My Sunday isn't complete without a trip to the Gabba Fruit Market. It's a little bit out of the way…read morefor me, so I like to make one trip and stock up on all my fruit and veg for the week, so as to avoid shopping at Coles and Woolworths. The produce at the Gabba Fruit Market is fresher and often much cheaper than that sold in the supermarkets and if you shop according to what's in season, you can fill a couple of green bags for around $30. They also have a great sales rack, selling produce that's nearing its expiry. I hate to think how much the supermarket giants must throw out just so that they can have display shelves full of "perfect" or under-ripe produce, but it's so nice to see places like the Gabba offering its old produce to customers who are happy to slice off the mushy bits and, of course, get a bargain. The Gabba Fruit Market also sells a small range of packaged, canned and other goods such as dairy products and bread. They often have great specials on staples like canned lentils and dried pasta. Make this part of your weekly ritual too!

With a respectable collection of dry goods, dairy and, of course, all the fruit and veg you could…read morewant, this top-shelf greengrocer really is a practical alternative to the supermarket. You'll find reasonable quality fruit and veg at very cheap rices: eg. * Watermelon @ 69c/kg * 3 avocados for $2.50 * 1kg bag of red onions for $1.99 * 5 ruby grapefruits for $2 * Jap pumpkin $1.29/kg And the list goes on. The specials no doubt change but you can rely on finding a bargain here. Last I went there were some pretty good specials on dry goods, like two boxes of cous cous for $3 and jars of olives for $2 each. The counter staff are pretty nice, just watch out you don't get bowled over by one of the burly guys wheeling around stock in trolleys.

If this was my pantry I'd be fairly chuffed. But it's Julia's and at least she's kind enough to…read moreopen it up for Kenmorians six days a week. It's conveniently located next to The Single Guys which means it's the perfect combo for a morning coffee and stop to pick up some herbs, a ready made meal for your Parisienne Housewife dinner or to order a cake. On the morning I arrived the store had a delicious scent of cinnamon, cardamom and an array of Christmasy-spices. They'd been baking Christmas cookies and cakes. If there's a psychology of scent these guys have it down and it leaves you wanting to buy whatever they're cooking. And wait there's more: Julia's also have a small selection of bulk flours, oats and grains for purchase. A definite tick of approval in Brisbane's inner-West!

What a delightful experience to be allowed to shop in the pantry of an amazing cook. Julia has…read morecreated an amazing arrangement of both pre-prepared meals and scrumptious cakes. There's always irresistible home made sausage rolls for a snack. Surplus ingredients are for sale at reasonable prices. A jewel in the sometimes saddened western suburbs shops. A very homely feel as you can see Julia preparing meals whilst you browse the array of food.

After a couple of hours scouring the shops I was in need of some nourishment. I spied this shop and…read moreheaded inside in hope of finding a cookie. I was rewarded as there were a couple of different varieties. I chose a choc chip one, which was packed full of chocolate chunks. It's pretty hard to go wrong with a cookie and this one was perfectly satisfactory, but it didn't compare to some I've tried. Apart from cookies they had they usual range of breads, pies and sickeningly sweet looking things. I found it strange that they didn't seem to display their fresh bread loaves, but it was late in the day so there's a chance I had simply missed the prime bread buying time. It's a pretty typical bakery, with nothing too exciting to recommend but nothing to deter you either.

Macca's Bakery has a small, homely feel, not tacky and industrial like some bakeries have. They…read morehave warm red hues around the place plus classy looking glass jars packed full of tasty looking treats. They have a pretty typical range of baked goods, breads, slices, buns, muffins and pies. Not a bad place to stop if you're passing through and just want a quick snack or light lunch.

If you are trying to save your pennies and want to cut your grocery bill in half - check out…read moreLawnton Country Markets Fruit Shop. Everything you need to make nutritious family meals (breakfast, lunch and tea) including fruits, vegetables, legumes, pasta, rice, cheese, milk, yoghurt and tinned foods (i.e. tuna/etc) all in one convenient location. I am currently on a mission to feed a family of four for a week for under $100 and I think I will be able to do it shopping exclusively at the Lawnton Country Markets Fruit Shop. The low prices do not show in the quality of fresh produce here which is always very high, straight from the farmer! There is a butcher located right next door and a seafood market in the next shopping complex (only about 100m away) so you can dodge the supermarket altogether!

Very competitive pricing compared to big supermarket. Also have had staff help me to the car…read moremultiple times with my shopping. Couldn't ask for better service !

I love this butchers…read more They've got a great range of meat (lots of it organic or locally sourced) and the guys behind the counter are HEAPS more knowledgeable than me. I could never get the background on a piece of meat they can provide from the guy in a supermarket. The prices are as good as the supermarkets too, and you're supporting a great local business by buying here. Their position next to a bakery and fruit shop / deli also means you can do your daily meal shopping without having to enter a big chain. Oh, and they have cheap dog bones. Love that.

Got really bad service here the 1 time I wanted to do more than buy 1kg of mince…read more After waiting ages for staff to stop chatting with friends, finally got served. Little interest in, or help in suggesting, where I could buy some pig's trotters.

Tried an açaí smoothie here and was pretty disappointed. I got the berry one, and it was just kind…read moreof generic-tasting. I've loved açaí for years, having tried it in Rio long before the açaí bowl trend caught on in other parts of the world. The taste is just so nice, something like in between blueberry and chocolate, but this smoothie seemed really light on the açaí taste and really heavy on the raspberry and strawberry taste, which was a let down. It also seemed overpriced given I could easily have thrown the same ingredients into a blender for way cheaper. But my biggest gripe with it was all the seeds. Yeah, berry smoothies are bound to have seeds -- the raspberry ones especially are annoying because they're so tiny and they just clamp onto your molars like a needy ex-boyfriend. So I expected some seeds, but the amount of seeds in this smoothie was RIDICULOUS. I needed a spittoon like in the Wild West to spit all those puppies into. Made for a really unpleasant smoothie experience. (First world problems, I know.) On the plus side, they have their vegan menu options clearly marked. I'm also guessing their açaí bowls are way nicer than their smoothies, and if I ever went back I'd try a bowl instead, but right now I'm not too inspired to go back. Staff seemed bored and undertrained -- they made a couple of mistakes while I was here.

Kiss the Berry is a very unique pop up shop that's serving a very interesting take on the…read more"superfood" known as the acai berry. Now whether you believe this fruit is really one of those panaceas for everything that irks you (personally I do), let me tell you something - these bowls of fruity goodness are delicious! It's a pop up shop so don't expect any fancy decor but I will say the minimalist set up gave off a very clean and cozy feeling. When you walk in, you'll want to go straight to the back where you can hear the buzzing blenders. So as the store name suggests, this place is all about the berries. The menu has 2 main choices: bowls and smoothies. I haven't tried the smoothies yet but I reckon I will at some stage. The bowls consist of the following: a layer of acai + other fruit puree, granola, banana and strawberry slices topped with a sprinkling of flax seed. That's what they call the Original and the one I've liked the most. I've tried a couple of the others and they seemed to be variations on the same theme. I work out at the Jetts right across the street and a bowl of berry is the best award after coming off an early morning session. The cool tangy puree meshes beautifully with the sweet crunchiness of the granola. I usually get the large ($10) and it's more than enough for a filling hearty breakfast that (gasp!) is actually pretty healthy. The price however is one of the reasons I'm not here every day and probably the only negative I can think of. However, that being said, it's addictive enough that I have been going about 2-3 times each week! I've recommended this place to all of my coworkers and friends to try at least once. It's unique and as a longtime devour-er of acai berries, I'm very happy that there's now a shop that champions its cause!

Try walking into La Vosh and walk out without something you know you shouldn't eat. I dare you!…read more As well as great coffee, La Vosh offers locals a delicious selection of freshly baked crossiants (try the Almond Crossiant - it will take you two sittings as it's just that big - but well worth the $4.50), bagels and petit fours. Oh, and each Friday you can enjoy their Callah.

La Vosh Patisserie can become a regularr of mine. Aside from their great range of bagels, they sell…read morefantastic yeast raised doughnuts - standard or with jam in the middle, yummo! They always give you a cute biscuit to go with your coffee too and offer bits and pieces at the register to tate test - can't argue with that. If you want to sit and stay for a while, the tables are covered with butchers paper, so children can do some drawing while mum or dad reads the supplied newspaper. Some of my favourites at La Vosh Patisserie include the ham and cheese croissant, the plain yeast raised doughnut and the blueberry bagel.

I love this butcher, great quality meat at great prices, and the butcher himself is a chatty,…read morefriendly guy. They also stock organic gurnsey cow milk, as well as a small range of fresh produce, and make sure you try the hand made mustard pickle, amazing!

One of my absolute favourite butchers in Brisbane. They have a conscious focus with their meat…read moresourcing and stock an abundance of grass-fed beef and free-range chicken, but unlike other butchers they don't charge a premium for it. They don't have a super shiny countertop display showing off all their fancy cuts, but they have amazing service - if you can't find what you're after in their big walk-in chiller, just tell them what you're after and I'd be very surprised if they don't have it. They're super-friendly bunch, nothing's too much trouble and they happily cut up the stock bones I get from them into lengths that will fit in my pressure cooker pot. I've been driving out of my way to get my meat from them for a few years now and would recommend them to anyone!