Osborne Brasserie @ The Portmarnock Hotel

It is no surprise to find that the main restaurant is named after the artist Walter Osborne who painted the very view from the hotel that you will see in a different light every day of your stay. The menus are developed by our executive chef who presides over his culinary masterpieces daily. In the Osborne Brasserie, a wonderful choice of international cuisine is served with style and friendliness…along with a superb selection of wines. Restaurant Reviews Add Your Review » Your Say Joined Feb 09 15 Reviews 0 Hats Off! loading... CalKen (Connoisseur) Credibility Score: 49%   Visited: 02 Jan 2010 | Posted: over 2 months ago We booked for half 7 as we planned to avail of the early bird menu. Unfortunately, as the early bird menu includes free kids meals, the place was swarming with families and the kids were running round not just in the restaurant itself but up the stairs and into the lobby area of the hotel. We were given a nice table away from most of the kids but shortly afterwards a family with two children were seated almost beside us. So our night out without our own kids backfired a bit. That said, we enjoyed our meal. We looked at the early bird menu but decided to order off the main menu instead although we were allowed to order an early bird wine - just as well as the regular wine list started in the late €20s. My husband ordered the belly pork for starters - it was nice although not as meltingly soft as he would have liked. As I didn't order a starter my starter cutlery was removed - a shame as many restuarants actually provide extra cutlery so that you can have a taste of the other persons starter. Fresh bread and butter was also provided. Our mains were delicious - I had lamb shank which was served on a bed of scallion mash with some delicious courgette, baby potato and spinach accompaniments. My husband had the venison which was served pink (almost bloody) and was delicious - it was accompanied by fondant potato and pureed apple but also came with a smoked cabbage accompaniment which neither of us liked. We were also presented with a plate of delicious roasted root vegetables so there was plenty of food. We had a bottle of south african shiraz which at €16 on the early bird menu was passable - nothing spectacular so we were glad we hadn't paid the full price of €32. With no room for dessert we ordered two delicious irish coffees. The bill was just over €80 - not bad given the quality and quantity of food. The hotel bar is a bit shabby these days - a shame as it could be nice for pre or post dinner drinks. '); //--> Joined Nov 06 61 Reviews 0 Hats Off! loading... gallaron (Guru) Credibility Score: 90%   Visited: 21 Nov 2009 | Posted: over 2 months ago We ate in the restaurant twice as we were staying overnight. For dinner we had a look at the early bird menu but nothing really appealed. Food we had for dinner was quite nice and for a hotel reasonable price but what let the restaurant down was the service. It was sporadic at best for dinner. The table next to us left as they waited so long for dessert. Next morning at breakfast was chaotic. We thankfully came down at about 10 and got a table within a few minutes. For the rest of the service there was a queue of about 20 people waiting to be seated. Many people gave up and took items from the buffet to the bar. Food selection was nice enough but had to wait as it was empty when we sat down.