Plates Café Bar Restaurant — Restaurant in Brisbane City

Straight to it but #3 is crucial. #1 Presentation: lovely, great decor, comfy seating and setting, European fancy but not pompous.

#2 Food: Great selection of meals all very different from the next. Portions are big, generous and beautiful in presentation, aroma and taste. Perfect balance of ingredients and blended well. We had the Sweet & Salty pizza (ham/pineapple and perfect), Braised Lamb rump with potatoes and asparagus (so soft, so good), crumbed sausage and chicken nuggets for the children. Pricing if food for size/taste was very reasonable.

#3 Service. Well now, I haven't experienced such service in more than 20 years. Liam, where to start with this gent. He took care of my family and I tonight, not serving us, taking care of us. From the moment we sat down Liam helped us settle in, feel comfortable, get the "lay of the land" and importantly, made us feel properly valued. Liam explained the various meal options in enough depth so we had a solid idea of what to expect without going overboard. He discussed drink options and actively engaged in friendly banter making us instantly feel like we were chatting with a friend rather than someone we just met. Liam made my children feel comfortable and welcome, he focused on getting them settled first which was exactly what we needed. He used subtle communication to check with my wife and I if we were okay that the kids meals came with ice cream, this was greatly appreciated as we are mostly a sugar free family and that conversation in many other places we've been to doesn't go so well. In saying that we did allow the kids a treat tonight and without skipping a beat Liam offered to organize the ice cream to be delivered to our room after dinner so we didn't have to hang around, this also proved to be perfect for us and a most welcomed gesture. Liam continued to check in on things throughout the night without over doing it and his approach was genuine enough for my 7 year old to notice. His words about Liam were "You're the best waiter I've ever had" and "I wish I could talk like you, I live the way you talk". When dinner was done, Liam's incredible service didn't stop there, he personally brought us up to our room with the children's ice cream in hand and set it down inside (he also offered for me to take my unfinished beer back to the room). Superb, seriously his approach to his work took our night from good to "We will definitely be coming here again and for a longer stay". 5 minutes after we settled back in our room there was a knock on the door, it was Liam, he had my hat and new glasses in his hand, I forgot that I put them under the chair in the restaurant when we first sat down. Liam, if you're reading this I truly was beyond impressed with everything you did, thank you for making us feel more special than we actually are. Unknown to you, we had a delicate morning ahead of us and you made our night one to remember with a smile. Liam's employer, if you're reading this; I hope you know what you've got in him, please value and take care of this fine young...

Overall below average for the area and price. It is basically the restaurant of View Hotel and they don't seem to put too much effort. I decided to try it out after seeing it on the entertainment app but had no references on what to expect as I couldn't find reviews, so I will make this one as detailed as possible. I eat out a lot, and live not far away, so I am comparing with similar price restaurants in similar areas. FOOD: 4 stars Hubby and I got the soup of the day and bruschetta for entree, both were good. For mains we both ordered the steak, medium rare. Mine came very cooked, well past the point. I could have complained but gave up (more on that on the service section). Good size portions. SPACE: 4 stars It isn't the nicest dining room but I am biased here as I like modern. It is nice though, I just didn't like seeing all the breakfast set up for the next day when I am there at 8pm for dinner. SERVICE: 2 stars They were all polite, so +2 stars for that. But oh boy, they all have a log way to go in fine(ish) dining. Drink order came wrong the first time, steak was cooked well past what was requested, I tried complaining but found very hard to get anyone's attention - mind you that there were 4 staff on the floor and only 3 occupied tables... I barely eat and hubby said I had a sour look on my face, still not once any staff asked how our meal was, it was just "have you finished?" and take plates. At the start when I managed to bring to their attention that my drink was not as ordered, the waitress acknowledged but still prioritized taking away empty plates from an empty table over serving customers that were still there... waitress don't carry the full blame though, the manager was there and not once not even acknowledged us or asked how our food etc was, even when standing in front of us when we were paying the bill... At the start no one greets you either and it felt very awkward walking past the breakfast buffet all set up trying to find the dining room... Overall ok if you are a guest of the hotel where the restaurant is, otherwise I recommend...

Great buffet breakfast. Stayed here recently for business and indulged in a big breakfast after eating very light the day prior while travelling. Lots of different foods to try and all pretty good. The classics - bacon, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, sausages, etc. The sausages were really nice. Not sure what type they were exactly, but very nice. Also plenty of fresh fruit, yogurts, cereals, breads and spreads. Also some anti-pasto type options with crackers, cheeses, smoked salmon, etc. Then there's the sweets table with waffles, cakes, pastries, muffins, etc. Also, if you are a guest and book your breakfast in the day prior you get the full buffet for a bargain $25 instead of $35. I left a full and happy man. Would...