Fresh User Reviews for Modern Australian in Brisbane

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

Faultless service and tasteful food in a great family atmosphere.

May 18, 2012

5 Average

Food  6      Drinks  6      Ambience  6      Service  1      Value  6     

We had breakfast here today, which ended up being lunch as we waited over 2 hours for our food! The lady in charge was rude to most customers and Very rude to my husband when he went to pay and complained about the overall experience.

I highly recommend you go somewhere else if you want a pleasant experience and enjoy customer service, 2 things that the senior staff clearly does not care about!

Overall I'd say you ruined our day! It was quite an awful experience!

May 13, 2012

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  7     

Really nice atmosphere. They have a beautiful back terrace that overlooks the golf course. It's not overcrowded and you really feel relaxed at this place. The menu is nice. Modern Australian and really pretty reasonable so I will definitely go back again. They have kind of loyalty thing where you can sign up and get a free meal on your birthday for if you look on their website. We signed up while we were there. If you live on the North Side check it out because it's kind of a rare gem that not everyone knows about yet.

May 08, 2012

9.8 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  9      Value  10     

One of the best food experiences I've had in the last couple of years.
We shared a selection of dishes and finished with a mind blowing chocolate pudding.

Each bite left me wanting more.

We're from out of town and a friend took us there for dinner... It was really refreshing to find this unpretensious little place where the aim of the game seems to be a passion for making amazing food.

It's seriously worth a flight back to Brisbane just to eat there again.

Thanks again Jamjar :-)

Apr 28, 2012

7 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  5     

Overall a positive experience here. I made a booking for a large(ish) group for brunch on a public holiday. The staff members who I spoke when making the booking were friendly and helpful. It was very busy on the day of our booking but the two staff members taking care of our table were service orientated, and though busy they took our orders at just about the same time as we were ready to place them.

The time between placing our order and receiving our meals was a little long, but I didn't really notice the delay because we were a group with lots to talk about. Our meals were tasty, though on the small side. The food was fresh and I should mention at this point that the coffee was very, very good. A little expensive but a nice place to brunch.

Apr 26, 2012

7.8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  7     

It seems this restaurant has worked hard to improve since some of these negative reviews had been written: We went here last weekend. Lovely food, big portions and one of the best wine lists in Brisbane. Very friendly, attentive staff and Qantas frequent flyer points credited within less than a week. Can truly recommend this place when looking for a good quality albeit a bit pricey restaurant.

Apr 24, 2012

2 Not Recommended

Food  3      Ambience  3      Service  1      Value  1     

Went there for a birthday celebration. Asked for a price on the mudcrab platter and was eventually told $140. We ordered two of these and one was fine whilst the other had a crab which was completely empty and never should have been served. Instead of dealing with the problem the maitre de decided to ignore us and one of my guests overheard a chef referring to our table whilst using the 'F' word. They eventually offered a couple of free desserts which they then tried to renege on.
Long story short, we will never return.

Apr 24, 2012

4.5 Below Average

Food  4      Ambience  6      Service  6      Value  2     

Dined here for lunch. Food was very casual for the price you pay: entree we shared: salt and pepper calamari which was tasty and crunchy, lunch I had the flat head fish and chips and my husband had the gourmet cheeseburger. We ordered a side of potatoes with chorizo and 2 drinks (1 being a cocktail and the other juice). Bill came to around $120.

We wouldn't usually pick such rustic and casual food at such an upmarket place but the other options sounded unappetising for lunch on a hot day. Staff were quirky and friendly enough but visibly stressed from the workload. Wouldn't go again since their fine dining menu doesn't sound appealing.

Apr 13, 2012

3 Below Average

Food  2      Ambience  4      Service  5      Value  1     

Without question the worst steak meal I have had in years. This place is so overrated it is not funny. A special birthday night ruined by excessive prices for very, very average food. I've had better steak in a steak sandwich at the local pub.

Mar 30, 2012

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  10     

After hearing about Q'Essence from friends we decided to try it for ourselves and left very satisfied and most impressed. Our meals were beautifully presented and cooked to melt in your mouth perfection. Dessert was divine. Great wine list and attentive and friendly service. The room could do with a bit of warming up, however. Hope to be back soon.

Mar 29, 2012

7.8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  7     

Q'Essence was a very pleasurable dining experience and Wilston is lucky to have this restaurant added to the scene.

The two brightly lit cherry blossom trees add ambience as you enter the restaurant but the inside is a little too sterile with its silver painted walls.

The popcorn chicken was a delicious and whimsical starter with small pieces of chicken covered in popcorn dust and placed beside a butter sauce. There were three perfectly cooked scallops with the meal and I would happily eat it all again.

The salt cured king salmon was also very good and a delicate balance of flavours. The pork belly was delicious although the crackling was a bit chewy instead of crackly.

The duck breast was slightly overlooked as it was more grey than pink inside but the flavour was absolutely fantastic. A little more sauce would have been nice. The mains are not large and adding a side would not go astray. That said, we had 3 courses and we full at the end.

The rice pudding for dessert was more like a breakfast meal than a sweet dessert. The chocolate plate was substantial and included caramel fudge, ganache and a small pudding, all of which were delicious.

The highlight was Andrew, the sommelier. We had already ordered drinks to go with the starters before he got to speak to us about our drink selection. He spent plenty of time with us and explained what he thought would suit our mains. He then brought several options to try to determine what you would like to order. The wine list is quite extensive, although only a small portion is available by the glass as you would expect.

The wines included wines from Germany, Chile and Italy.

Overall, it was a very good experience although the mains needed a little extra care to make the meals all they could be.

Mar 24, 2012

6.8 Recommended

Food  6      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  5     

We went to Moda for a treat based on the reviews on this site. We were very disappointed with the food, we expected something special and really thought the dishes (fish and lamb) were very ordinary. Not bad, but no better than we have had at far cheaper restaurants including our local RSL.

Mar 11, 2012

8.2 Recommended

Food  8      Drinks  8      Ambience  6      Service  10      Value  9     

My husband and I had lunch today and were really impressed. A great selection of fresh foods, something for everyone I would have thought. Desserts were a little bit of a let down on everything else (bit of "boxed cake" to it) but frankly, we were so full at that point it really didn't matter. Really enjoyed the little pot of chocolate mousse and the bread and butter pudding, the perfect finish. Also appreciated the readily available chilled water bottles for the table, served with a warm smile. Thanks guys! We'll be back!

Mar 10, 2012

6.3 Average

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  3     

Aria was good when it first started, but seems to have gone 'up itself'. It has become so pretentious. The service is that uncomfortable 'sir', 'madam' repeated over and over again, and cloying, insincere, and the kind of claptrap that they learn in hospitality school.

And there's a dress code! In Brisbane in the twenty first century!

I think wearing a baseball cap on a hot summers day is acceptable, but not for Aria. It wasn't dirty, torn, or otherwise offensive. Yet I was asked to remove said cap as it might somehow bring Western Civilization to its knees at this particular lunchtime.

It felt like I'd walked into a 1950's RSL club and was besmirching the Australian Head Of State (HM The Queen)- unbelievable. And I told them so, but to no avail. Cap off if I wanted to eat. Nothing like a little blackmail as an appetizer to start a meal.

Meanwhile the office set we're wearing their cheap polyester suit pants and sweat stained shirts and crumply ties - very smart.

The food itself is still very good. (8/10) But the servings are less than filling, so one needs to order an entree and a dessert if one is to feel fed.

But the prices have become outrageous. Its extortion really. Example: $9.50 for a glass of mineral water.

For a restaurant that wants to charge on average $45 for a main, at lunchtime, I think its had its day.

Only the gullible, or silly cashed up will keep this going. I won't be back. Pity, as the food was good.

Mar 09, 2012

6.8 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  6     

I read the reviews and agree and disagree with them. Breakfast was a bit average, but dinner was really enjoyable. The service was probably just a bit too slick for Brisbane diners.

Mar 07, 2012

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

We were really pleased with the service from the staff and it was great to be looked after. Everyone had a great time and we were impressed by food. We will recommend you to everyone!

Mar 02, 2012

7.4 Recommended

Food  9      Drinks  4      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  10     

I found the seafood buffet to be great value for money! There's a vast range of foods and the quality is great! I've been to the $50 seafood buffet somewhere else and the range was woeful! Broncos is so much better and so is the price.

Feb 26, 2012

4 Below Average

Food  5      Ambience  7      Service  2      Value  2     

With a great setting on the Brisbane river and nice appearance, we were expecting big things from Kingsleys.

Sadly they did not follow. Service was slow and confused, and several menu items were not available. Nor was our selection from the wine list. Well over an hour passed between ordering and mains arriving (I timed it), approximately 45-50 minutes into this time I was advised that the mashed potato I ordered on the side wasn't available either. No mashed potato. How does a steakhouse run out of potato?

The supervisor came to inquire if "everything was okay" once our mains (eventually) arrived. She then proceeded to ask if we'd like to order more drinks even though all our glasses were full. We declined and then she asked a second time, saying "the night was still young". This seemed rude, and appears very questionable RSA policy, especially since in the time we were waiting for mains we'd been offered more drinks at least 3 times already.

The entrees tasted great, but the main was adequate at best. Extra charges applied for sauces and such "the steak comes with nothing on the side". My steak was ordered medium rare, it tasted more like medium-well. I really can't be sure since there was very little light at our table, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. Assuming it was cooked correctly, it tasted very ordinary for the price.

Considering the good reviews, our bad experience at Kingsleys does seem out of place. Maybe they were having an off night or something, still it's not really an excuse, especially since there were more staff in the restaurant than diners. Long delays and unimpressive food, charged at a premium. We won't be back.

Revision: Have been advised by fellow diner that the toilets were unclean and smelled bad.

Feb 24, 2012

5.5 Average

Food  5      Ambience  6      Service  6      Value  5     

Very disappointing. Over priced. I had Salmon with white polenta, asparagus and hollandaise, sounded lovely but nothing worked. The Salmon was blah, as was the Polenta. My partner had Waygu rump with shoe string fries. The steak was under done, better than over done but the char flavour was not nice. The fries had some sweet seasoning on them, almost like a sweet chicken salt, not nice.

Drinks were expensive, the wine by the glass selection was poor. The service was one plus, friendly staff but not enough to save this place for us. We spent $120 for 1 entree, 2 mains, 1 side and 4 drinks. I honestly could have made a better meal at home, but that is not what you go out for, is it?

Feb 22, 2012

10 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

I had the macadamia crusted barramundi and went to heaven. This piece of fish was the best I have ever tasted, and I was also extremely impressed with the professional, yet pleasant service. Couldn't go past it.

Feb 21, 2012