12 February 2010

Magnolia at Brookwater - Expect the Unexpected...

I've never really been much of a "Brand" girl - I'm quite low maintenence, I sleep in til 8am and still make it to the Office by 9am (as long as traffic is kind). I don't wear heels and I probably couldn't pick Nicole Ritchie out of a crowd.

A memory that has been scorched into my mind is when the Louis Vuitton store first opened in Brisbane - not really my kind of thing (I mean really - a handbag that costs more than my mortgage??) but J wanted to have a look. So I politely hung around, "ohhed" and "ahhed" at all the overpriced luggage and then - actually spied something I liked.

Not that I would have bought it anyway - but I innocently asked the Sales Girl how much it was - only for her to look me up and down, raise an eyebrow and spit out "If you have to ask, you can't afford it" - before spinning on her 6" heels and sashaying back to the Cash Register.

That event has pretty much scarred me for life. It was the first time that I had ever been so blatantly judged and dismissed by someone who didn't know me.

Recently - Hubby and I decided to go to the Brookwater Markets, it's meant to be a nice area and it boasted a decent selection of Famers Markets, Food Stalls and Craft Stands - so we made the effort to try and find it. By "Try" and find it - I mean navigate all the new exits, overpasses, and suburbs that have sprung up out here. Over an hour and a half later - after trying every exit between Mt Ommaney and Redbank Plains - we finally found it.

And we were majorly disappointed! Because it was still Christmas holidays - apparently 80% of the stall holders decided to take the day off... EPIC FAIL.

We had been planning on getting a lovely coffee, something to nibble on and then stocking up on goodies for the week... but no chance of that now. We were in the middle of the Brookwater Golf Course so decided to see what the dress code was for the Restaurant...

We were dressed like Bogans - me wearing jeans and thongs, Hubby in Cargo Shorts, Thongs and a Singlet and yet we were welcomed in like Royalty. The whole way to the table I expected someone to discreetly shove us out the door - Golfing folk can have quite high standards you know - I was astounded they let us within 50 feet of the front door!

And from there - the surprises didn't stop. We were led to the best table in the Restaurant overlooking their stunning course. We were offered to keep drinking the (empty) coffee cups we were still holding (no bins) and were treated to first class customer service for the entire meal. WOW. Talk about unexpected!

Hubby ordered his standard "Big Breakfast" and I decided on the Tomato, Mozzarella, and Rocket Omelette.

Hubby's breakfast was lovely, a nice selection of the usual breakfast fare. Eggs cooked nicely, Toast just charred and Bacon not too crisp. He was impressed.

Mine was nice - but much, much too cheesy. When they listed Mozzarella as an ingredient - it really should have been first on the list. Even before the eggs. From what I could see, they cooked a simple, open faced omelette first and then topped it with tomato and then with lashings of Mozzarella. I think what really pushed it over the cheesy edge was that it hadn't bubbled.  It had definatley melted, but was still decidedly yellow. It was just too much cheese.

So I peeled about half of it off and enjoyed the rest of my breakfast. Asides from the excess of cheese - and lets be honest - when it comes to good quality Mozzarella, as long as it can be peeled off - you always want more rather than less!

Having whinged relentlessly about the lack of decent restaurants out here in the Western Suburbs - I was completely floored to find Magnolia. It is stunning, both in fit out and view. The Staff are genuinely happy to see you and treat even the under-dressed like their favourite customer - most importantly, the food was fantastic. Especially for the price.

The Verdict: An absolute gem, in the Western Suburbs. Don't be turned away by the fact it's part of a golf course.

Recommendations: The omelette was lovely and I would happily order again - but hubby's big breakfast was the real test. A little bit of everything all done well. The dinner menu looks very interesting - am going to start hinting heavily about a return visit...

Contact: Magnolia

Magnolia at Brookwater on Urbanspoon

4 comments:

  1. oh my gosh- What a lovely experience. I feel so bad that the Louis Vuitton girl was SO rude to you. What a horrible person. I'm not sure who she thought she was. Supposed to be in customer service - in a high end fashion house? Well learn how to act like it. You're not the only person that has happened to though!!

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  2. It's a pity that you had such a bad experience at LV - Can't believe how snobby they were!

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  3. OMG the SA said that? Arrgh that makes me so mad! That's why that scene in Pretty Woman is everyone's favourite scene!

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  4. I know - it really was a "Pretty Woman" moment but I was mortified!! Brisbane is so not posh in any sense of the word!! Lol - I can laugh about it now, but at the time my face looked like a STOP sign!!! :)

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