When we first moved into the area and started frequenting this shop, for some bizarre reason, my…read morehousemates and I never even realised it was called Miramar Nut Shop. Instead, it was affectionately referred to as the Nut Man. We never went to the Miramar Nut Shop, it was always to see the Nut Man. And I still like to call it the Nut Man because the man in the shop sells nuts, and so it isn't too far-fetched a name really. The Nut Man sells a whole lot more than nuts though. I mean, it you want nuts, you'll get nuts, all kinds of nuts, and cheaper than it costs in supermarkets. He's also got a lovely selection of dried fruits, legumes, Lebanese coffee, wonderfully piquant harissa pastes, canned goods, and there's some truly interesting edible goodies in the fridges at the back of the shop. Needless to say, the Nut Man himself is a lovely dude...with lovely nuts.

Exotic delicacies aplenty in those corner store. Be it a handful of wasabi peas, a new sheesha…read morepipe, a tub of eucalyptus honey or a tea set, the mad mish-mash of goods and treats is a little astounding. The longer you stay, the more you find yourself looking around thinking Where did he find all this stuff? The shop keeper is friendly and helpful, and on most occasions is not behind the counter, but amongst the stock talking to a customer. The quality of nuts is wonderful, the aforementioned wasabi peas are a definite winner, as ate the figs, and if you can find another place that sells blank cassettes and glue sticks alongside I'd like to know about it.

Beautifully presented produce store but you're paying the prices for it... Perfectly laid out & top…read morenotch produce on offer complete with bucket flower market in case it's a smell-the-roses sort've day. But the best thing about this fruit & vege market is not only that they have packaged nuts n all the current health crazed fads but they also cater to the juice nuts. Juice bar with all your offerings of fruit & vege, to take out the guess work & help the indecisive they have a menu board of juice mixes & smoothies to help you out. Otherwise make your own juice with up to 5 choices free with the exception of your greens like kale, mint, spinach & a few other items.

This little fruit market is oddly placed right next to all night dance club revolver, although…read moremaybe it that could work in their advantage - drunken partiers heading home and needing something to fill their bellies. Revolver patrons aside Surace Fresh has a very good selection of fresh fruit and vegetables at prices significantly lower than the supermarkets. It's hard not to be drawn in through the open doors with tempting tropical fruits like mangoes, peaches, strawberries and pineapple lining the walkway, Surace Fresh also has a cool area where you can pick up meats and seafood, Asian groceries and on the other side of the store dried fruits and tasty roasted nuts. It is hard to access Surace Fresh if your driving as parking on Chapel Street is a nightmare, your best bet is either walking or catching the old 79 tram all the way down.

Hawker 88 is one of the night markets at Queen Victoria market. It runs for 7-8 weeks on…read moreWednesday's only and celebrates the diverse flavors of Asia. There are 20-ish food stalls representing many cultures, along with a few craft suppliers. Each week a different culture is highlighted - last night it was Malaysia and specifically durian! The durian stand had whole fruits, plates and even durian ice cream. The line was by far the longest so I didn't get to try this legendary item but I definitely smelt it! Lines were long in general but I was impressed at how well places kept the crowds moving. We tried Filipino lechon pork, spiral stick potatoes and curry roti. The last one was my favorite though it all looked and smelled delicious. I really enjoyed this market - it gave me the chance to experience a lot of culture and food that I'd never get at home.

The Abbotsford Convent Slow Food Market is my fav in the city. I've been coming here for 7 years…read moreand I love it. It's held on the 4th Saturday of the month. I love the setting in the Convent grounds, I love the walk / ride along the river to get here and I love ending it with a beer / wine at the Bakery. I don't think this is a market where many could afford to do their weekly shopping but it's great to get some specialist items of superb quality. My fav items here are the only PROPER style pork English sausages from Pacdon I've found in Australia and the pork pie and bacon is fab too! The biggest perk of coming here is to pick up a few bottles of Peregrine Ridge red wine from Heathcote - it's by far my fav Australian wine. There's not a dud amongst them. A special place in my heart is the sparkly shiraz - just amazing.

This is one of four inner city markets run by the Melbourne Community Farmers Markets. Held on the…read more4th Saturday of the month it is unique as it demonstrates both Slow Food principles as well as meeting the Victorian Farmers' Market Association accreditation criteria of being direct from local producers only. So what is The Slow Food movement? You know when people say tomatoes, meat or fruit were tastier back in the day? That's because we used to eat traditional slow growing varieties and breeds. So globally, Slow food is about protecting those heirloom and rare breed varieties of food, which are fast becoming extinct in favour of modified fast growing produce that suits the turnover of supermarkets, fast food chains and industry. It is also about supporting your local farmers and producers, without the middle man. Slow Food Australia says "We build networks between grower and eater, agriculture and market, community and world. We champion good, clean, fair and local food in ways that enhance knowledge, respect and passion." So while this produce may not be familiar nor look as perfect as shop food, it is significantly more tasty, takes longer to produce, is chemical free, raised and handled ethically and works towards creating a sustainable future for the planet. The supermarket duopoly does not. So there's another point of difference. At the front of this market is seasonal fresh fruit, vegetables, eggs, baked goods etc, in the courtyard at the back is meat, fish, dairy and cheese. And then there is the amazing Slow Food breakfast stall. If you really want to taste the difference, eat this stall's food before shopping and skip the Convent Bakery. You'll find the Slow Food stall's dishes have all been made from produce at the market. All made from scratch, no packet mixes or industrial processed foods. It's a beautiful example of what you can actually do with the market's food. We go regularly and learn a lot from talking to the farmers there. They give you cooking and handling tips and are happy to answer questions. If you come too, come early before everything sells out and bring your own bags, these farmers want to do you a favour by reducing waste too.

When I first went to Strawberry Point I realised that the entire time I'd been living in the…read moreneighbourhood I'd been doing my grocery shopping wrong. While technically a greengrocer, strawberry point is closer to supermarket in size and closer to farmers market in price. It's pretty standard for me to do my entire weeks fruit and veg for under $30. They have a bulk meat freezer too where most product is cryovac sealed. Check out the weekly specials and the $2 pre pack produce specials (good for same or next day use). The quality is usually above the major supermarkets too. Cannot recommend enough.

If you are trying your hand at cooking something with an Asian flavour, more often than not the…read moreFitzroy Coles does not cut the mustard and you have to go and find somewhere that has more obscure ingredients. Located right next to the Beautiful Launderette, is Korea Kim Chi Asian Grocers. They are one of the few Asian grocers that I am aware of in Fitzroy and on Brunswick Street. Although they are a Korean grocers, they seem to have pretty much anything Asian. Their prices are also pretty cheap too and in some cases a fair bit cheaper than Coles. You can also get hold of alcohol here so the stock is really varied. The people who run it are always really smiley and friendly.

If you love Asian cookery, you'll adore this supermarket, which is simply the best place to go if…read moreyou're planning a feast that requires anything a little out of the - mainstream supermarket - ordinary. Stocking a range of Asian cookery necessities such as lemongrass, gyoza and dumpling skins and an astonishing array of sauces, noodles, rices, mushrooms, preserves and seasonings at excellent prices, this place is a brilliant discovery for keen cooks. And with massive bottles of things like soya sauce selling for $1 rather than $8 odd at Coles, you'll save a few bob too. This awesome Asian supermarket also sells a great variety of niche cookwear such as bamboo steamers for next to nothing and traditional Chinese bowls, platters and tea sets that are cheap as chips but very, very pretty. One of my favourite food shops in Fitzroy, if not Melbourne.

A very nice change from the blatant commercialism of Asian dessert places in the CBD. The first…read morething that impressed me was how much thought was put into the interior of the place. Each sitting area has a unique touch to it and you won't claustrophobic. They do serve main courses but to be honest this place is more well known for its desserts. The menu has variations of what you'd expect from Taiwanese eateries with some exotic ingredients thrown in here and there like durian and pomelo. I had a chance to try the mango sago with pomelo which surprisingly was not that sweet, this could be a good or bad thing dependent on your current state of health. Same goes for the mixed fruit sago which had a hint of coconut milk. The red bean pancake took awhile to get to our table but it was worth the wait, the red bean was very well done and I could taste the natural sweetness and fragrance while the pancake was extra crispy and not too greasy. The syrup and icing sugar were overkill though so anyone thinking of ordering this should ask them to hold the extra toppings. The killer however was their Hawker's waffles, a sinfully delicious crispy waffle slathered with syrup, peanut butter and probably some other fattening stuff I'd rather not know. A good choice to order and share around with friends. This place loss out on a perfect score only because they don't serve "complimentary tea or tap water" (I'm serious, it's even printed on the menu), and they only offer "boiling water". I suspect it's the management's strategy to get their customers' to order more drinks which is really an odd policy. But aside from that tiny inconvenience I'd still recommend this place. A well hidden gem in the city with a unique menu that opens pass midnight .

A little taste of sweets Hong Kong style.....I felt like I had been transported to a foreign land…read morewith this place....funky styling with sweet dessert tastes that are very different from the norm in Melbourne. A wide selection should provide menu items of interest to most!

Bushy Park Wholesale is one place you won't be overcharged. The fruit and vegetables stocked here…read moreare either grown in the fields that surround the shop or driven in daily from the farmers markets in the city. The prices are always cheaper than the supermarket chains and there are plenty of bargains to be had. Last time I went I got three mangoes for just $5! I was pretty chuffed with that find too! I wouldn't bother going on a Sunday as it is more likely to give you a headache than a satisfied feeling. It seems everyone wants to shop there that day and the crowds are ridiculous. Sometimes the cars pile up all the way down the long granite drive and out onto high street road. That is simply too much craziness for me. They don't generally advertise their sales but wednesdays are the best day to go to pick up a great bargain. They often have vouchers in local papers letting people know but if you don't live in the area you will often miss out. So if you can get there on a wednesday - do it. The staff are friendly and nice and there are around eleven registers so it is pretty big. The queue can be intimidatingly long at times but with all the registers working it moves pretty quickly.

My friend and I have been eagerly awaiting the opening of the Bushy Park Cafe for about 6 months…read morenow. Every week we would do our shop here and and walk past the building, peer inside and see the elegant decor and the stunning view and imagine what a classy breakfast eatery it would become. Perhaps we hyped it up a little too much but imagine our excitement when it was announced on Facebook that it was finally opening it's doors! We went along Sunday morning, excitedly getting there early in case it was super busy, looking forward to a big fat indulgent muffin or some avocado smash. The menu was fairly disappointing. Perhaps they had a different vision for their cafe than what we did, but it's more sporting club kiosk meets chinese takeaway than brunch. Fluorescently lit photos with numbers made the backdrop of the front counter. We ordered some traditional big breakfast style dishes, eggs with bacon and sausage I believe was the official name. They were incredibly cheap ($10) and really delicious, so it wasn't a total disappointment. The coffees were also very good. The venue is lovely, and has a spectacular view, it's just not what we were expecting. I think they would benefit by adding a pastry case to cater to the coffee and cake crowd, and maybe consider putting out paper menus, and ditching the photos, as it just makes the place look tacky and gross, which is a shame as it has so much potential to be a highly popular brunch spot.