Good... scratch that, great mechanics are hard to find. Couple that with someone who operates from a place of honesty and integrity and it then becomes something very special and Phil Ridder Motors is just such a place.

I've been going to Phil for about 4-years now and over that course of time I've brought in three different vehicles he's been looking after; one SUV, one wagon, and one sedan, all at various stages in their life: one with low mileage and the other two with medium K's on the odometer.

This mechanic came as a referral from a friend of a friend and I was a bit sceptical but we all know that word of mouth referrals are sometimes like gold and much to my surprise this was an absolute gem. No matter what the issue Phil always provided the information upfront before any charging and the general labour costs are always reasonable. No one wants to throw good money after bad and having Phil there to advise if the cost of the part is too prohibitive, he gives you the option of sourcing a re-conditioned part and if that's even a good idea. My point being is that he involves you in the care of your car by informing you of what's wrong, the actions to repair, time, and cost. Nothing's done in a void so there's no fear of sticker shock when it's time to pay the bill.

The work is always warranted and there've been times where I needed to bring the car back in after work was performed to re-look at something and that was never an issue nor never a charge. His word is good and based on my experience... that's a welcome change.

As you'd know, over the years costs would vary depending on the issue at hand but I'll note this latest example for you. My Nissan X-trail was suddenly cutting out when driving. Happened on a few occasions but this latest one was twice in a row when my frantic wife rang. I brought in to Phil and it was the cam/crank sensor that went bad and replacement was $120 + $67.50 labour. All up with the $15.00 cost of a loaner car and GST, that trip was $222.75. Car dropped off at 9am and ready at 1pm. Definitely no complaints !

So if you're in need a good, trustworthy mechanic then I highly recommend Phil Ridder Motors. He's not around the corner from me but I'd much rather go a few K's out of the way for somebody that cares. Good luck to you.

This afternoon my Wife and I, along with our two kids, drove to the Dandenongs and had a lovely time walking around Sassafras, much to the horror of the children. Anyway... we were hungry and decided on Ripe Cafe as that's where my Wife took me when we first met many years ago; nostalgia got the better part of us as we thought what a terrific opportunity to create new memories. Well, unfortunate for us, food-wise the experience there was quite pedestrian as in ordinary.

The lunchtime meal order was nothing unusual: smoked salmon baguette, salami baguette, two cheese toasting, and two small chocolate milkshakes. Service was good as the place was quite busy with the throngs of visitors during Cup Day so we were happy to wait. It's when the food came out that left us wondering what happened to the Ripe Cafe we knew and loved.

My salami baguette was fine and passable and honestly would order again. The kids' cheese toasties were... well, quite bready with what seemed not to be much cheese but they didn't complain. What really got me was the lacklustre performance of the smoked salmon baguette. Just a single slice of salmon on buttered bread and four capers which the Wife doesn't eat so I was the lucky recipient of those. For a $10.00 sandwich we were quite surprised at how poorly the actual item was in comparison to the worded description in the menu. I was actually eyeing that one myself but was saved by the mere fact of having a far better homemade version of it this morning I made for breakfast. Needless to say we were most disappointed in not experiencing a better sandwich selection.

I like Ripe and would give it another go as who knows if it was the person preparing, they ran out of rocket or salmon or whatever... it's not enough for us to swear it off for life, it's just one of those things you file in the back of your head for future reference. Hopefully you'll have a delightful time when you visit and not leave with the disappoint we just had.

Approx. dining cost for all meals: $42.60.

Approximate cost: $10.00

I rang Frank a few months back to discuss removing a 10+ metre high tree in our front garden that had died. I was worried about it blowing over in a storm and hitting the house and being a sizable tree I needed some professional help.

Frank and I discussed the matter and scheduled a time for him to drop by and see it first hand. After confirming the tree's condition, an appt. was scheduled and as good as his word his crew arrived on time and promptly removed the tree and all the trimmings, taking care that neither my property or my neighbours around me were damaged and that generally all the bits and pieces were picked up.

The only wrinkle in the matter was the process was put to a sudden halt as at the base of the trunk near the ground the tree was totally infested with termites and they could not continue. Frank rang me prior to alert me of the problem and said when I had the termite problem taken care of he'd come back and remove the rest of the trunk.

Needless to say 2-weeks later the termites were dealt with and arranged Frank's crew to drop by and remove the rest of the trunk, leaving behind only a mulched mound - problem solved !

Frank was the utmost in professionalism and, much to my surprise, did not ask for any down payment nor payment in full until after the tree's complete removal. It was wonderful to meet and have the opportunity to deal with someone who worked on a handshake agreement.

If you're looking for someone to do any tree surgery and specializes in removal then Frank Duke is your guy. I totally recommend him and would have no hesitation in using him again.

NB: total cost was $300.00 which included a 10% discount voucher I had, meaning, the guy's good and didn't haggle over the price as I first asked about his fee and then brought up the voucher.

I was told of this restaurant by a family friend and was not disappointed. The terrific atmosphere was completed by quality food and drink coupled with excellent service.

I had forgotten that the servings of food was geared more toward tapas styled, which was great for my partner and I. We shared four dishes: seaweed salad (excellent !), tuna sashimi (outstanding, best I had in decades), california rolls (delicious), and steamed rice dumplings (yummy).

My only comment dish-wise would be when ordering the tuna sashimi, ask for the pistachio wasabi dressing to be on the side. Quite a lot is provided (no complaints here !) but it does tend to overpower the delicate flavour of the high-quality tuna being served as it's dressed on top of the slices. Make no mistake as I'd definitely order this dish again, this was just something to came to mind as I was dining.

If you're in to fresh, quality, and well-presented Japanese food then this is definitely your place. Enjoy !

Approximate cost: $Averaged about $15 per dish

After sleeping on a queen size mattress for the better part of +/- 15-years my Wife and I decided to up-size to a King. We spent countless weekend hours running to and fro, trying all manner of mattresses from wholesalers to retailers and by the end of it all knew exactly what we wanted.

A lot of the retailers we visited, although knowledgeable to varying degrees, most were willing to do a deal off the floor price so we did our best for an 'apples-to-apples' comparison. Generally the only retailer to stand above the rest was Sleep Doctor in Hawthorn East.

It's a franchise store that's owned and operated by Director Andrew Cain, and I must tell you that he provided a level of customer service most other retailers only dream about. He was diligent in meeting our needs and, just as important, willing to listen and impart his knowledge of the business without being overly pushy or off putting. Most other retailers lacked the skills in knowing when to engage the customer and when to step back, something which Sleep Doctor did very well.

With purchase in hand Andrew kept us abreast of delivery and as promised arrived on the day to do the installation himself. Part of our mattress order involved a custom base which wouldn't be available for another few weeks, and without us having to ask Andrew provided us with a loaner, free of charge.

To make matters even better, when the custom base arrived Andrew pointed out a small defect we had not noticed and said he'll get that fixed and get the new one out to us in a couple of weeks. True to his word he arrived with the new one and 6-weeks later, life is good and the mattress is a dream.

If you're in the market for a new mattress then I strongly encourage you to give the Sleep Doctor a try and see where it takes you. I've got nothing but kudos for Andrew and his sales consultant Dane, these guys did a fabulous job and candidly... it'll be your bad luck if you miss out.

Regarding the cost noted below our purchase involved a king-size mattress with 4-drawer base + $40 delivery. After little haggling Andrew was kind enough to throw in pillows and mattress protector too. Although most mattress retailers will do the same I can assure you they will not do the installation themselves nor give you and your family the level of personalised attention that truly exceeded our expectation.

Thank you.

Approximate cost: $3,600.00

I heard of Bubble's Car Wash by recommendation from a nearby smash repair shop who take their repaired vehicles for a wash. Since I usually wait 6+ months before taking my car for some TLC, which I attribute to being lazy, Scoopon had a Two Deluxe car wash deal for $29 and today was my first experience at Bubbles at happy to report it was great.

I drove into their business w/o an appointment and told it's best to book in beforehand just in case they're too busy. It being a Sunday they were slow and able to clean my car.

I was quite pleased w/ the service and attention and doubly pleased w/ the Scoopon coupon. The car was nicely washed and cleaned (including tires being washed and dressed), inside and out, all in about 25-minutes time.

The only downside was after doing some grocery shopping I opened to place the bags inside the trunk and notice they didn't open it and vacuum the inside nor wipe down the gunk and spiderwebs around the opening.

I've got one more coupon so I'll know better what to expect and recommend you give it a go.

Approximate cost: $29 Scoopon for 2 Deluxe Washes

This pub provides a nice dining atmosphere and has great weekly specials for kids, who can eat free Sunday through Thursday, which is the main driver for our family dining experience here.

Over the course of the year we've been here six times and each time the food was unexpectedly delicious. Where it disappointingly fails is the wait time to receive your meals. The kids meals have usually been prompt; served w/i approx. 10 to 15-minutes from order. It's the standard fare of chicken or fish strips w/ chips so no out of the ordinary that requires delay.

The adult meals, however, have consistently arrived 45+ minutes after ordering, long after the kids have finished and ready to leave. Our meal orders were the fresh snapper and chicken salad, again, no extravagance but did not know why it would garner a 50-minute wait.

I often refuse to go back by virtue of previous dining experience but am a glutton for punishment, as again, the kids eat free. Mind you... based on this latest experience I will not be revisiting the Riversdale Hotel as I've grown tired of the wait. "Fool me once, shame on you... fool me six times, shame on me."

If, on the other hand, you are in no rush and not beholden to such rules of the 'kids eat free' special, then give it a go as each meal has not been disappointing.

Approximate cost: $25.00

We had a terrible possum infestation with the running, jumping, gnawing, and the waking us up in the night and were at wits end when I read a recommendation of Pete and decided to give him a go.

He came out, did his business and kindly made a follow up phone call a week later. Much to our delight, as of this writing our possum problem seems to have been solved: his service was fast and efficient.

The only thing that soured the experience was the message left on our phone re: payment. He arrived much earlier than we agreed and were not home at the time he dropped by - it was then he chose to launch a verbal broadside about our lack of consideration, completely ignoring the fact of our agreed meeting time. Although he called later to apologize, which we accepted, it was a shame that this tainted what would have otherwise been exceptional service.

Approximate cost: $360.00

Went for lunch today (27/7/11) and a group of us ordered various hamburger conconctions and must say it was pretty yummy delicious. Added to the order were curly fries, which fine but was expecting perhaps some secret spice to help set it apart from other diners, and jalepeno poppers. The poppers were good, a bit too bready w/ the crumbed batter but not bad and pleasantly surprised.

Cost below indicates combo order w/ soft drink.

All-in-all a good experience and a delightful atmosphere, especially w/ the front counter of candy greeting you as you enter. Definitely will be back for a trial run at the milkshakes !

Approximate cost: $25