mary mae's bar & kitchen

great potential with an awesome outlook. unfortunately my nespresso machine makes better coffee.. and food is way overpriced.

asked for a vodka mojito - was told i couldn’t swap the rum for vodka as there’s no button on the cash register for that. . .
what can you say to that? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

oh my gosh... i’ve been coming to this restaurant way back when it was watt and back in my old hood i couldn’t pass up this place.

first of all, service was outstanding. i chatted to the manager trish who was amazing, as were all the staff.

a terrific selection of wine and cocktails, we had probably one too many sparkling wines but at $60 a bottle for some seriously good sparkling on a hot day it was perfect.

we had the beef brisket, it was $45 and probably the best beef we’ve had in a long time. with a stunning dill cabbage slaw, fresh rocket, super soft tortillas and great sauces it was a really delicious meal for 2 (or 3 as we had some left over!)

the children’s burger was perfect for a 6 year old and came with heaps of chips (which went great with the beef brisket too!)

awesome desserts for the little ones too. absolutely love this place and with a view and a cool breeze it’s the place to be!!

very slow service we had to wait nearly 40 minutes for two meals which meant we couldn't really enjoy them as we had tickets to see a show. the fish and chips were good but the gnocchi was i don't even know how to describe it, just bad. the dumplings themselves were okay, there wasn't any sauce so it was dry except the vegetable ribbons. it was served with unroasted hazelnut which added nothing to it. i deigned to ask for parmesan but was refused. never refuse a customer parmesan with their pasta i don't care how great you think your dish is, its just pretentious.

went there today with a regular and was pleasantly surprised to see gf and gf options on the menu. i ordered the reuben on gf bread. it came with home made fries which i assume are not coeliac appropriate as the guy did not ask about the fryer when i ordered. they were delicious. i found the sandwich really tasty and good balance of kraut, slaw and meat. the paper on the board stuck to the sandwich and starting coming apart when trying to eat with cutlery which was annoying.
i thought the atmosphere on a sunday arvo was great and would come back for chill tunes but not great for dnm’s with friends.

a friend and i headed here for lunch recently. mr l. who is on a special (health-driven) diet, chose the tuna heirloom grain salad with pomegranate, kale and almond ($26). the tuna looked nicely done, though i do prefer mine just a leetle rarer personally. the salad was fresh and tasty, and bursting with goodness. i think mr l.'s blood was zinging after that!

i went for the beer-battered flathead with chips and coleslaw. this was a very generous portion with 2 long pieces of fish. i didn't get through it all, but it was delicious. the fish was tender, with just the right amount of batter, i.e. not too thick nor thin; chips were crispy outside, soft inside; coleslaw was ... well, coleslaw. i had to laugh at the wire basket; maybe they haven't seen that facebook page - we want plates? (btw, i recommend that fb page for a few belly laughs.)

i had a glass of prosecco ($12), while mr l. had a healthy cup of green tea ($4). if only a fly hadn't dropped into my drink. i scooped it out, and drank a bit more, but finally the ghost of flies past stopped me in my alcoholic tracks:-).i’m sure i could have asked for a new drink; my bad.

hubby brought me here the following friday night for dinner. i had the crispy-skinned barra with a cauli purée and roasted cauli ($32). the fish was deliciously tender, the cauli was tasty, and the pistachio gremolata gave it a lovely bit of crunch. but strangely, i think i enjoyed the fish and chips the previous week a wee bit more than this dish. and a few chips would not have gone astray.

mr p. chose the chickpea burger with roast peppers, celeriac remoulade and fries ($21). it was on a hefty bun, which was nicely charred. the chips were great, but didn't come with any aioli or sauce - is that odd? i guess we could have asked for some. mr p. said the pattie was good, but needed more spice. the celeriac was crunchy and well seasoned, and had a tangy hit from the horseradish. he was a big fan of this burger. we both laughed at the wooden board; mr p. has a thing about them. see my note re: we want plates!

all up, we had a pleasant meal in a fun atmosphere. the staff were very friendly and helpful, the music wasn't too loud, and the food was flavoursome.

the riverside and powerhouse setting are the best thing about this place, also doggo friendly! it’s a casual place for dinner or drinks but they are open for breakfast too. the menu is quite varied with a canadian influence - think poutine and clamato cocktails along with a focus on fresh seafood. it’s not table service but it does make it handy if you want to split the bill. the drinks menu is interesting and reasonably priced and this is a great place to have drinks and nibbles before or after a show. i went here for dinner and the seafood was really tasty and fresh.

nice on the river, staff are great, food menu leaves a lot to be desired and the results were just the same, appalling. we had a table for 9 people all ordered various meals, the comments ranged from lacking variety to very poor quality at double the price. definitely not worth a visit for food, great for a drink on the balcony.

if you want a meal with a view - this is a great spot. no bookings taken so just pop in and if you’re lucky you’ll manage to secure a table by the river. we ordered drinks at the bar then sat and enjoyed the sunset while we peruses the menu. there is southern american theme to the menu with small plates, mains, light meals as well as sides and. desserts. we chose salt and pepper squid, crab cakes with salsa and succotash as well as a side of kale sautéed with garlic and chilli. all orders are at the bar and they will give you a buzzer to let you when the food is ready. they were quite quick and the food was great. tables were constantly cleared and empty glasses whisked away by friendly staff. not expensive and great place to enjoy a meal or beverage on a warm brisbane evening.

the menu here takes inspiration from america's south. yes, soul food it's what's up around here. so obviously i couldn't say no to their buttermilk fried chicken served with toasted muffins, bbq sweet sauce, aioli, chilli caramel and slaw ($34), a dish that's designed to be shared, but i don't blame you if you want it all to yourself because it is finger-licking good. the chicken was crispy and tender, i drizzled mine with some bbq sweet sauce and wolfed down the whole thing in minutes...