Giovanni's hair design is a small salon on the main street of Carnegie. It offers a seniors discount on a certain day of the week and their charges overall are very reasonable. Also, a blow wave is not mandatory at the end of your cut, if you don't want it or don't want to pay for it, they won't do it. They are open six days of the week and are very accessible, parking is available all around the local area. The venue is well presented and modern and magazines are of course provided. The waiting area is very comfortable and there is a place to leave your coats so they don't end up getting hair all over them. The staff are very friendly, enthusiastic and chatty, and they listen to what you want. They remember your history and are easy to talk to, giving the obligatory chat over the scissors. It is very easy to book an appointment over the phone are the staff are willing to squeeze you in if you only want a cut and not the whole nine yards. I even continued coming back to Giovanni's after I moved out of the area for while. I would recommend them.

Approximate cost: $45

Debarge is a very professional hair salon in a suburban shopping strip. As well as the hair salon at the back of the store, there is a cafe at the front of the store, so as you are having your done, you are always offered the opportunity to order a drink from the cafe. There is nearly always someone on the front desk and if there isn't, a staff member is at the desk about 2 seconds after you walk in. All the staff are extremely polite and friendly and the owner is always on the floor and often at the front desk and answering the phone. Charges are about standard, but good value for money, as they listen to what you want so you always get a quality cut. A range of hair products are available at the store and while the staff will explain what they do and what may be best for you, there is no pressure to buy. Bookings can be made at Debarge over the phone and once they have your last name they will look you up on the computer so they have your history. You can then book with the last person who cut your hair or ask for someone new. There are are massage chairs for when your hair is being washed and the capes to protect your clothes are all encompassing and even cover a large pregnant belly easily. The venue is clean and welcoming and a bit funky, the atmosphere is relaxed, all the staff look like they enjoy their job and most of the them are happy to have a chat while cutting your hair, or will leave you alone so you can read if that is what you desire. I love this hair salon and this is the only place I go to get my hair done.

Approximate cost: $70

Kevin Smith is a great option for when you need an electrician. He is flexible with your timing requirements and reliable - when he says he will be there, he will be there. If you ask him to keep the sound down because a new baby is sleeping, he is more than accommodating and happy to get into discussion about his own family with you as he works. Very efficient and seemingly trustworthy, he is not someone I felt uneasy about coming into my house with just myself and my child here. He charges standard fees as far as I can ascertain, certainly nothing out of the ordinary and will run all work by you as he goes. He was also happy to jump in his van and run off to collect a different light switch than the one our lighting kit had supplied us with. He outlined several options for adding lights to our remodeled bathroom and gave us a general costing on each option. He unasked replaced a couple of power point covers with new, double covers. In replacing lounge lights, he was happy to try out several different hanging lengths and tweak them around to my satisfaction. All the paper work and certificates were provided and explained and Kevin even left me with his banking details so I could transfer payment into his account, as he was in the process of setting up credit facilities but it was not yet complete. Very trusting. Kevin is easily reachable by phone and very reliable. We will always keep his name and ph number on hand and would recommend him to anyone.

Delicious food, beautiful venue, great service. The food here is well priced and very well done, it was all delicious and beautifully presented. The menu is fairly extensive, it has single dishes, banquets and the teppenyaki bar also. It was easy to book over the phone and is easy to locate inside the Century City Walk in Glen Waverley. The clientel were all very well behaved, despite the fact that there were a couple of young children there who would rather have been in bed. The parents managed to deal with their kids without making a scene and the staff were very accommodating. The wine menu is good and includes a few tasty reds and the hot saki went down well too. The staff are discreet but attentive and dressed in the traditional Japanese manner of the kimono. We ordered one of the banquets and the food was continuously served in a timely manner, always hot and plenty of it, to the point where I ran out of steam before I reached the end. The atmosphere is relaxing yet entertaining, if you happen to be seated where you have a glimpse of one of the teppanyaki chefs plying their trade. They are good at what they do, and very efficient. This was a place where I definitely enjoyed myself and wouldn't hesitate to recommend and come back to.

Approximate cost: $22

Madeline's at Jells is a lovely place to come when you've had Mother's Group in the park, and need a coffee and a toilet stop. It has generous indoor and outdoor seating, some more formal, other areas less so. Lots of room for prams outside and outside also has shelter from the sun and other weather. They are licensed and you can also BYO wine and can also do takeaway if you are so inclined. The menu is fairly modern and up to date, and can do breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks, coffees etc. Pre-packaged ice creams can also be bought from a window outside, so you don't have to tote all the kids and prams inside to order. And from memory, a staff member came round to take our order at the table too....once again that's very convenient when you have young children. In recent communication about a possible child's party, phone manner was great, and they immediately offered to email me through some information. When I asked about changes to the children's party food menu, I was told that it would be possible to discuss this with the chef, no problem. This would be a lovely place to come for a family lunch event when relatives are visiting, the surrounds of the park just enhance the great cafe. Very well done.

Approximate cost: $20

This place has much potential, being in a location where there are many young children visiting every day of the year, and many parents just hanging around keeping an eye on them. You arrange to meet there with your friends and their children, so what do you do at 10am when the little darlings are happily ensconced in the huge enclosed playground? Buy a coffee and morning tea of course. Well, the venue is ok, nothing fancy, the front counter selection and drinks cabinet is also ok, the usual jars of large cookies and requisite candies and the drinks served across the counter are usually hot. The only problem I have, which I encounter every time I go there, is the serving staff. I don't think I have seen the person serving ever, ever crack a smile. Not just that but the gloomy, morose look has me wondering does this person get any joy from this position at all? It is quite alienating, I feel like I am being an imposition just by asking for something. I encourage my young child to pipe up and say thank you, but not even a smile or nod of encouragement. I understand this cafe can be booked for children's parties but I didn't even consider it when thinking about my 4 year old's upcoming birthday. I realise that the serving staff unfortunately have largely impacted on my experience of this cafe, so I now only pop in to buy my child a gingerbread man, his usual treat when we come to the park next door. I would rather wait and buy a coffee somewhere I know I will be treated with a friendly smile and have the possibility of asking hi, how's the business going. This place could be so much more I am sure, if it had really good staff.

I went in here to get some xrays done on my teeth for a wisdom tooth coming through. There was no need to book, I just went straight from the dentist a few doors down and walked up to reception. After filling out a registration form I went straight in. The technician was professional yet warm and friendly and asked me to take out my earrings. Now, I have 9 ear piercings in total so it took a few minutes, but I wasn't made to feel like I was wasting anyone's time, nor did the technician stand about looking over my shoulder. The xray itself was very quick and as I was fumbling about afterwards trying to get my earrings back in, the technician first offered to help me with them, and them kindly directed me to a changing booth that had a mirror in it. This doesn't sound like much but it just made the whole process so easy and smooth, it barely took an extra 10 mins from start to finish. The facility was clean, comfortable and professional looking, the staff are warm and professional also. The location is just two doors down from the dentist and one door dwon from a Dr's surgery, so very conveniently positioned. And the xray was bulk billed, so this place is a winner all round.

These guys do a pretty good pizza and pasta. It's my best local pizza place, a good place to go for a quick dinner. They have free delivery for orders over $20 or a $4 delivery charge. The menu options for pizza are extensive and they don't mind mixing and matching by doing your pizza half and half. The pizza is always made fresh, it's always hot out of the oven and well cooked. Not too brown but not soggy either. It's also good cold the next day. They have a pick up only special and several other meal deals which are good value. The place has 2 phone numbers so if one is busy, call the other. Orders are no problem over the phone and the staff are polite and down to earth in person. The pasta is also good, hot and full of ingredients. According to the menu, this store has won a Golden Plate Award 6 years in a row. They do great food.

Approximate cost: $14

This is the best fish and chip shop in my area, after having tried a few. The food is always ready when they say it will be, which is usually 10 minutes, always piping hot even when I get it home, not over salted and they offer a decent range of product. And it's not over cooked, not soggy, not too brown etc. Also, when I came in with a large order one time, they directed me to the fact that I was due a free bottle of soft drink, which I was unaware of. So the staff are great, honest, polite, careful...they always read back your order over the phone and double check with you when you come to pick it up. And they are understandable, which can sometimes be an issue if English is a second language. The facility is clean and bright and very open so you can always see what the staff are doing with your food. You are offered a plastic bag to take your food in if you need it and I like the fact they do not automatically assume everyone wants a plastic bag. And my large order was carefully packed into a box for ease of handling. I'm impressed with these guys and always go there when we feel like fish and chips. And they do a great burger and dim sims too. Oh and my 4 yr requested a cheese burger once, as in cheese and burger bun only, nothing else. tThey sounded bemused and double checked it, but made the order with no fuss.

Approximate cost: $10

I had my four month old baby in here for three days in total and was not impressed. I gave up my job and decided to stay home instead. In the babies room, a child of about 1 year stood at the door for about 5 minutes crying because he'd seen his mother walk by, before a staff member came to get him. I'd provided bottles for my breastfed baby while he was there, yet each day, he'd hardly drunk anything. It was a mystery until the end of the 3rd day. When asking which ones had been heated so I could throw them out and keep the others as they'd been refrigerated all day, the staff told me none had been heated. Why not? Well, it says on the bottle not to heat it. No it doesn't. It says do not boil, do not microwave. These were playtex drop-ins, a bottle system unavailable here, but easy to use and understand, and clearly labeled. Besides, what 4 month old breastfed baby would drink fridge cold expressed milk? Common sense please???!! Overall, it felt very business like and not particularly caring, definitely not an atmosphere I want my baby in.