Finally we have a Persian restaurant in the Doncaster/Templestowe area!

I'd been wanting to try this place for a while.

The decor was very nice. I did remark, however, that it was a shame that the lighting couldn't be turned down. The brightness overhead detracted from the atmosphere, giving an otherwise sumptuously rich and colourful Persian interior a suburban fast food restaurant feel.

We had the special dips for starters, which were very good, especially the smoked eggplant. I wasn't sure about that one before trying it, but I loved it! We asked for and received extra bread.

Then we had a chicken and berries dish and two different lamb dishes, which were plenty for four people. The lamb and chick pea stew was very interesting because I had to drain it into a soup bowl, then crush the stew myself. The waiters showed me how. It was fun. The dishes were all tasty.

The Iranian tea and rich dessert selection was a nice way to finish.

The waiters were very attentive, except the extra bread took a little long to arrive.

This isn't the best restaurant in the area, but it's quite good. The owners have obviously been responding to previous reviews. It's a welcome addition to the diversity of choices in an affluent area. I'll certainly be going back again.

Approximate cost: $27

I can't rate this business because I can't get them to give me a quote.

Sette was recommended to me by a handyman who has done a lot of work around my house and whom I trust.

I need about $9000 worth of new windows on the western side of the house. I already had one quote, but I was a bit unhappy about certain aspects of it and I wanted another one before committing to have the job done.

The first time I called, Sette told me their guy would ring me to make an appointment. A few days later he rang to ask if he could come out to the house in an hour. I was at work, so I tried to negotiate a different day when I'd be home. (I work 4 days a week.) He couldn't commit and said he'd ring again another time.

A week later he rang me when I was at the shops. He wanted to come within half an hour. I was waiting to attend an optometrist appointment, so I couldn't get home that quickly. He seemed slightly annoyed with me that I didn't understand his busy schedule and work to fit in with him.

Three weeks later -- and wanting to commence this job -- I rang Sette again and asked whether their guy could come out the following Wednesday, as I had the day off. I would make myself available any time that day. They said okay, but then mentioned that I'd be charged $140 for the quote, which would be deducted from the bill if I selected them. When I said that this was the first time I'd heard of charging for a quote, they sort of went all funny on me. But they agreed to come out to me free of charge and organised to ring me first thing Wednesday morning to tell me the time they'd be here.

I never heard from them again.

I was quite serious about considering them for the job. I was looking for a reason not to go with the first company, but I won't ring Sette again.

It's hard to imagine why any company these days isn't interested in $9000 worth of business.

This is the third time I have used Taylors. I've been pleased with them each time. They give you a 2-hour window for arrival, they come on time, they do the job with a minimum of fuss, and they accept personal cheques.

The fellow was courteous and respectful.

When I queried the price of the third visit compared to the other two and compared to the size of the other trees, they immediately knocked $20 off. I was happy with that.

I'll ask them back again if I have to.

I'd been to this place numerous times before and enjoyed it, but not this time.

It's gone way downhill.

It used to be a cheap and cheerful place to bound up some rickety stairs to grab some quick Vietnamese while on the way somewhere else.

It's still cheap, but no longer worth it. The quality of the food has deteriorated a lot.

The rice paper rolls were lovely, so we were off to a good start.

But then they brought out the fish curry, pork with ginger and braised satay chicken. Blech. They just looked, well, I don't know. Not like real food. Then we tasted them.

The pork was glistening with a weird sheen and completely flavourless. The fish curry was a radioactive yellow, and it congealed on the plate. Corn flour much? The only dish that was okay -- and only just okay -- was the chicken. My friend liked it, but I thought it was bland.

We left at least half of each dish. We just couldn't bring ourselves to finish them.

Total cost: $52 for three people. As we left, we agreed that it would have been better to spend $72 and get something that didn't make us feel disgusting as we cautiously descended to the street.

Approximate cost: $9-11

I went to this pub for after-dinner drinks last night. I hadn't been there before, but I passed it after parking and on my way to dinner, and I resolved to visit later in the evening.

The pub lived up to its promise. I really, really loved the atmosphere. It's a typical Irish pub, and doesn't pretend to be anything else. If that's what you're after, then this place is for you.

The drinks were reasonable, and the bartender was generous with the whiskey the second time around.

I really enjoyed my dinner there last night. I had the ravioloni (large spinach ravioli) and ensalada italia with a beautiful bottle of Kangarilla Road shiraz from McLaren Vale. They were presented attractively and they tasted delicious. My dinner was not spectacular, but very good. According to my friends, the pumpkin risotto, osso bucco and vitello saltimbucco were also yummy.

I liked the atmosphere inside the restaurant. I had initially thought it would be a bit touristy from the outside, but once I got inside it felt warm and inviting.

My only complaint is that two different waiters approached us and started talking without waiting for my friend to finish his sentence. I really don't like that in a restaurant.

I'll recommend this place to friends. I look forward to a return visit.

Approximate cost: $28

I really love this place. The food is absolutely delicious. Try their Mixed Paella or Rack of Lamb for some truly special fine dining.

Owner Roy is part of the reason to visit. He's friendly, courteous, helpful and full of life. He won't forget your name!

The little surprise at the end is also worth waiting for!

(I'm told the breakfasts are also excellent. I haven't tried them yet. They're something to savour with anticipation!)

Approximate cost: $15-36

We just bought a new investment property through Synergy, and we are happy. It was a painless way to sift through the endless choices, and we seem to have gotten a good property. Synergy was able to get into the private sale market for us and find us a place that not many other buyers knew about. Synergy advised on how much to offer, and we beat the 2nd top offer by only $700. You can hardly do better than that. We figure we paid about $30,000 under the auction re-sale price in an area that will definitely continue to grow in value.

Synergy is now managing the tenancy as well. Their recommended top rent was spot on, and they found us a tenant after only one open house. We've had a few problems with things not working that we couldn't test before buying (like the gas heater and tv antenna), but we're happy with how hard the agent is working to resolve the issues quickly for the tenant and with less expense to us.

So far, so good, Synergy!

Green Room Interiors is run by a lovely woman, Tania, who is friendly, funky and accommodating to my needs. She provides an excellent creative interior decorating service that is responsive to my goals and personal style. She has high standards, and she's solicitous without being insincere. The business has upscale clients, but there's nothing snooty about it. Tania is so helpful and friendly that you never feel intimidated.

I knew approximately what I wanted, but I had no idea how to achieve it. I tend to choose safe and boring options on my own, so I wanted someone to push me to take some calculated risks. Tania's task was to make my ideas more modern and useable, recommend some interesting pieces that I'd never think of or find on my own, help me choose colours and items that wouldn't date quickly, and create some long-lasting comfortable spaces for my teenaged family.

Together we've completely remodeled two back rooms (one was a huge job involving removing a bar and plastering over brick) and partially changed a front room. I've also put new outside doors into two rooms, added a pergola and soon I plan to repaint the eaves, fascias and some windows outside.

Tania has great colour-matching skills, and her suggestions for my home have all enhanced my original ideas or given me new things to consider.

She also has good industry contacts, so I've been able to ring her for suggestions on service personnel and she emails me back quickly. Her suggestion of cabinetmaker for some shelving was brilliant, and her painter has been excellent.

My home feels luxurious now, without breaking my budget, and the compliments have flowed for months after each new change.

I've been working with Tania for nearly two years now, with some periods of intense work and many months of no contact in between. She's happy to let the client come and go depending on schedule, thus she charges per appointment rather than one large up-front fee, which suits my chaotic lifestyle and my moderate budget.

I'm looking forward to asking Tania to help me update my kitchen next!

Approximate cost: $90/hr

I needed two overhead lights checked, and I also needed two power points put in. Jamie, of the Melbourne East division of Mr. Electric, came out to the house with an apprentice within one hour of my call. He gave some good advice, added the power points, and he found and fixed the faults in both overhead lights. He was very quick and polite, and he cleaned up after himself. He didn't treat me like "the little woman." Without my asking, he also made sure they didn't track dirt inside the house. He didn't try to upsell anything. He did a minimal, no-fuss job and I didn't feel uncomfortable with two blokes in my house. He promised to come back quickly if the fix for one of the overhead lights turned out to be not quite right. Great job! I'll certainly call him again next time.

Approximate cost: $437