Luke

Lentil as Anything is a fun experience, rather than fantastic food. The food is very enjoyable - tasty, healthy - and a few unusual dishes (unusual good - not unusual bad). This venue is more about the experience. At the end of your meal, you decide how much it was worth and how much you want to pay into the honesty box. It's located in the old Abbotsford Convent, which is now used like a local community centre. There are artists' premises and alternative medical practitioners on site, a radio station and a couple of food outlets, among other things. It's worth spending some time exploring the grounds and buildings. The restaurant itself is very basic with plastic tables and chairs - plus some outdoor picnic tables. They have live musical performances occasionally. Good fun - especially of you're vegetarian.

My wife often buys gifts from Qi. I sometimes tag along. I don't usually like shopping, but I like this place. I sometimes go there by myself to buy incense. It mostly stocks gem stones and jewellery. It's all made in the store, can be customised to order and there's an excellent variety of stock and range of prices. The coolest thing about the place is that they always offer you a tea or coffee or water, or ask if you would like to sit by the fire if it's cold - pretty unique customer service for a gift shop. Probably the friendliest service you will find – and it’s genuine. I sometimes wonder what would happen if I dropped in regularly for a coffee and never bought anything :-)

We shop here at least once a week for our fruit, vegetables, eggs and bread. We used to go to the Victoria or Prahran markets for this stuff, because there aren't a lot of good organic stores in the suburbs and the smaller places can have low stock, high prices and poor quality. Organically Grown usually has a good variety of quality stock - except occasionally (especially on Sunday afternoons). Service is friendly and prices are competitive with the large markets. There's a supermarket a few doors down, so you can pick up your other shopping at the same time.

I bought a motorcycle leather jacket at Mars. My first impression was that the styles of the jackets are a bit dated. But there were also a few styles I really liked. Mars supplies Victoria Police and other government services with protective leather clothing. The leathers are made locally, some from kangaroo hide which is very tough and can be customised for fit, style and protection. They take a lot of care in the fitting and measuring. I'm really happy with my jacket and I like the fact that it is made locally and customised just for me.

I occasionally have a quick late lunch on Sunday afternoons at Pellegrinis. This place is Melbourne's first Italian espresso bar. I'm usually by myself, so the bar-stool seating is perfect. The food is simple Italian - pastas, minestrone soup, plenty of cakes and good coffee. Don't bother asking for anything off the menu. A lady once asked for a garden salad while I was there and the reply was something like "...we don't have a garden". This is one of the things I like about it - no bulldust. Service is fast and no-frills and it's always busy - a great atmosphere - one of my favourite places in Melbourne.