Banksia Seafood and Grill — Restaurant in Queensland

The reviews you see, and the appearance of a charming, classy restaurant made us look forward to a special experience when we booked to eat there. The ambiance was nice, but over the evening became too loud, with guests shouting over one another and the music. not exactly the intimate dining we were hoping, and perhaps also due to the stone floor. Later somebody thankfully turned the music off and the noise soon subsided. The entree was quite nice, we shared some empanadas, although the filling was kind of bland for Mexican food. The service was good, with a very chatty and energetic waitress making an effort to attend to our every need, in fact she was too attendant coming back probably about 7 times to ask if everything was fine. A bit over the top for us. Perhaps she needed the attention more than us. We both had Fish of the Day which was Snapper, which, to be honest, tasted rather soft and watery, my partners grilled one was too salty, and my battered fillet was very reminiscent of recently defrosted , rather than crisp and dry. We were both underwhelmed, and have tasted better fish and chips ( which is exactly what it was) in a number of places around town. I also wish I had ordered the sorbet rather than the mango Panna cotta because the latter was not cotta (cooked) at all it seemed, since it was served up in a wine glass, which would have shattered. A weak jelly on top with cubes of mango that I'm not convinced were fresh and tasted as insipid as the rest of the blancmange (?). Really liked the crisp coconut meringue chip on the side though. The sorbet was refreshing. So all in all, a dissappointing evening, our expectations were set too high, judging by the appearance and reviews. There are better eating experiences to be had...

Booked a seafood platter for two, 24 hours ahead of time as required for an Anniversary Dinner. We were seated at a beautiful table at the rear of the restaurant which suited us nicely. Inside it feels light, bright, open, modern and clean. The seafood was ample, with fresh crab, Moreton Bay Bugs, natural oysters and prawns. The hot seafood was cooked in a light and crispy tempura batter - prawns, calamari, scallops and fish bites. The accompanying salad was very tasty with a zingy dressing. There was of course, a tartare sauce and we loved the cocktail sauce which was spliced with a delicious chimichurri. The fresh fruit was ripe and served its purpose as a refreshing compliment to the seafood. Dessert was very nice, the New York Baked Cheesecake with flavours of vanilla, cinnamon, fresh strawberries and basil. It would be good to see a selection of lighter desserts better suited to summer on the menu, however there is something to suit most people’s tastes. My cocktail was a Saulstarr Martini with vanilla vodka, passionfruit liqueur and fresh passionfruit - yum! The waitstaff were friendly, efficient and worked well together. Although it is one of the more expensive restaurants in the Bay, we are happy to pay for quality produce provided by industry professionals. We would recommend and return...

Everything started off well. Order taken, drinks came out. We received the starter which was decent but not on par with the price. Main course came out. Eye filet which was bang on. During main course the staff started to pack up all of the tables around us. It was about 8.30pm. We said we wanted dessert and if someone could take the order. 15 minutes later after multiple attempts to get our order taken, I just simply asked for the bill as I was blown away how 3 people were packing away tables yet the customer was coming 2nd. We received the bill where it was basically dropped off at our table yet wasn't told to pay at the counter. After getting further frustrated, I went to the counter to find a small sign (and I mean small) saying to pay at the counter. Once again the staff simply had a lack of detail to explain to the customer to pay at the counter. Then the owner was quick to take the money and mumbled something about apologies for the dessert order but could tell he couldn't have cared less. Just as long as I paid the bill and got out. The highlight was the eye filet but the overall service and lack of care was evident. I was going to give 1 star but that wouldn't have been fair. 2 star is generous as the owners attitude at the end made it clear that the customer isn't...