Bovine at Normanby Hotel - Brisbane

{uid:23106006} and I returned to take advantage of the half price promotion for the month of march, where everything on the restaurant menu is 50% off the regular price for lunch and dinner. We planned to dine outside in The Normanby Hotel 's Garden Grill, but the rain drove us indoors to Bovine. Bovine might share the same kitchen as the Garden Grill, but it would appear that the chef who prepared my perfectly cooked, medium rare, Wagyu Porterhouse a couple weeks ago was off today. We both ordered Wagyu Porterhouse steaks, served with salad and chips for $24 (listed at $48). Joe went with the Mushroom Sauce st the recommendation of the staff and I went with the Red Wine Jus. I added a Chicken Schnitzel for $8 (down from $16), while Joe added a side of Potato Wedges topped with sweet chilli and mayonnaise. Two weeks ago I wrote, The Wagyu was highly marbled, the fat was beautifully rendered and the meat was tender and delicious. This was the most perfectly cooked steak I 've had in over a year and the overall best steak I 've eaten in many months. The Wagyu Porterhouse rated a 4.5! Today my steak was charred and a bit acrid, the fat failed to render and the tenderness was lost. This would have been quite disappointing at $48, but at $24 it was pretty average. Today 's Wagyu Porterhouse rated a 3. By contrast, Joe 's steak lacked a good sear and appeared to be cooked over a medium heat. The Chicken Schnitzel was ok, but nothing special. At $8, this is a great value, but at $16 I couldn 't recommend it as I wouldn 't be willing to pay full price for this. Bovine 's decor is a bit of a hodgepodge one table was set with a tablecloth, there were a few white tables from outside and the rest were wooden. The lighting is poor, but we were lucky to grab a table in the corner with large windows. If you can take advantage of the half price menu in March, I recommend you do so. That failing, I would recommend you go elsewhere for your steak fix. Many thanks, Joe...just be thankful that we didn 't order two steaks each as originally planned!

On Tuesday we dined at Bovine as a table of three. We arrived about 6:30 pm and ordered shortly afterwards. About 50 minutes later one steak arrived wrong steak, cooked the wrong way, with no sauce or topper as ordered and the wrong side. When we didn't take this meal because we didn't think it was ours it was circulated to other tables to try to find its owner and then sat on the bar for some time before returning to us with the sauce added but everything else still wrong and now cold. At this stage neither of the other meals had arrived and we were advised they were still 10 minutes away. When they finally arrived they were not cooked as ordered and again one steak was not the cut ordered. When we insisted on waiting and eating the ordered meals together a flustered waitress called over the duty manager. He was very apologetic and we started again with our order. He offered complimentary drinks in recognition of the delay and order errors which we accepted. Over an hour and a half from first ordering our meals they finally arrived after the duty manager fast tracked them in the kitchen on a busy night. Full credit to the duty manager for his handling of this situation on what was clearly a bad night for staff. However we were very disappointed in our dining experience as regulars and locals. A disastrous night out for us and a terrible night for your reputation. I sent this review to the manager but so far received no response.

I was here a few days ago dining in the outdoor area with Mr Meatballs. And back again tonight with my girlfriend who needed a steak dinner. We arrive at 6pm and were lucky to snare a parking space. A great start to our night! Bovine is situated next to the carpark so we were in the restaurant after twenty quick steps. Bovine looks spartan, like a large conference with a bar. It is dark and looks like a temporary dining room, tables and chairs look cheap and are moved around as customers come in. It is a casual atmosphere and diners dress accordingly. The 2 waitresses are friendly, efficient and are kept busy by a constant stream of diners coming and going. Most of us diners are here take advantage of Bovine's 50% discounted March Menu. I order a medium-rare 400g rib on the bone with red wine jus (served separately on the side). My girlfriend, a medium 250g eye fillet with wild mushroom sauce and a dozen kilpatrick oysters. Unfortunately, the oysters are sold out. The kitchen is some 30-40 metres from Bovine and our meals finally arrive after 35 minutes, looking well presented and delicious. The portion of chips and salad are a wee bit small but the grilled steaks make up for everything. Our steaks aredelicious, grilled perfectly and the chef should be commended. The outside area which is used as a dining area for lunch is converted into a bar area at night. It is packed out with patrons tonight with loud music playing. In future, I will only lunch at The Normanby, preferring to dine al fresco.

Was told by the Zomato mates about the 50% off food bill deal at Normanby Hotel so rushed to enjoy the promo. Had dinner on Wednesday night at Bovine restaurant. Venue is cosy and service is alright due to the busy night. Ordered the fresh oysters and calamari for entrees, however, we picked up two out of the dozen oysters were not quite fresh and the calamari was tenderised too much without seasoned so it was bland and too soft. I believe that they used the pre-cooked calamari from supplier. Steaks of Eye fillet and Wagyu rump (probably they use MS 5) deserve thumb-up due to the high quality meat and the chef's culinary skill. Overall, the deal is a bargain and it is worth to re-visit.

Mediocre is the word that keeps coming to mind. The food and service is on par with that you’d find in an RSL club anywhere in regional Australia. The Upside – it’s a handy location within the beautiful Normanby Hotel. A great venue for pre and post dinner drinks. It’s close to the city, Suncorp Stadium and inner suburbs. We found available parking (Thursday evening) in the lower carpark. The menu is expansive with a good range of choices for most tastes/diners. The Downside – indifferent wait staff who seemed intent on just getting through their shift. They did the bare minimum –ie: took our orders and delivered food though had to be asked for basics such as water despite there being water glasses on the table on arrival. They delivered the wine and removed the lid from the bottle though didn’t pour it. We couldn’t attract the attention of the wait staff for extra drinks or the bill. In the end I ended up going to the counter to pay and was asked to pay an amount before actually seeing the bill. The food is average. We ordered a range of steaks cooked to different tastes (rare, medium-rare and medium). They all looked and tasted exactly the same. The only discernible difference was the sauce (ladled on top after cooking). The steaks came with stock standard chips (fries) and a small bowl of salad. Unfortunately, the salad was the highlight of the meal. This was a really unfortunate experience as I had dined here recently (within the last 12 months) and had a much better meal and experience. We’ll be giving Bovine a miss in the future.