Being on holiday from Victoria, we relied on WOMO reviews to choose this pizza place - what a mistake! We picked up from the store to avoid the decrease in quality you sometimes get from the delay with delivery. The pizzas were hot but they were also very greasy and tasteless - even the garlic prawn pizza had no real flavour to speak of and was drowing in oily cheese. The bases were undercooked, doughy and soggy. We forced ourselves to eat as the kids were too tired and hungry to wait for us to find an alternative option. Extremely disappointing.

Allegedly the smallest Safeway in Victoria (as it was built originally as a Tuckerbag supermarket about 30 years ago for our then-small town), they have partly captive market with the oldies who find it tricky to get to Aldi, Coles or the larger Safeway, all 10 km away in Corio. Product range is tiny to the point I couldn't do a full grocery shop there. I only buy "emergency" things that can't wait and will try to do without instead of buying their fruit and veg. Fingers crossed when the redevelopment happens (they're still working on all the paperwork) we get a real alternative like IGA.

We've found a new favourite place for when we want a special family dinner, eg for birthdays. Meals are huge but delicious (as opposed to small and tasty or big and bland) and only one out of four adults and two kids managed to finish their main course (while still leaving room for sweets). Three courses would definitely be a struggle for most people! The drinks list was reasonably priced with a decent range of wines by the glass. The kids loved the play area and we found the dining room (on a Monday night) didn't get too loud for conversation though it was just over half full so might be different when really busy. The only negative was the icecream in our desserts was a bit hard and icy.

Approximate cost: $27

Our Samsung washing machine was in dire need of repair and the repairer we've used before advised he wouldn't be able to get parts. Samsung advised this was an approved repairer and we couldn't be happier. He arrived on time and quickly determined the problem. He didn't have the correct part with him but arranged for a colleague to pick it up from their office and bring it out within the hour to finish the job while he moved on to the next job (which was fine with us). The whole job was done within 90 minutes and the callout fee was reasonable too. After giving it a few decent runs over a few days, if the problem wasn't fixed they would come and take it to their workshop and loan us a replacement in the meantime but the repair was spot on.

We have given this franchise a go several times and unfortunately it has failed to live up to the rave reviews from our friends. Every pizza I have had from here has had a soggy base, one to the point of being inedible even though I watched it come out of the oven, took it home and started eating within 5 minutes. They tend to overload the toppings (sometimes less is more!) as well which can make it tricky to eat although some of the topping combinations are appealing. Their garlic and herb bread is made on proper bread sticks and their pasta is pretty good although the cream sauces are a little bland and need a lot of parmesan to add some flavour. I do like that the parmesan for pasta comes in a little ziplock bag so you can add to taste.

I believe the chef has changed within the last year or so and unfortunately the quality of food has declined. The meals are still affordable but on a recent visit, the chicken parmigiana, though huge, wasn't very bland and the side salad might as well have been dressed with water as the dressing was also tasteless. The chips, however, were delicious. Sadly, this will no longer be our "go to" choice for family dining and special occasions.

Home Icecream is great value, especially in the summer holidays when the kids like an icypole nearly every day. Love that I can buy in bulk to last the fortnight and that they have healthy options (and the nutritional info is available on their website).

Their icecreams are smaller than those you buy at the shops but that's much better for portion control - I don't feel so guilty having a smaller icecream. I hate paying $3 or more for an icecream when I'm out now when I know I've got some at home that cost a fraction of that price.
Even better now they offer the option to order online and deliver to your door on delivery day (once per fortnight) or deliver to a Cool Cube (esky with special freezer blocks to keep cold 8+ hours) if you're going to be out.

We've never had a bad pizza from Ciccio's. The bases are a perfect thickness - not too thick and not too thin - and are always crispy on the bottom even when you reach the last piece. The only time we had a problem with a soggy, greasy base was with a margherita pizza when the fat from the overload of cheese soaked through.

They do use tinned veggies, eg capsicum, unless you specify fresh veggies which we always do. The toppings aren't overloaded on the base - some people might feel shortchanged but we prefer it this way. Chicken pizza with fresh mushrooms is our favourite, followed by vegetarian.

Their garlic bread could be better - it seems the same as the homebrand garlic bread from the supermarket rather than freshly prepared (as one of the local competitors) but their pizza wins every time.