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.

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.

It's getting hard to find a good butcher shop. Having to compete with supermarkets has driven a…read morelot out of the business over the last decade or two. And given that these days, we seem to have very little time to do our shopping, it shouldn't be a surprise. However, a few years ago I rediscovered the butcher shop in Kerrie Road, Glen Waverley. I'd been watching a lot of cooking shows and decided that I'd try and cook with meat you don't have to unwrap from a plastic tub. One of the best things I ever did. The quality of the meats on offer is fantastic. The chicken breasts taste like chicken, not cardboard. The steaks are tender and they don't look dry and horrid like you find in supermarkets. The service is excellent. The staff are really friendly, always up for a chat, and if you're stuck for an idea of what to cook, they'll have a suggestion or two.

Kerrie Rd Butcher is just what you'd expect from a local butcher:…read more Fresh produce, Super friendly staff who actually remember your name and ask about your day, and staff who really want you to have a good experience. If I buy chicken Kievs, the guy tells me the best way to cook them (I never knew for best results I should just wrap them in oiled foil). You might pay a few cents extra than safeway, but it's worth it.

Being married to a very talented home cook, I've become accustomed to shopping in very different…read morestores from the average supermarket. One of the first places that my wife sent me to pick up a few errands was Yeoh's. I felt somewhat like a stunned mullet upon my first entry into the store. All sorts of exotic (to me, anyway) merchandise and fresh produce is available, and the staff are usually good at helping me look where I need to in order to actually find what I've been sent for. So if you're looking for some ingredients to make that beef rendang recipe that you've been wanting to try, then this shop will see you right.

Coolest Coles ever!…read more For starters- its 24hours, secondly-its huge, thirdly-it's awesome. Okay, so I live 2mins away from a regular coles-but since this new one opened, I prefer to travel the extra 10mins just to shop here instead. Why? Because it's huge/awesome/it even sells clothes! So they've got a humongous fruit and grocery section, which means they sell 5 different breeds of potatoes (no more waiting for the farmers market on weekends). They've also got a huge meat selection, so much meat, so many different cuts and so much variety. I love how they have these cold aisles (cheese/butter/yoghurt etc.) are big enough for you to roam freely with your trolley without bumping into other trolleys. This Coles also sells curry that is there cooking in a pot, oh and they have roast chicken spinning in a window display and did I say it was 24hours? I could go on forever about this place, it's brand new and I'm obsessed with it! I would definitely recommend visiting this place if your nearby, if you don't find what your looking for, then there's a 24hour Kmart right next door to it too!

I have been here many a many a times at 3 in the morning, when I decided I felt like making fried…read morerice, or lasagne, or some other equally inappropriate meal for 3am. During the night it's awesome because it's open! During the day it gets quite busy, and I usually avoid in favour of a quiter supermarket. It is handy with K Mart right next door, especially just before xmas because you can get everything you need in one spot.

I have a thing for Asian Grocers. everytime I see one I have to go in and browse. I love to cook,…read moreparticularly asian, and lets be honest, the true asian ingredients you ain't going to get in your average supermarket. In Glen Waverley, Asian Grocers are plentiful. This one in particular is great as it has a huge range of fresh vegetables, meats, a big frozen selection of all things asian, and every possible bottled asian ingredient you can think of. If you are looking for something specific, save yourself a lot of time and ask the staff. There english isn't great, but they will fall over themselves to help a customer.

There are an abundance of Asian groceries in Glen Waverley, each stocking a similar range of rice,…read morespices, sauces, meat, vegetables, prepackaged options, lollies, biscuits, and cooking utensils. This is the one I most frequent - I think because of its size (big), range (great) and prices (low). There are also the exciting bargain boxes dotted around the place - make sure you stare at the floor as you walk the aisles - promising delicious sauces and noodles and all manner of things for $1 or $2 each. The vegetable selection is awesome, although sometimes you might have to play a game I like to call "what on earth is that". A vegetable is a vegetable, though, and when it only cost a little for the experiment, how can you go wrong?

Carmen at Wing Sam grocery is extremely helpful and gracious with my mooncake order during 2020…read morelockdown. She accommodated my 5kms. My family is able to enjoy our mooncakes during the Autumn festival.

Win Sam has been around for years, but it's only in the last few years that I've been brave enough…read moreto enter and do some shopping for myself. We've become very willing to experiment in our kitchen since we discovered the food network on pay TV. Win Sam, along with others like Yeoh's and a couple of others, has become something of a regular addition to our weekly shopping trip. For me, the real drawcard is the freezer, because I love to buy steamed custard buns. They're like an addiction to me. Yes, they're better fresh, but I'm not yet at the stage where I'm confident making my own yum cha doughs for steaming. I often get that craving for yum cha, but being a bit cheap, this place helps save me quite a bit of cash. I really like this place.