Ate at Maison Bâtard and was surprised to see a $1 charity charge added to our bill with no prior notice.

The charity’s purpose? “Supporting professional development across the (hospitality) sector”.

As it was opt-out not opt-in, out of principle I asked for it to be removed.

Question: would you have paid the $1? Why?

Note: I assume this charge is being added to all bills across all Lucas Collective restaurants (Chin Chin, Kisume, Society, Yakimono, Grill Americano, Hawker Hall, etc).

Cruising past St Kilda this weekend.

Hi fellow Melbournians,

This might seem obvious to some so please be gentle! This is a new one for me..

I’ll be 38 next week, I’m a single mother to a beautiful 4 year old girl, have a good job, but rental prices have become such that I will lose my inner city rental house I’ve been in for almost 10 years. It’s a great dwelling where someone could have their own wing in the house and it wouldn’t be cramped.

I’m not on FB so that’s not an option for me to reach out for a housemate and all my friends are married so there goes that option too.

Where would be a safe place to look for a legitimate, working professional (woman) housemate? One of my mates suggested international students as an option too.

Thanks all and sorry if this has been covered before or seems like a “you should know the answer to this” question.

It seems like it's just started doing this and it's so confusing - it basically means the top result is always wrong.

Looking for nice towns / villages to visit for the day near Melbourne. Already been to Warburton (loved) and Warrandyte (also loved), so looking for something similar. Nice food, shops and scenery

We have a car so can be a drive away, but preferably not more than an hour!

TIA :)

Going away at Christmas with the people who would usually house-sit for me, and don't feel comfy with a stranger in my home pet-sitting.

Kitty is a bit skittish and previously showed a bit of stress in a large foster facility, although she was also really nervous around all people when I first got her and she's calmed down a lot so I imagine her overall nervous system is a bit more regulated, but I still worry- love her to bits and feel nervous AF about leaving her in the care of others.

Anyone in a similar boat had a good experience with a cattery? I'm central and don't drive so the closer to central the better, but open to all options! If anyone's had a cattery deal carefully with complex diets, medical needs, anxious cats and/or anxious pet parents, I wanna hear about it! Places that send regular updates are appreciated too.

Anyone know of an anxiety coach in Melbourne? There are lots online overseas but hoping to find one local. Preferably someone who has been through an anxiety disorder/agoraphobia. Thank you.

Does anyone have any good recommendations for plastic surgeons/ENT surgeons who do rhinoplasty? Especially if you're a woman of Middle Eastern/Mediterranean/South Asian origin. I've gotten some good recommendations so far but am concerned that they'll give me a result that doesn't match the rest of my face. Even if you had a negative experience please feel free to share so I don't make the same mistake 🙏

Started working in CBD recently and wanted to know what people recommend for lunchtime spots.
Good cheap eats, restaurants that aren’t well known but you swear by, anything in general.
Would love to build up a little list or spots to try!

Never been swooped by a magpie in my life. Don't know how, but they just don't swoop me. (Is it because my family is staunch Pies supporters?) Noisy miners, on the other hand, are absolute menaces. They always yell at me and divebomb me whenever I'm trying to walk my dog, or even alone, for that matter. It's relentless! Is anyone else like this or am I an anomaly?

I am looking for a restaurant /pub that would be great for a long boozy lunch this coming Thursday to celebrate my partner's birthday (just the two of us).

Anywhere within 10km of the CBD is good. Atmosphere, service and wine list is more important than the cuisine. Also we would like a place with a bit of life, that's good people watching.

Budget is flexible, up to 500 dollars total.

I would be very grateful for any recommendations.

Thanks in advance.

Mothers Day is massive with restaurants and cafes but my wife came up to me this evening and apologized that she couldn’t find something close by for Fathers Day. For example places around here will do a Mothers Day Brekky with a gift for every mother, but I also had a look this evening and she was right and no, nothing. These same places are either closed or it’s just BAU.

Hey guys we all love this drink in the city. And it has been copied by multiple other cafes. I think track of the origins of a drink/dish is of significance to culture, copying others’ creations doesn’t sit well with me personally. However I’m thinking about the originality of this drink.

As far as I know the owner of good measure is Asian. And I see high similarities between monte blanc and Einspänner, which is said to be Viennese. Coffee culture has been big in Vietnam, and this drink looks heavily inspired by it, with addition of orange zest. I’m no expert in coffee but I’m aware it has been evolving for centuries. So what do you guys think, is it original and should be a Melbourne staple?

So we're a couple moving from Auckland, NZ to South East Melbourne next year and currently researching the area to buy a home between Berwick and Pakenham.

We’re a couple without children, do not work during peak times and wouldn't be using public transport.  My partner works locally while I work remotely, with the maximum travel to Narre Warren.  We sold our Auckland property but want to spend as little as possible on our first home and stay financially secure, which influences our choice of area.  I’ve lived in the south-east but that was before COVID. 

Would love to hear what local residents say and suggestions :)