Member Review by Kate Dal Forno

More of a foodstore with a mini cafe, A1 Bakery is legendary for its Lebanese pizzas - in particular the spicey minced lamb with chilli and lemon juice. A close close second place goes to the spinach and fetta triangles: large in size, like a pastie, and brimming with bright green freshly cooked spinach and salty fetta. Add a smear of their home-made hummus and you'll think you're in Beirut.

Another variety of interest is the herb pizza - another flat based version with a spicey herb mix on top. No wonder this place has been in the top 10 in many a Melbourne Age review of pizzas (and its not even Italian). Oh and did I tell you they cost $2.50 or less?

You can eat in or take away... which we generally do as the tables are at a premium on Saturdays. The staff are very helpful and while you wait for the pizza to be made you should wander throught the food shelves. I am a regular purchaser of dates (good prices), sumac (sprinkle it on romas then roast in oven 120 degrees for 100mins and throw in a salad-wow), date or grape molasses (see review of Ray cafe), pre made felafel or mini-pizzas (you can be busy sometimes) gorgeous smokey eggplant tzatziki and labne, pomegranate syrup, rose water (adda drop to transform any pavlova into a Nigella princess)or orange blosson water, biber (thats red pepper to you) paste for an amazingly different pizza base at home or pickled biber in vinegar for throwing in casseroles ...and one of my favorite secrets, boxes of 2kg of fresh pink rose turkish delight (or vanilla) for $8.50. Sensational as a "bring a plate" on most occasions especially if you dress the plate with a few rose petals or some crumbled silver leaf. Hookahs, turkish coffee pots and other goodies await you. If you don't know what something is or how to use it just ask and the girls will tell you.

So you get lunch and the chance to expand your cooking horizons in the one stop.