mary mae's bar & kitchen

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 ofchips(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 andchipswere 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.

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 withchipsand 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;chipswere 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 andchipsthe previous week a wee bit more than this dish. and a fewchipswould 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. thechipswere 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.