Meet Me At Mary's Geelong — Restaurant in Victoria

My children organised and reserved a table for dinner for me on mother's day for 6 people, which ended up being 7. The table was set for 4 people. 2 waiting staff clearly wanted to be anywhere but there that night. The guy pouring our drinks was more personable and 1 lady serving food was thorough in her explanation of the food. I dont think we got a smile from any staff, except the guy who welcomed us at the door, as we entered. We were all polite and friendly to the staff. Only the guy used eye contact throughout the night, with us. We were told that because there were more than 6 of us, we'd have to have chef's choice for meals and that it would be $60 per head. We could not choose our own meals at all. We didnt mind the price as it was a special day. The first to arrive at our table waited over half an hour to order drinks. The restaurant was half empty and we could see 5 or 6 floor staff. They all looked pre-occupied with their own thoughts. It honestly felt like we'd walked in on a group of people that had had a big argument and they were all sulking and they seemed reluctant to both engage and be friendly. My daughter is pescatarian (seafood but no red meat or poultry) and I can't have carbs. These dietery requirements were noted. But the food was going to be a 'surprise'. The first course of seeds, nuts and olives were a tasty little appetiser. 3 tiny dipping sauce dishes between the 7 of us.(there may have been 4 lil dishes) The flavours were explained diligently and what we nibbled on was nice and flavoursome. We then had haloumi cheese, 3 bread plate size dishes for 7 people but I was also given a plate with salami slices and seed crackers. My pescatarian daughter was given a tiny 'fish' terrine about 5cms x 3 cms in size. So we shared all of that and the fish terrine morsel was eaten and was tasty. Next course we had 6 portions of chicken which was delicious. My daughter was served a plate with sliced carrot and quinoa! Next course, 6 of us were served a lovely piece of pork each. My daughter was served 3 tiny pieces of fried polenta with a slice of mushroom on top of each. We felt terrible eating our chicken and pork when my daughter had carrots and polenta!! The poor kid paid $60 for that!!! We thought a fillet of fish wouldve been more appropriate than carrots, quinoa and polenta. She said pescatarian NOT vegetarian. Dessert was not included in the $60 and no-one ordered any. I think we were in shock as to what she was served. I certainly was. She didnt want a 'scene' with me asking for something more substaintal to what she was served. Lovely building and seating, nice bar and facilities. First time there for all of us. Certainly will never go there in a family/group again. When one is aware that its a chef's choice beforehand, one can prepare for that and at least get a hint at whats to come. It was NOT a set menu for all guests mother's day. Just any table with more than 6 guests. But $60 for my daughter's meal was more than disappointing. A fish flavoured tiny terrine, carrots and polenta, when we were all served more hearty food right in front of her, whilst she politely accepted it from the unsmiling server, very informative with food ingredients and flavours ofcourse but people skills glaringly lacking by all the staff. Maybe they had had a terrible day, maybe we could've had a terrible day too? But we didn't let them suffer for it. Maybe they didn't want to be there but we wanted to be there and share a rare family evening together. Its a pity the staff didnt seem to want us there. We were still hungry when we left as well. We could've ordered dessert but we dont eat sweets. We all felt bad for my daughter and we all felt bad for putting the staff out. Id be really interested to hear how other patrons faired that evening. The small portions of food that we did have, was delicious, perhaps not so much the carrots, quinoa and polenta! This is not a place to go if you're hungry!! We enjoy gourmet food, just as much as a family restaurant or pub, we're not ignorant nor...

This place would have to be the best kept secret in Geelong, either that or I'm getting old and out of touch.

They run a more modern, social menu in my opinion with vibe being all about a sharing plates which I can get around, if the portion sizes are right 😂

The drinks list is diverse from the different beers to the quality of the wine list. It's not often I have trouble deciding which wine I want without it being difficult to find one I like... No problems here!

It's actually lucky they have the feed me option here, otherwise I would have missed out on arguably the most well prepared and delicious tastes and flavours from across their menu. From the mushroom dumplings, the halloumi with goji Berry & sesame, the potato croquettes to the naan served with stracciatella/mango chutney. This was just the entree!

The main was boy oh boy wowee!! And I don't say this lightly. Brought to the table was the most succulent, dropping off the bone 'mongolian' lamb shoulder, seasoned fried spuds w aioli, cos and radish w sesame dressing and broccolini w toasted garlic (with some sort of culinary wizardry). To say we were full to the brim would have been a massive understatement! But there is always space for a lil bit of pud...

Now there was no Xmas pud to be seen, we were met with some more of the Harry Potter-esque mastery from earlier but this time we were treated to a Tiramisu.. with a twist, no coffee! I'll give the rest of the Italians a moment to compose themselves. I was apprehensive to begin with when told it was green tea, but.. It was delicate, creamy and fresh. It had some nice crunch from the accompaniments and tied off the meal perfectly.

The service was impecible, never waiting for a wine, never an empty water glass. The staff were cheery, attentive and helpful. (there were actually lots more little things that were done which servers often don't do, but should)

The venue itself had some modern vs classic charm (I'm definitely not an interior decorator) and the music made us feel very comfortable and relaxed.

I don't normally write reviews but I believe these guys deserve a ripping one after the experience we had and hopefully everyone gets there to support what a dining...

After hearing great things about MMAM, I’m sad to say we left there a little disappointed. First, the good stuff. It is a beautiful building, creating a warm and friendly environment which instantly welcomes you into its modern industrial vibe that begs you to find out more about the history of the place. Our waitress was also lovely, making every effort to make us comfortable and keen to explain the menu. But then things fell away. Firstly, and this is a small point, but we booked for five and yet our table was set for six. Then we discovered one of the plates was dirty, and the table was a bit sticky and dirty also. After we were served sparkling water, I noticed my son’s glass had lipstick on it. Not a great start. After having the menu explained to us, we were keen to dig in and explore and share its many and varied dishes. Unfortunately, the first dish we ate from the Snacks/Starters menu set the tone in a pretty negative way, from which regrettably the rest of our meal never really recovered. It was the Lamb Tacos, which of course sounded amazing and three of us were really keen to try, but unfortunately the lamb was grisly and fatty and those who were eating them could not even finish one each. The Haloumi, Barramundi and Spiced Cauliflower were all amazing dishes, but the most anticipated of the Large dishes (wagyu steak and fries) was also disappointing, as the supposed 350g piece of meat felt undersized, the sauce was a tad overpowering for such a beautiful (and expensive) piece of steak, and the fries were literally ’fried’ to within an inch of their lives. I’d like to believe this was just a one-off bad day at MMAM but I’m unlikely to return there...