JackMoon

Ok, this is my second all 5 star review today and again, Chris Siddon has earned the accolade. Chris bricked our new home and boundary fence to perfection. We've built before and the mark of a good brickie is reliability, work rate and how straight and level your walls are. Chris and his team's work is excellent and clean. Our renderers also commented on the quality of the brick work that made their job easy. We highly recommend Chris to all our friends and to WOMO members.

Approximate cost: $45,000

Nino's supplied and installed glass balconies and glass splash-backs to our new home and were are very satisfied with the results. Tony and son John are prompt and clean workers. We have given Nino's 5 stars as it's very hard to find passionate and dedicated tradesmen these days. Highly recommended.

Approximate cost: $5000.00

Mark has just done my 4th guitar set up and again, I am very pleased with the setup. Mark's area is more in set-ups than repairs and it's his attention to detail that makes his work outstanding.

Turn around time is very good - just a few days and this setup included a fret dress. This particular guitar had some dead-spots and rattles due to (new) uneven frets which I am glad to say is no longer a problem.

Marks fees are very reasonable and his advice invaluable. It helps that he plays guitar and gigs/records so he knows what other players expect from the guitar set-ups.

Mark specialises in Electric, Acoustic and Bass guitars, all guitar parts including tone pots, pick ups, fitting strap locks and Stratocaster bridges.

Approximate cost: $50.00

Now let's be clear. I'm a Baby Boomer. Therefore, when it comes to Musical Instruments, particularly guitars, amps and pedals, then us ex-hippies have the upper hand. See, we grew up with Fender, Marshall, Gibson, Rickenbacker, Hofner, Gretsch so we know how these dudes sound. And, they DO sound far superior to the new name under $300 guitars and amps flooding the market from you know where.

Now, the Guitar Shack isn't a fancy store. There's no pimpled salesmen running around in black shirts and no pressure to buy. In fact, the place looks like, 'a shack'' - hence the name.

But what you get are great hand selected musical instruments, a nice range of amps and accessories and great service. Student guitars are also in stock and all guitars are set up in house. If you want to learn to play guitar, the Guitar Shack's resident teacher Mario will make you a red-hot player in no time.

And if your band needs to rehearse, there is a great room right next to the Shack.

Prices are very good - in fact better than I expected and the service is personal. This really is a nice place to come to. Note their opening hours are not traditional 9-5 so give the guys a call to get their business hours.

Farrell's is one of the better independent bookshops along the Mornington peninsula. Established in 1978, they carry a wide selection of new and interesting books, including fiction, Classics & poetry and non-fiction: travel, languages, biography, history, current affairs, gardening, cooking, inspiration for the home, the Arts, personal health & more.

The shop has a friendly and warm ambience, plenty of light and knowledgable friendly staff. Farrell's have a good eye for unusual books and I often find myself buying a completely different book than I went in for.

Farrell's also have a range of ABC books, DVD's and CD's and there's a section of books for kids too. 
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All up, a local Mornington treasure and I hope this store is there for many years to come.

Approximate cost: $35.00

OK, "La Porchetta" I hear you say? Well firstly, let's give kudo's to success of this pizzeria. The original Rathdowne Street La Porchetta in Carlton is just as popular as ever. They have been franchising for several years and some are quite frankly better than others.

The benchmark is always the original La Porchetta in Carlton and to be fair, it is very hard for any franchise to compete with that quality. The Carlton restaurant just has flavour to it that's hard to emulate.

And so this is why I am giving the Jack Moon thumbs up to the Mornington restaurant. Apart from its great location at the bottom end of Main Street, the food is very close to its Carlton namesake. It probably helps that we are regular customers but generally the service is very good and most importantly, very friendly.

Our favourites include most of the pizzas. If you like a pasta with a little kick in it, ask for the 'Putanesca without the capers' and have it with Rigatoni pasta. Now there's nothing wrong with capers, but their flavour works against the natural kick of this very tasty pasta.

There are a wide variety of chicken and other meat meals, salads and sweets for the kids. Coffees are good and there's a good range of wines and drinks. The french windows add a nice touch when opened on warmer days and there's plenty of seating inside or outdoors on the widened and extended pavement under umbrellas.

So ok, it's not the top end of restaurants but neither are their prices. you can feed the family a good meal and come home with change. Your snooty friends won't eat there but who cares? La Porchetta is about real people so just go on in and enjoy the experience.

Cheers, Jack.

Approximate cost: $15.00

Heh hey !! Now this is one my favourite stops in Dromana/Safety Beach. Antonio and his family have a created a very nice bakery that has home made cakes (Italian style), coffees and sweets for the Aussies too!

At Paino's, there is a wide range of tasty breads (it is a bakery ...), home made pies, sandwiches and rolls sweets and coffee's. The bakery is located in the mall near the intersection of Pier Street and Nepean Hwy just behind the NAB.

Now I LOVE canoli's - a Sicilian pastry. It's the one with vanilla cream at one end and chocolate cream at the other end anda good canoli is very hard to find. But at Paino's, the canoli are very good - excellent in fact and get's this Sicilian's rating of 10.

You can eat in but there's only a few tables. If the weather is warm, grab your snacks and cross the road to Dromana foreshore. The pier and family area is just over the road so the kids can play while you eat their sweets !!

Service is always good at Paino's and they don't mind a chat with their customers.

Cheers, John.

Approximate cost: $10.00

Here's the weird thing. The place is known for its Charcoal Chicken but they also make the BEST Souvlaki's on the Mornington Peninsula. They should make this known on the window and store sign.

The Greeks, it seems rule the roost when it comes to flavouring meats and there's no mistaking the Greek connection here.

To be honest, the shop is devoid of ambience but don't let that put you off. There are plenty of clean tables with 4 chairs to a table so you can sit in, or if the weather is warm, take your meal across the road to the foreshore and sit on a bench by the beach.

The staff aren't going to win any personality of the year awards, if I can use that description but they are friendly nonetheless. There was one time I ordered some fish and wasn't happy with it. The staff member not only put on 2 larger pieces but was more than happy to do so. No bad attitudes here.

And so, back to the Souvlaki's. Get yourself a lamb Souv with garlic sauce and savour every bite. Don't forget to get a few extra serviettes to mop up with and keep any drippies off your lap.

Cheers, John.

Approximate cost: $10.00

Being of Italian descent, there are some foods that require a certain flair and quality when rating their worth. In the Gelati world, Tutti Frutti (meaning - All the fruit..) makes some of the most exceptional home made Gelati on the Peninsula.

The business began trading with a husband and wife from Rome and quickly gained a reputation for fine ice cream. Although in different hands these days, the quality remains although I miss the original owners.

There are wide range of flavours, all the usual but given the Tutti Frutti treatment, fresh and tasty. Gelati is also available to buy in a tub so you can take it home and serve after a meal.

All up, a great place to go during your trip to Mornington. All they need to do is add a coffee machine and cakes and they have the perfect after lunch/dinner place to go.

Cheers, John

Approximate cost: $5.00

Now named L'Aqua, the food is almost always excellent and one of the few restaurants in Dromana with a full clientele most nights and days. The menu covers meat, fish, specialty foods and includes a regular changed specials board.

Plate sizes (the amount of food you get) are generous and represent very good value. Families are welcome and there is a play area at the back of the restaurant to keep noisy kids away from other mums and dads who are there to get away from their own (LOL)...

Interestingly, the name of the restaurant 'L'Aqua (The Water), is mis-spelt and should be spelt as L'Acqua .

This aside, the staff are friendly and we have had many meals at L'Aqua with friends. Most times we have been very happy with their meals however there have been times when we are a table of 4 or 6 and our meals do not come together.

This is a new and very annoying habit many restaurants engage in and was never something of the past. Restaurant managers and the kitchen should never leave one or two people at the table without their meals, sometimes for 5 or more minutes while the rest have been served. There is nothing more annoying than having to wait for one or two plates while the others go cold.

There are some people like myself, who will not start eating until everyone has their plate. This is the polite thing to do and I find it irritating to have to remind waitering staff that all meals must come together.

This is my one criticism of L'Aqua however in fairness, we see this very annoying trend happening across more restaurants.

Other than that, we will be back with our groups of friends and we will insist on our meals coming at the same time.

Approximate cost: $30.00