way; I presume it's to assist with triage and to assemble whatever staff and equipment they might need to treat your pet as quickly as possible.

I discovered their existence when I picked up a leaflet from my local vet. I never thought I'd need it, but I took the leaflet home and stuck it on the fridge anyway. Can't hurt to keep it handy, I thought.

Within a few months I needed their services. Late one Saturday night my cat was unable to pee. He was going back and forth to his tray, squatting, whimpering in distress, but unable to produce anything.

I knew this was a medical emergency: apart from being excruciating, a blocked urethra can lead to irreversible kidney failure and death. After a moment's panic - it's 11pm Saturday night, where am I going to find a vet at this hour! - I remembered the leaflet on the fridge, and I phoned the clinic. Yes, it's an emergency, they said: you did the right thing by not waiting. Come straight over.

They anaesthetised my cat, put in a catheter to clear the blockage and drain the urine, and then monitored him for more than 24 hours to make sure he was passing clear urine after removing the catheter. They also took cultures to try and determine the cause of the blockage, and after he was discharged, they sent all of this information to my local vet so that my cat could receive follow-up treatment. They were absolutely professional, very skilled and gentle and caring with my cat, and they carefully explained to me the likely costs of the treatment before seeking approval to go ahead.

It's not cheap - I didn't get much change out of $1300 - but it was worth it because these vets saved my cat's life. He's now well and happy, albeit fairly bored with his dull prescription diet (Hill's C/D) that is designed to prevent crystals forming in his urine and again blocking his urethra.

He had one minor blockage six weeks after the first, during the transition period to the new diet, when I was still mixing it with his regular food to get him used to the taste. Fortunately, this second emergency happened during working hours, so my local vet was able to treat it. Fortunately, too, my cat produced some urine (albeit gritty with crystals, and bloodstained) immediately on arrival at the vet, so the blockage wasn't total and catheterisation wasn't necessary after all. Less trauma for him, less expense for me. Immediately after that, I switched my cat to a 100% C/D diet. Since then he has been symptom free, and regular urine tests performed by my local vet show that he is in excellent shape.

With luck, there won't be any further emergencies, but it's reassuring to know that if there are, there is an excellent vet not far away who can help, even if it's in the middle of the night, even if it's a Sunday, even if it's Christmas Day or Good Friday. That peace of mind is very important to me.

If you live anywhere near Essendon Airport, and you have pets, and you don't already know of a 24-hour vet, then I urge you to note down the details of this clinic and stick them on the fridge or on the wall near the phone.

Along with the phone number, make sure you include a map or some clear instructions on how to get there, because you don't want to be faffing around trying to find the clinic late at night when you have an animal screaming in pain in the back of the car. It's at Melway 16 C8, and if you have a recent edition of the Melway, the vet clinic is actually marked on the map. If not: enter the airport via the Matthews Avenue entrance on the west side, drive straight ahead down English St to its end, and turn right. The vet clinic is located in the main passenger terminal. Note that it's nowhere near the DFO Homemaker Centre complex on the south side of the airport; do NOT enter via the airport's south entrance. Stay on the freeway and go round to the Matthews Avenue side.

Approximate cost: $1274