Café O Mai
Location: 15 Cracknell Road, Annerley 4103
Opening Hours:
Tuesday – Friday 6:30am – 3pm
Saturday – Sunday 7am – 2pm
Closed Mondays
Price Range: $5.5 – $20
Review
My partner and I strolled in for a late brunch one Sunday afternoon and arrived at 2pm to see a closed sign. The café was full and the door still open. I thought the wind had blown the closed sign over the menu stand…but, alas, the café really was closed. Disheartened we asked the waiter if they “really were closed?!?!” and motioned to the inside patrons, who sat looking happily over their bowls and plates. Reluctantly the waiter let us in, but did state once or four times that closing was at 2pm. We apologised and thanked him for letting us in, and ordered quickly, we usually know what we want!
Our order consisted of:
1x Oreo thick shake at $6.5
1 x Vietnamese style Omelette in baguette with soy sauce at $7
1 x Bun Bo Hue spicy beef and pork noodle soup at $13
Total = $26.50
Waiting for our food we took in our surroundings, having hardly noticed them at first due to our rushed arrival. The café consists of a back outdoor area, which I assume must be used for functions, as well as the main café area (where we sat). This area was decorated with odd chairs at each wooden table, with real life plants at all entryways. However, the real show stopper of this café’s decorational design, is the mural painted on a large wall, using beautiful greens, blues and yellows, with a gorgeous, yet boss-ass Vietnamese lady painted in the middle, who I can only assume must be modelled after the owner.
The café is family owned and operated, with the doors having opened to the public in September 2012. Since then, the shop has been enlarged and the third section of the café is where the point of sales is, as well as the take away coffee line. With the waiter returning, 1000 times happier with us then before (hehe whoops) we get to the good bit…THE FOOD!
Firstly, let me just rave about the sizes that come before you! I was amazed with the size of the noodle soup, which included a side garnishing plate (which, traditionally is to be put IN the soup, not eaten separately) the bowl was larger than my face! My meal was the omelette in baguette, which, to be quite honest I wasn’t sure what to expect; however I was extremely happy with it! All the baguettes are baked freshly on site, along with their cakes, slices and muffins! I thoroughly enjoyed the omelette, which had a lovely flavour of soy throughout.
Final remarks
Overall, I enjoyed our meal at Café O Mai, and support their philosophy of striving to preserve natural flavours by not adding any msg to their dishes. I particularly enjoyed their “look in” design into their kitchen. I would be interested to see how well this café would handle a larger booking, as they certainly have the space. I did not check in on the bathroom situation, but by the design of the café itself, I’m sure it was up to standard!
Thank you for reading! Please let me know if there are any places within Brisbane that you would like me to check out, and let me know if you have been to Café O Mai, and what your experience was like!!
Love,
Marleen
demiurgedesign.org 