Mary Mae's

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 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...