Okay, Myer's had a bad rap of late. Bad service, bad stock, poor pricing, etc. But in this third leg of my new camera hunt, the revamped department store came up with the goods. After the dismal failures at JB and Ted's, I went to Myer as a last resort. To my surprise, the sales staff new their stuff. They bounced suggestions between themselves (while serving customers still who would have benefited from the general advice) and even when cameras had no batteries, they dug around until they found some. They let me take as many shots as I wanted and played around with settings. It was a great way to work out which camera to use. Finally, and fortuitously, they even had 10% off. Okay, I could have haggled at the other stores, but Myer got its act together: great staff, actual tinkering with the cameras and a willingness to go beyond the call. I think I may be back more often.

It's great what a change of ownership can do.

Part two of my camera hunt. After the debacle at JB, the next step was to try another store. The staff member was very helpful; rather than challenge my choices, she helped me understand what I could get from one model and not the other. In addition, the cameras had batteries so I could take shots and feel what it's like in-hand. Problem was, they didn't have some of the models I wanted. So, although competitive on price vs JB, I still couldn't fully road-test some of the units.

After our camera broke, I was on the lookout for a new one. After doing research on the net, I narrowed my selection to four. When I got to JB, I waited ages to get attended to although I was clearly looking. Next the guy tried to argue why my choices and sources were not the best way to choose cameras. So much for making the customer feel wanted. I spent the next hour trying to convince him why my sources are credible. Even then, why shoot me down? To add to this, the cameras didn't even have batteries! So, I went to Ted's

Kazari Collector is one of three Kazari stores (Decorator and Warehouse are the others). This one focuses on more contemporary Japanese furniture and artwork. The store is more like a gallery with large pieces lining the walls with modern sculptures housed in the center. This store also has a Japanese-style cafe serving great lunchtime meals. The condiments are great and they are very selective even with the beverages they serve.
The furniture in this store was a little too modern for our tastes and somewhat too fused with non-oriental influences (although the pieces are clearly Japanese). I think this place is best visited for a quick meal and browse rather than buying furniture per se.

We heard about Chris's from a friend who mentioned that the Greek-style seafood menu was worth checking out. And so, the trek up the steep incline and unsealed road to try things.

I started with a traditional Greek seafood soup (I can't recall the name) and my wife had seafood pasta with duck egg (yep, that's right) pasta. Both had very good flavor; the kind you want to remember and can't quite describe in words. We followed that with another traditional Greek tart (again, I can't recall the name). That was less memorable (well, less memorable in a good way) and lacked the zing of the first course.

We closed with a pastry platter. This was amazing. I think there were 6 items ranging from a decadent and creamy millefeuille to a syrup soaked orange sponge.

The service was good, although during our lunchtime visit, there was also an 18 guest wedding reception and they were stretched. They did the best they could and we still felt adequately served.

After a renovation late last year, the Parkdale Cafe is now licensed and more space. The food and service is as can be expected, but the scenery (the cafe overlooks the bay) and quaint surroundings make this cafe a popular haunt for locals.

Renown for its chicken parmigiana, the Palmerston Hotel is a traditional aussie pub on the fringe between Albert Park and South Melbourne. When we visited, I was part of a group of 10 celebrating the imminent departure of a colleague. The service was poor. The waitress simply ignored us, looking over our impeaching stares and even feigning ignorance when we went up to the bar. When the food arrived, I wasn't sure why Superparma rated them so highly. The chicken was very plain and merely just large. It seems like a nice pub for a beer and maybe watching the game, but the food isn't any more amazing that you would think.

A Bridge Rd institution, The Curry Club serves amazing Indian. The service is prompt without being outstanding. The decor is fairly sparse and with everything more or less made out of concrete, it can be very noisy on a crowded Saturday night.

Macro is a novel idea; fresh environmentally friendly health food presented in a manner more approachable than the traditional organic food store. We love to try new things and shopping at Macro gives us our fix. It's also one of the few places I know where the gluten-free bread actually tastes good. You can also have coffee and cake in-house, although the service isn't cafe standard.

Okay, it's a franchise fish n' chip shop. That means teenage employees and a formula to everything. That's not to say that the food is bad; the packs are a great way to get some good value and it isn't too oily. The thing is, there's no character about the place. No grumpy owner who's been there all day and certainly no love in the cooking. All this is probably what you'd expect from a franchise.