Taking the spot of where gastropub Villager used to be, Miss Kay's started off early in 2015 as a limited-run, pop up burger bar. This must have been proven to be a success, as quite a number of customers showed up during that fortnight, and now here it is as one of the hot spots of the year - at any point, it is a busy little place. Does it deserve to be? The short answer yes, and the long answer will be yes many times.
I had tried it during the pop-up trial, and was quite impressed. Thus, when it materialised into being one of the hot spots, part of me knew that I had to eventually get here. But, how? Well, my friend had some free time so I went to meet her for brunch one day in the city. Using this opportunity I suggested maybe a burger and it was off to here.
During the time it was a pop up restaurant, restoration was already underway. This fit out contains two stories, and use was definitely being made of it and it is being effectively used right now. Upstairs can be booked for events, and it was closed during the time the two of us were here - much to her chagrin. There are a couple of televisions playing movies from the 1980s, and it has a big bookshelf that has all sorts of novels on display. However, these are display only - I know, because when trying it out during the pop-up trial, I attempted to get one of the books out without a lot of success only to be reminded it is merely display - I am sure they get that a lot. Up on the top level, it is like a lounge serving American cuisine.
Come onto the entrance level, and many aspects of the interior design are like the stereotyped American diner you see around. This is from the neon sign, to the friendly atmosphere, to the choice of using red with the seats (particularly booths), and the use of trays for plates, along with the black brick wall. Pop music circa 1980s plays over the loudspeakers. It was so much like that typical diner, that my friend even said it was only missing waitresses on roller-skates.
Finally, there is the al fresco dining complete with a window for the sidewalk to get orders to go (note: coffee, always a good chance for more money there). Several houses are on the pavement, with elevate seating and high tables. Considering this is right in the heart of the city, it ain't bad having three different dining styles available.
Which reminds me of the service. You cannot go for that diner feel, without going full ball and having pleasant and smiley service. That they did. It added more to it, and one waitress was even a good sport reminding my friend and me it might be a few minutes before the orders were ready. Good points, and I might not even have noticed if it weren't mentioned. With its popularity, you bet that it is constantly buzzing. Food is ordered as per usual at the counter, and getting the cutlery and napkins are done by self-service.
The menu is one of the most simple, thus one of the most realised ones within the city. And this is one that is a fair bit better if you are on a budget. The main stay of their menu is the burgers; it is a modest menu, and the burgers are straightforward with their toppings. It is all American style. A few other snack items are available to be put onto the side to have with your burger. Come in during the morning, and they have a few simple items for breakfast; these don't deviate too much from the bacon and egg variety (had it been here during brunch - those chicken and waffles would have been the order hands down). Expanding onward, they also have a drinks menu - it has all kinds of craft beers and that, but for the diner experience spiders, coffee and milkshakes are where it is at. Those they deliver.
Anyways, onto the meals. From the selection, each burger sounds good or at least there are enough to be indecisive for a while. That is one reason I often read menus before going to a place. This was one such place, and therefore I knew what I was going to get from the get go. It was none other than their MK Special, and because I am greedy- and like to constantly build burgers up - ordered it with some macaroni cheese (besides, the Mac Daddy - which came with macaroni cheese on it - was what I sampled during the pop-up period). The MK Special is one of the biggest burgers they have, consisting of a beef patty, maple bacon, an onion ring, American cheese, lettuce, pickle, and a combination of sweet barbecue sauce and mayonnaise. This might not have been the absolute biggest burger that I have had, but it was still pretty damn bit - I had trouble fitting my mouth around it, and it was stuck with a toothpick through it.
More importantly, the burger itself was delicious. Ingredients really filled out the burger, and mine was pretty much going lop-sided on the plate. The bun did have a bit of a sweet under-taste to it, which I got used to. The meat patty was solid, and from a good cut of beef, juicy and plump. The macaroni was so worth getting, being robust, full of cheese and just a delight. Also another good addition was the onion ring, done in the American style - all huge, lightly battered and hot - with plenty of sweetness dripping out from it. As for the bacon, maybe a bit more on the grill to become crispy, but we are talking about personal preference there. I can take or leave the American cheese, but melting it helped make the burger. As for the vegetables, they did not feel like an afterthought; there was a handful of lettuce on the burger easily, and pickle is just simply got a great, vinegary flavour that adds to burgers. Thumbs up here.
To share between the two of us, I got an order of the dirty fries. This was a large pile of crispy, well-cooked shoestring fries topped with a vegetarian tomato chili, shredded cheese and sour cream. If it wasn't already said, the serving was huge and substantial even between two people - and this is not modest, small stomachs that are being talked about. The cheese was melted and cooked to the extent, that it had the cheese chips in part. The salsa was definitely made in house, and was juicy and sweet, plus the sour cream topped it all off. Also, quite good and a worthy side plus extra filling.
To drink on the side, I almost had to by compulsion go for a milkshake, which is what I did. It is not like any other milkshake, at least not Australian-style - they are flavoured with candies, and given a few syrup flavours. These drinks they have are each named after a musician, getting the name pun into the flavour where possible, and it was a toss up for me. Eventually, I ended up getting the Elvis flavour. peanut butter, crushed Reece's cup, chocolate syrup, topped with whipped cream and a Reece's cup. This was as every bit as good as it sounds. The various bits of chocolate was delicious, and it had a fantastic nutty taste plus a cold, creamy texture that was topped off - literally this time - by a generous dollop of whipped cream, and the bit of candy which I went for first. Get the insulin, because you would well be in a sugar coma after this. No need for dessert, this is dessert enough. If you do get to this place, a milkshake is recommended.
This was worth the wait. At the end of it, I was feeling really full. It was all that it was cracked up to be. It had a bright, lively atmosphere that is really casual, the portions are both generous and reasonable to the price and you could easily stay inside all day, it has that kind of feel to it. Overall, it is more about the aesthetics mixed with the food than the food on its own. To sum it up, this is like something specialised from Fortitude Valley has made its way to the dead center of the city and it is welcome.
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