Mick O'Malleys Irish Pub - Brisbane CBD

Mick O'Malleys is one of those places that you walk past and always wonder about, but then forget about when finding a new place to eat. I walk past it around twice every day and only got to try it last week when I organised a mini uni gathering there for lunch.

The restaurant and bar are underground, which actually made it very inconvenient for me because all of my classmates were standing above ground waiting for me to come and get them, whilst I was unable to receive their calls and texts below ground.

It was also very dark downstairs, so some of my photos came out quite blurry. Because of the size of our gathering, and our time constraints, I booked a table in advance. 

We had one menu between the six of us, which was only sufficient because we were not all there at the one time.

The atmosphere was quite casual and loud, but not particularly rowdy. We were still able to talk at quite a reasonable volume throughout lunch.

We ordered and paid at the counter, and were given a number.

First to arrive were the wedges, which was served with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce. My classmate, who was looknig for a small snack sized portion was really quite impressed with the size of the dish.

Next came the Garlic Ciabatta. My classmate really enjoyed it and said it was nice and toasty on the outside but soft and fluffy on the inside.

Another friend ordered the Beer Battered Reef Fish, which he thoroughly enjoyed. I was very impressed with the rather generous portion. 

This was the roast chicken on turkish, which was also apparently quite tasty.

As ususal, I ordered the 200g Rump, cooked rare with pepper sauce, which turned out rather small in comparison (in my opinion).

For a 'rare' steak, I found it to be relatively well done, as you can see in the picture. In terms of texture, I usually go for rare because the flesh tends to be more tender, however in this instance, the steak came out rather tough. Similar to the sauce at the Grand Central Hotel, I found the sauce to be peppery, but not strong enough. Perhaps if they chopped up the pepper kernels it would have been stronger.

My final companion ordered the Steak and Guinness Pie, which was the most recommended by other patrons. When it arrived at our table we were all kicking ourselves for not ordering it personally. The puff pastry on top was super flaky and fluffy, the mashed potato on top was creamy and comforting, whilst the inside was flavoursome and rich. How do I know all this? She offered me half her pie after my dismay with the steak. This is probably the most touching thing a friend can ever do.

Overall, I had a rather mixed feelings about my meal at O'Malleys. I really think the steak needs more work, but as mentioned, the pie was one of the best I've ever had. I would go back again, purely to get the pie again, but I don't really recommend the steak.

Price Range: $15 - $25 per person

Taste: 7/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 6/10 (no phone reception becomes a real issue if you're meeting people