I needed to put my dog into doggy daycare for a day while we had some maintenance work done in our yard. Unleashed Doggy Daycare was recommended by a family member whose dog has stayed there in the past.

It was really easy to book my dog in and the staff were very friendly and accommodating. They didn't even mind when I called up half way through the day to check on how he was going!

The venue itself is quite large and clean and has lots of room for the dogs to run around. The large dogs are kept in a separate area from the small/medium dogs, so the small/medium size dogs can run around together and play. It's also very close to my home which is a bonus.

My dog was very happy and relaxed when I came to pick him up. I could tell that he had a great day and wasn't in any distress at all (for that, I was very pleased!) The staff even brushed his fur and dried him after it had started raining, which was very nice of them.

While it's not the kind of service that I can afford to use regularly, I would certainly use Unleashed Doggy Daycare again in the future should the need arise. Recommended!

Approximate cost: $40/day for a small-medium sized dog

My personal trainer recommended this store as a good place to go to purchase protein powder and supplements to take while training. I never thought that I'd ever shop at a place like Future Nutrition, as I've always imagined these kind of stores being full of huge, scary-looking guys and that I'd be completely out of place as a woman who is only doing weight training as a way to get fit, not for competition or the like.

I've since found that my preconceived notions were completely wrong! The guys at Future Nutrition are really great, and during my visits there they have spent a lot of time running through products, when to take them and other diet and fitness related topics. They've always been happy to answer all of my questions and make recommendations.

I've been buying protein powder and protein bars there for several months now and have found their range to be top of the line and the prices competitive. They also make sure that they sell products that are excellent quality and that are more natural/less fillers, etc. In particular, I buy the Maxine's Burn range of protein powder/bars because they're great for women and don't leave you feeling bloated. My husband has also bought protein powder from them and is currently using a range they themselves developed which is also used by the Australian Army (so you've got an idea how good the product is right there!)

It can be a good idea to call up in advance and make sure they have what you need before you go there as they can sometimes be out of stock in particular brands/flavours. They're always happy to order in what you need, however. I'd definitely recommend this store if you're only just starting out with training and are not sure what kind of protein/supplements you'll need.

My friend and I had dinner at Chillipadi the other night after attending a function in the city. She had been to Chillipadi before but this was my first time.

I have only heard positive things about Chillipadi so I was looking forward to dining there. I certainly wasn't disappointed. We got there quite late on a Tuesday night, but the manager was very polite and let us know that we could still order before the kitchen closed up, and took us to our table.

I ordered the Thai green curry with chicken and a serve of roti bread and my friend had the Malaysian homestyle curry chicken. Our orders were cooked quickly and brought out to us piping hot. My dish was delicious, not too spicy (although when the manager asked how our meals were I joked that they could have made it hotter, and he dared me to ask for more chilli the next time I came back.) The chicken was soft and the vegetables crisp. The roti bread was delicious and buttery, and tasted very fresh (there's nothing worse than pre-made, microwaved roti bread!) My friend enjoyed her curry chicken too.

The prices were very competitive as well, with mains around $12-15. The service was very friendly and relaxed and we didn't feel rushed at all, even though it was clear they were getting ready to close up for the night. A really pleasant dining experience, definitely somewhere I'd visit again!

Since moving to Melbourne, I've been struggling to find a vet who is caring, compassionate and genuinely interested in my dog. I had tried three other vets in the area before I found John on WOMO and none of them even came close to providing such a positive and welcoming experience.

My dog gets really stressed when it comes to vet visits but John put a lot of effort into getting to know him and keeping him as relaxed as possible. He did a full work up in addition to giving him his vaccinations and was genuinely interested in finding out his medical history and making sure that all bases were covered. The appointment didn't feel rushed and I felt that I could ask lots of questions without being a pain in the butt (what can I say, I love my dog!)

John and his staff are absolutely lovely. They made the visit as stress-free and positive as possible for me and my dog and he's now got me as a customer for life!

My husband and I dined at OKAMI Japanese Restaurant for the first time last Thursday night. We are both big fans of Japanese cuisine and I've been meaning for us to try the place out for quite a while.

We were seated fairly quickly in a booth near the front door. Unfortunately, this meant that every time somebody went in or out the door we'd feel the gust of cold wind come in from outside (they do take away as well as dine-in so there were people coming in to pick up orders) and we we felt quite cold the whole time we were there. Some heating in the front area would definitely improve the ambience.

For entree we ordered edamame, Japanese spring rolls and gyoza. The gyoza were tasty but the casings were quite soft and so they fell apart as soon as you bit into them. The spring rolls were very delicious, with good quality filling. The edamame were a little on the small side, and could have used a little more seasoning (perhaps chilli flakes and some more salt to give them a bit more flavour, as soybeans are pretty bland in general).

For mains, I had the salmon with spicy miso sauce and my husband had the chicken teriyaki don. My salmon was delicious; it was cooked perfectly, the spicy miso sauce was not overly spicy so it didn't overpower the fish and the portion of salmon was very generous. My husband liked his teriyaki chicken don but thought that the teriyaki flavour could have been stronger.

We finished with dessert. I had the green tea ice cream. It came with two very generous scoops of ice cream and was served with fresh fruit and cream. While the flavour was nice, the ice cream felt like it had melted and then been re-frozen, as it had that ice crystal consistency that really ruins the creaminess and mouthfeel of ice cream. My husband had the coconut crumbed deep-fried banana with vanilla ice cream, which he enjoyed.

In terms of the service, the staff were polite and friendly, but they just seemed really frantic and disorganised throughout the night. They also rushed to take our plates away as soon as we were done which always feels uncomfortable. Another problem we experienced was that all of our dishes came out one by one, so our entrees didn't all come out at once, and more importantly, our mains didn't come out at the same time. It felt like the kitchen was just cooking one dish at a time, with several minutes wait in between each dish, which means you can't relax and enjoy your meal at the same time as the other people you're with.

I also thought that the prices were a little high, with a lot of the mains on the menu being over $30. I wouldn't describe the restaurant as fine dining, but the prices were definitely heading in that direction.

All up, the food was tasty but not *quite* there. If the prices were lowered and the service was improved, it would be a nice place to visit semi-regularly. Until then, it's not going to be somewhere we rush back to.

We had lunch at Monkey Can Fly last weekend for the first time. We received a flyer in our letterbox and it looked enticing, so we thought we'd give it a go (we love supporting local businesses and we're still looking for a great place to become our breakfast local.)

The cafe is really cute and funky, with exposed brick walls and a sunny little courtyard out the back. We sat inside because it was a bit cool but I can imagine it would be great in the summertime.

We were greeted quite quickly by a staff member and seated. There was a little mix up with our drinks (I ordered a banana smoothie but received a banana milkshake instead) but it was cleared up without any hesitation from the staff.

I had the Baked Eggs from the specials menu, which was DELICIOUS. I couldn't eat it all because it was so filling but my husband helped me finish it! ;) The cafe sources their bread from the French boulangerie Noisette, and the sliced roll that I received with my meal was sooo fresh and crisp. The eggs were perfectly poached in the napoli sauce, with cannellini beans and havarti cheese, it was just divine.

My husband had a BAT (a variation on the traditional BLT) with chips and he quite enjoyed it too (although he said he probably prefers the BLT combination to the BAT, but that's just his personal preference.)

I thought that the cost overall was quite reasonable (we spent under $40 between us, which is amazing because we usually spend at least $50 for breakfast out these days!) so good value for money. All up, it was a pleasant experience. We'd definitely go there again!

I've joined many gyms over the years and have never been able to sustain any kind of training for very long. Whether it's boredom, not seeing any noticeable results or just the expense of it, there's always something that gets in the way.

Vision Personal Training was recommended to me by my manager at work who has been training with them for several months and has been getting excellent results. I figured it couldn't hurt to try them out for 9 weeks and see what happens.

I am nothing if not blown away by the entire Vision philosophy and practice. I lost 7kgs in my first 9 weeks, I've become stronger and my posture has improved dramatically (my dad, who hadn't seen me in a couple of months, asked if I had gotten taller!) and I'm eating a lot better than I have in years. I still have moments where I cave in to chocolates and other naughty foods, but the education I'm receiving every week from my trainer has helped me learn what I can do and what I should do if I slip. I really like the online food diary and recipe videos as well.

Another great aspect of the gym is the group sessions, where you can bring a friend for free to every group class. The classes are intense, but you always feel great after they're over.

At the end of the day, any weight loss program you do comes down to you and your level of self-discipline. The great thing about Vision is that everyone is there to support you and help keep you on track. I think this is the most valuable part of the whole experience - they care and they want you to achieve great results!

I highly recommend Vision to anyone who has struggled with weight loss in the past and needs structure, guidance and most of all genuine support. You'll get all of this and more from Vision, they're brilliant!

We tried Red Horn Pizza for the first time a few weeks ago as my dad had received a menu in his mailbox and it looked good. They offer gourmet pizzas and sides, very similar in style to other gourmet pizza chains that have come along in recent times.

Unfortunately, we were disappointed by the pizzas. They were undercooked; the pizza base was slightly raw, definitely not crisp and hot as you'd expect. The pizzas could have done with another run through the ovens I think.

The pizzas were quite large (we ordered 3 large pizzas but could have survived with 2!) but we didn't eat as much as we normally would because they weren't cooked enough. We ended up throwing the leftovers away because of this.

For the quality we received, it was way too expensive (approx $65 for three large pizzas + a serving of olive and feta bread) but, on a positive note, the delivery man was friendly and it was easy to order the pizzas through their website. They also have Ben & Jerry's ice cream, so that's definitely a plus too.

As the business is quite new, they're probably still going through some teething problems. There are quite a few independent pizza places around my dads' place, however, so it'll probably be a long while before we give Red Horn another go.

We've purchased pizza from this particular Crust outlet a few times now and we've always enjoyed it. They deliver to my dad's place even though we're *just* outside of their delivery area (no other Crust Pizza stores are close enough to deliver to us, so this is really nice of them!) The staff are really polite and friendly. The pizzas are always delicious; perfectly cooked and made with great quality ingredients. I especially love the Gourmet Smoked Ham and Pineapple, which is like a normal ham & pineapple pizza but with a gourmet twist (good quality ham, etc!) Their pizzas are a little more expensive than other pizza places but definitely worth it for the quality. Also, they don't scrimp on the toppings. Overall, I'd happily recommended Crust Pizza in Kingsgrove!

We received a menu for Burger Boss in our letterbox this week. We'd never heard of it before, but everything sounded pretty enticing so we decided to try it tonight for dinner.

We visited the store on Highett Road and made a takeaway order. The staff member who greeted us was really friendly and helped by making suggestions as he could tell we were first time customers.

I had the Double Bacon Cheese burger plus onion rings, and my husband had the Boss Burger plus chips. We also both got a small tub of Ben and Jerry's ice cream (my fave! yum!)

They were pretty busy but we didn't have to wait too long for our order. Everything is freshly made and cooked so it's definitely worth the wait.

The onion rings were A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Lightly battered and super fresh and crispy, I've never had onion rings that good before. They're a meal in themselves, definitely recommended. I thought my burger was really delicious too, although perhaps a little big for me (I ate it all, though, yum!) My husband really enjoyed his burger and chips too. The prices are really reasonable, considering the freshness and size of the servings.

All up, a really good find in the local area. They also do local delivery so that's definitely something to keep in mind for the future. It's so nice to try a new business and be pleasantly surprised by it!

Top marks, Burger Boss - we'll be back again!