OLD FAVES ARE THE NEW CRAZE
Carlos and Tom make their mark at Maisie’s
MORTON BAY bugs flamed with an amaretto cream sauce. Noosa River prawns pan-fried with garlic, chilli and paprika. Maisie’s restaurant has built a reputation for quality, fresh seafood throughout its history as a riverside eatery of almost 100 years. The original family behind it, the Massouds, cooked cases of fish caught locally, and served hungry troops and locals during World War II. Now its head chef Tom Maiden and owner Carlos Vanselow are bringing back some favourite items that “fell off” the menu over time, including the classic meat pie. “What I want to do is keep those old favourites but modernise them a little bit,” Mr Maiden said. “Classics like a meat pie or Guinness and brisket pie with homemade pastry.” Mr Maiden did his apprenticeship in Cairns and worked at Brisbane’s Bella Cosi modern Italian restaurant before joining Maisie’s six months before it changed hands. Owner Mr Vanselow and wife Flavia moved to Noosa four years ago from Rio De Janeiro in Brazil, where his family has run businesses for 75 years. Mr Vanselow has acquired several Noosa restaurants, including Pasta Pronto at Noosa Heads, Grind Café and Sirocco Noosa café on Gympie Tce, Noosaville. He goes between them during the day and says some of his customers do the same. “I have breakfast with them at Grind, and then I meet them at Maisie’s for lunch and at night they are at Pasta Pronto. I love that,” he said. Some of the restaurants have not changed their menu in 30 years, and while Mr Vanselow is trying to introduce new items, it’s not easy because people come back for their “old favourites”. “The traditional ones (menu items) you can’t change,” he said. “It’s very hard to get new things in without disappointing the regulars.” “It’s a really fine line. People think it’s an easy job. It’s not.” The reintroduction of old favourites such as Veal Maisies has been “very popular” and Mr Vanselow was confident customers would support the menu expansion.