La Marine is like a French bistro in the same way that O'Murphy's in Kuala Lumpur is like an Irish bar. There were even miniature red and white napkins that did seem vaguely Gallic . . . La Marine, c'est Francais!

We were taken to a small table in the middle of the restaurant. It was close enough to the next table for us to hear the conversation of our fellow diners . . . apparently, Connie's gall stones were the size of golf balls.

To start with, I had the crispy pork belly with beetroot, puy lentils and apple creme fraiche. It was dressed in a balsamic syrup which tasted burnt. To create a syrup, one must never allow the mix to boil but should endeavour to keep it just below a simmer.

This tasted like it had been well and truly frazzled. I sent it back to the kitchen and a new one came out minus the syrup. It was nice, if just barely tepid. The pork belly was well complimented by the earthiness of the lentils and beetroot. KR's goat's cheese truffles with bell peppers and black olives was reasonable, although the cheese truffles were arctic cold in the centre and, crazy as it may seem to balk at large portions, these cheesy footballs were just too big as a starter.

Both dishes lacked the finesse expected at their prices.

Granted the next comments will probably endure the wrath of a 100 letter-writing whiners, but the unadorned truth in my mind is that the service in La Marine was dire because our waiters hadn't got a firm grasp of the English language. Cue letters labelling me a xenophobe/racist etc. Bring it on. A waiting staff 's ability to communicate well and understand customers' needs is crucial to how well they do their job. I must mention the genial charm of Tom, the excellent maitre d' of La Marine, is justifiably renowned and almost makes up for his taciturn crew. A professional of the old school, Tom is a dab hand at putting his customers at ease and sussing out their needs.

For our mains, I had the roast rack of lamb with gratin dauphinois. The lamb was a touch chewy but overall the dish was okay.

KR had ordered the fillet of Kilmore Quay plaice with lemon mash and herb salsa. The plaice itself wasn't bad, the problem with the dish lay with the mash. The lemon mash seemed like it might have been lurking backstage for a considerable amount of time before making its debut in the dining room, and unfortunately it was making its debut with us. A hard lump of piped stodge unworthy of any mouth's attention. When we complained and asked for a younger version, the waitress told us that the kitchen was now closed, but would we like some potato gratin instead? The gratin came out and it was great, but we did worry that if the kitchen was closed, where would our desserts would be coming from?

Throughout our exchanges with the various waitresses, none ever really made any eye contact with us and communication was kept to a bare minimum.

"Boo-hoo" you might say, but it does make a huge difference to your enjoyment of a meal, especially if anything goes wrong.

The wine list is quite impressive at La Marine, a definite plus for the bistro. The half-bottle of white Chateauneuf du Pape was fresh and lively, considering the region is primarily known for its reds.

Desserts were good. My baked nectarine pastry slice with mascarpone ice cream was superb, the nectarines were juicy and the pastry was light and crisp. KR's warm chocolate fondue was a big hit and the addition of home-made marshmallow was a nice touch.

Towards the end of the meal a lady approached our table and asked me if I was doing a review. She must have seen me scribbling notes every now and then. I admitted that I was and she told me how she had been a regular at La Marine for a number of years and that "It [wasn't] what it used to be, " and the quality had gone downhill in recent times. I was wondering what all the fuss had been about, so that may explain why I felt it to be an average restaurant experience. It's a shame, because La Marine could be a really great restaurant if just a little more love and attention to detail was shown.

The next day we went to Kelly's Hotel again for lunch and this time we tried out the La Marine bar. The food was well-executed, as was the service. The bar is a great place to socialise and in my opinion, a better value option than the bistro.

It may be a case of laurel resting that has diminished the La Marine experience, renown alone does not make a successful restaurant. It will get customers in but consistency is a key factor in keeping them coming back.

La Marine Bistro
Kelly's Resort Hotel
Rosslare Co Wexford
Tel: (053) 9132114

THE BILL
Goat's Cheese truffles 8.25
Pork Belly 7.50
Rack of Lamb 23.00
Chocolate Fondue 7.50
Nectarine pastry slice 7.50
Half Bottle Chateauneuf du Pape 25.00
TOTAL 78.75