A friend and I recently went in for lunch for the first time and were WOW'ed by the service and quality. Our server was friendly and immediately made space for my rather large pram without a fuss. The menu is quite large and mainly pasta or pizza options, but a large enough variety to suit everyone's taste. We selected a pasta with Marinara sauce and a pasta with a chicken and mushroom sauce. Both of us were very impressed - my friends marinara came with a generous amount of beautiful seafood and smelled divine. Mine was tortellini in a lovely creamy mushroom sauce - delicious. Both of our portions were quite large and tasty...yum ! The food is high quality, the venue well lit with comfy seating and the service polite and prompt. The prices are a bit high for pasta - but I don't mind paying a bit more for high quality and good service. If you have a choice between Sinners Family restaurant and La Porchetta as both are in the same general area - go with this one - while they are both pizza and pasta family style restaurants, this one is better by a long shot. Our only disappointment is they were out of gluten free pasta the day we visited as it was so good we were going to get take-a-way for a friend. Highly recommend for families, couples or as a spot for a business lunch - we were there at an "off" time and there were still quite a few people in the restaurant - a good sign that the locals are aware of it.

Approximate cost: $17

Great dental office in Mernda. My husband, 6 month old baby and myself visited Dr Nate Tran yesterday - and we couldn't have been more pleased to find this dentist in our area. He is warm, knowledgeable and very thorough. I have a high level of anxiety around visiting the dentist and found his manner very reassuring - he was gentle and explained everything step by step. If you are with HCF - these guys have "no gap" service for basic appointments - amazing. They also don't seem to waste your time or money with all kinds of "extras" you don't need. He was exceptional with our 6 month old - even though he has only 2 teeth, he was thorough and gave us advice on how to care for his teeth. We also received a reminder call several days before our visit, which is quite helpful. I would recommend him for adults or kids.

Approximate cost: $0

My husband and I went to Fieste with our young son for lunch for the first time this weekend. It was a very average experience - in summary - poor service, below average food and a"cash only" surprise at the end.
To start we were seated next to the main door in a nearly empty restaurant. The door kept opening and shutting (mainly due to the large number of smokers congregating right outside the door, which resulted in quite a second hand smoke experience as well). It was quite a cool day and we ended up keeping our coats on to stay warm and tossing a blanket over our baby.

There was only one server and he seemed very distracted and stretched to the limit, carrying chairs upstairs and unsuccessfully trying to cover the downstairs dining room customers such as ourselves at the same time. As such the service the diners downstairs got was rushed and hard to come by, and whenever the waiter came into sight the customers had to wave him over.
We ordered a large pizza to split - the pizza was delivered fairly quickly and was hot but was otherwise very average - there were plenty of toppings, but it seemed rather tasteless - we ordered 1/2 "The Lot" and half "Capricciosa" both of which should have been quite flavourful - but instead were quite dry and bland, and lacking sufficient cheese or sauce. The waiter completely forgot my husbands drink and at no point came back after delivering our food the check if we needed anything, or wished to order more drinks or desert. The biggest surprise was when I went up to the bar to pay (our waiter was no where to be found) Much to my surprise I was told quite abruptly when I tried to pay "no cards - only cash" if the total is less than $25 (this had not been mentioned to us by the waiter, didn't seem to appear on the menu and I didn't see any signs indicating this to be the case) - lucky I always carry a small amount of cash as many people do not these days and rely on EFPOS or credit cards. Very disappointing for a "family style" restaurant. The other surprise was the $5 charged for a small bottle of Coke - what a rip off ! Overall the experience left us feeling neglected by our server and disappointed by the food. Sad as this is an area with many, many families, the restaurant is well located and it would have been nice to be able to recommend it as a great place to take your kids and family.

Approximate cost: $15-$20

Sooo disappointed with this business. They have terrible customer service for a company trying to get new customers. I purchased vouchers from Scoopon to get both hair removal and a facial from the Plenty Valley location. As I have a young child I needed to make an appointment when I have child care - either evenings or weekends. Unfortunately they seem to only have one person who does these treatments and all the openings for both treatments are booked through to the expiry of the voucher. I called in twice and both times spoke with very unhelpful staff. 3 concerns - a) if you are going to sell massive amounts of vouchers to get new customers - make sure you can accommodate them or you will lose more customers than you will gain. b) If you do oversell - be prepared to accommodate people who have already paid to use your business - or you could be losing loyal future customers. c) The ladies I spoke with couldn't have been less concerned - some good customer service or a sincere apology would have done wonders in this situation. They may be the best in town, or the worst, but I won't be spending my money here....

My husband and I have gotten take a way from Nudelicious on a number of occassions and they are one of the best in the area for quality and price. I generally get the laksa and the portion size is big enough I rarely finish. The ingredients are fresh and just spicy enough to be enjoyable - lots of noodles, veggies and chicken or seafood. My husband has tried a couple of their noodle dishes and always enjoyed them - they don't skimp on the meat or veggies. We also usually get a couple of their steamed dim sims. The dim sims are homemade and very yummy. The prices at Nudelicious average around $10-$11 dollars for a large serving. Would recommend for a quick and delicious meal.

Approximate cost: $11

We found this place by accident - located seemingly in the middle of nowhere...but judging by the large number of cars in the parking lot, it is not a well kept secret, and for good reason. The cakes, slices and other sweets are amazing - the vanilla slice is some of the best I have ever tasted. They make amazing lattes and cappuchinos. As the place is always full sometimes the service can be a bit slow - but the high quality of the food more than compensates. I had a very nice quiche and salad and it was reasonably priced. We have also had their delicious pies - a wide selection of types, warm and oozing with flavour. The outdoor dining area is nice - the overall feel is of a cozy little cafe tucked away in the woods. Well worth the trip - a great place to snuggle up with a newspaper, coffee and a slice on a rainy day !

Approximate cost: $8 - $13

These guys are great - they understand customer service, provide a fresh, great tasting product and good value for your money. My husband and I have stopped in several times and have never been disappointed. The staff are friendly, very knowledgeable about the types of fish they serve and seem genuinely happy to talk to customers. The fish is always fresh (not frozen, as you unfortunately get at many places) and has a nice light batter. I have had the Blue Grenadier, Flake and, on the suggestion of the staff the Rockling and have found them all very tasty. They generally have a "fish of the day" type special priced around $7 and it is a generous helping for the price. We recently tried the Thai fish cakes - a huge serving, great Thai taste and freshly made. We have also had their burgers - $6.50 for a burger with the lot - a nice big burger with egg, cheese and bacon - yummy. Their chips are just right - not too greasy or too salty. This place is the best value in the area - and the locals seem to know it - there is always a constant stream of people in the door, and the friendly staff seem to know many of them - always a good sign ! I would highly recommend Hooked and Cooked - we drive from Mernda for the fish and chips and burgers in Whittlesea.

Approximate cost: $5 - $8

We stayed here in a 2 bedroom cabin for 2 nights while visiting Philip Island several weeks ago. We found the cabin a nice size for the 4 of us - 3 adults and an infant. The staff were very nice, but unfortunately double charged us for the stay (we were charged through Wotif when we booked, and then again by the park - this was resolved when we got home - so no big deal - just a bit of a nuisance) The park itself was well maintained and the staff friendly and accommodating. The 2nd bedroom set up was a bit odd - 2 sets of bunk beds in a very small room - I can't imagine having 4 kids in addition to 2 adults in a cabin that size, and the bunk beds were a bit odd for my elderly Mum to use. Warning to others to either bring your own linens for the second bedroom or be prepared to pay extra - this was clearly laid out in the booking so we planned ahead. All in all the experience was very good - the park is well located to see all that Phillip Island has to offer, was fairly well priced, with all the kitchen provisions you would expect and well maintained. I would recommend it as a pleasant accommodation for couples or families.

Approximate cost: $130

I found this fabulous cafe / restaurant hiding in my own neighbourhood, and it obviously is not a well kept secret as it is always busy. The reason is clear - this place scores high marks all around. First off the setting is amazing - the Carome Homestead is tucked away in Mernda, surrounded by rolling hills and kangaroo filled fields - a tranquil and beautiful setting with lots of easy parking. Second - the staff are genuinely warm, helpful and customer oriented, hard to find these days. One day we stopped by for lunch and they were booked out, we went back to the car and a staff member actually came out to the car a minute later to let us know they had just had a cancellation and could fit us in....amazing. Third - the food is fantastic - I had the lamb burger and my husband the steak sandwich - neither of us could believe how good they were - fresh, perfectly seasoned and absolutely yummy. Quite truthfully, when we first looked at the menu we thought it was a bit over-priced - but when a place gets the setting, customer service and food quality right - it is well worth it. I would highly recommend this place.

Approximate cost: $24

My husband and I visited this weekend for a late lunch. We were able to get a table outside and really enjoyed the fall colours and outdoor setting - beautiful. It was a great spot for us as we had brought our baby along and there were many other families sitting outside as well enjoying the day. When I looked at the menu I commented that the prices seemed a bit high, but as we hadn't been here before presumed that it must be an up scale place and the prices would be reflected in the quality. We were very disappointed. My husband had the sausage and mash - while the food was good (certainly not exceptional), the portion size was very small - 2 sausages and a small amount of mash - he left hungry and disappointed. I ordered the potato and artichoke gratin - what a let-down - a small portion of under-cooked, under-seasoned potatoes with no artichokes in sight sitting in a pile of oil. The waitress who picked up our dirty plates and glasses didn't ask if we had enjoyed the meal, or if we needed anything else...This place could be so much better - they have the benefit of a great location and venue - but their food and service lets them down. We won't be returning, and I wish I had read the other reviews of this place before we went - oh well - lesson learned.

Approximate cost: $24