{"id":613020,"date":"2026-09-03T08:20:23","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T08:20:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/613020\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T08:20:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T08:20:23","slug":"omos-review-faultless-cooking-already-at-two-star-michelin-level-get-in-before-prices-rise-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/613020\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00d3m\u00f3s review: Faultless cooking already at two-star Michelin level. Get in before prices rise \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00d3m\u00f3s <\/p>\n

\ue9d9 \ue9d9 \ue9d9 \ue9d9 \ue9d9 <\/p>\n

Address: Abbeyleix, Co Laois, R32 K259<\/p>\n

Telephone: N\/A<\/p>\n

Cuisine: Modern international<\/p>\n

Website: https:\/\/www.omos.co\/Opens in new window<\/a><\/p>\n

Cost: \u20ac\u20ac\u20ac\u20ac<\/p>\n

Blanket (2012) \u2013 nothing to do with Michael Jackson\u2019s youngest son \u2013 is a large John Newling work of pressed Jersey kale leaves, arranged in uniform rows, which you pass on your way into C\u00fa\u00e1n Greene\u2019s recently opened restaurant in Abbeyleix, Co Laois<\/a>. It is restrained and resonates with the Scandi\/Japanese-inspired space: organic, textured and tactile. <\/p>\n

At \u00d3m\u00f3s, there are no plants trailing down from the ceiling, no backlit glass shelves displaying ferments, pickles and preserved pine cones, and no showy meat-ageing fridges. It has a Japanese aesthetic, a confidence in what is left out.<\/p>\n

Compressed sea grass between the Scottish Douglas fir rafters in the diningroom means there\u2019s no bouncy sound, and diners can converse comfortably without being tormented by jealousy in overhearing sommelier Niall Flynn at another table, talking through an impressive wine list that includes trophy bottles such as Coche-Dury Meursault, Ch\u00e2teau Rayas and Montevertine Le Pergole Torte, alongside low-intervention wines. You\u2019ll find little below \u20ac70.<\/p>\n

You could of course have a wine pairing which comes at three levels \u2013 \u20ac99, \u20ac165 and \u20ac245 \u2013 but we opt for wine by the glass from a limited selection, Mas Candi Gal Blanc Xarel\u00b7lo (\u20ac13), and two glasses of Domaine S\u00e9rol Gamay (\u20ac17 each).<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a tasting menu (\u20ac175 pp), driven by seasonal produce, underpinned by a serious level of skill and maturity. Koji and miso \u2013 Japanese fermentation staples \u2013 are used judiciously, seasoning dishes rather than overwhelming the main ingredients, as sometimes was the case in Noma in Copenhagen, where Greene worked for a time. More importantly, there is a clear understanding of how a tasting menu should work: not a succession of dishes that build up to a huge crescendo, which can be exhausting, but a sense of when to pull back and when to build again.<\/p>\n

Inside C\u00fa\u00e1n Greene\u2019s restaurant and guest house, \u00d3m\u00f3s, in Co Laois. Video: Bryan O’Brien <\/p>\n

The tomato tart opens with an exuberance of candied flavours \u2013 Lyonnaise onions, tomatoes, strawberries and green strawberries, topped with fine ribbons of anchovy brushed with Mangalitsa pork lardo. Then comes the most intriguing dish of the evening: shiitake jelly topped with lightly set pumpkin seed milk and roasted corn kernels, served in a chilled, unglazed pot. Quite Japanese in style, the umami of the jelly pushes up through the creaminess of the pumpkin seed milk, with a hum of woodruff oil. Stunning. <\/p>\n

\"CúánC\u00fa\u00e1n Greene, co-owner and executive chef of \u00d3m\u00f3s, with head chef Matt Smith in the background. Photograph: Bryan O\u2019Brien <\/p>\n

Staying with the Japanese influence, the menu pulls back further with dry-aged hamachi and a ponzu-style sauce of raspberry, fermented rhubarb and oat tamari. The Irish salad continues in the same vein: Japanese-style steamed egg custard with green beans and berries, dressed with a salad cream of fermented barley and elderflower.<\/p>\n

\"IrishIrish salad at \u00d3m\u00f3s <\/p>\n

The tempo increases with the snail dumpling \u2013 snails chopped finely with garlic and parsley, wrapped in a dark malt dough, with a foamy sauce of rye bread, chicken stock and sauerkraut juice bringing a ferric earthiness to the dish.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s full throttle once again as the dry-aged mackerel arrives, its skin charred and crisp from the oak-fired barbecue visible in the room. A sharp sea buckthorn beurre blanc and a kumquat kosho give it an assertive edge, mellowed by a courgette and herb pur\u00e9e.<\/p>\n

A steamed potato with a large scoop of fermented butter slows the pace before the 60-day-aged beef, exquisitely cooked, rare inside and intensely charred on the outside. The heritage grain bread appears just in time to mop up the Kampot peppercorn sauce.<\/p>\n

\"Ómós\u00d3m\u00f3s steamed potato and Jersey butter \"HeritageHeritage grain bread and cultured butter at \u00d3m\u00f3s <\/p>\n

Desserts wind things down with their fresh frozen flavours: a sphere of sea buckthorn, honey and yoghurt, dusted with raspberry and spiked on an arbutus twig, is a bracing palate cleanser; compressed strawberries dabbed with a rose and seaweed paste are served with raw milk ice cream. Finally, a clever take on an After Eight is made with nori seaweed and chocolate, filled with seaweed butterscotch. <\/p>\n

\"Ómós\u00d3m\u00f3s strawberry tree \"BarebonesBarebones chocolate and seaweed butterscotch at \u00d3m\u00f3s <\/p>\n

What you\u2019re getting at \u00d3m\u00f3s is the confidence that comes with maturity, an understanding of what to leave out, both in the design of the restaurant and the menu. Some dishes are delicate, others quite robust \u2013 the 12 courses paced to balance one another. There\u2019s a signature here, a chef\u2019s imprint with original dishes you won\u2019t find anywhere else.<\/p>\n

Is it worth it? At \u20ac175, the menu is not out of kilter with other restaurants at this level. These are the most exciting, original dishes I\u2019ve eaten this year, food that intrigues rather than challenges your palate. I\u2019d expect \u00d3m\u00f3s to go in at one star in the next Michelin Guide but, believe me, it is already cooking at two-star level. Get in before it gets too expensive.<\/p>\n

Dinner for two with three glasses of wine and 12.5% service charge was \u20ac495.75.<\/p>\n

The verdict: Faultless. Resolved, original dishes on a perfectly paced tasting menu<\/p>\n

Food provenance: Fish, Glenmar; beef, Wexford Hereford; snails, Inis Escargot; potatoes, Red Shed Organic Farm; raw milk, Killadoon Farm<\/p>\n

Vegetarian options: Vegetarian menu available<\/p>\n

Wheelchair access: Fully accessible with an accessible toilet<\/p>\n

Music: Atmospheric and Irish <\/p>\n

\"Ómós head\u00d3m\u00f3s\u00a0head chef Matt Smith. Photograph: Bryan O’Brien \"Ómós\u00d3m\u00f3s Guesthouse in Abbeyleix, Co Laois. The restaurant is in a separate but linked building to the rear. Photograph: Bryan O’Brien \"Ómós\u00d3m\u00f3s restaurant interior \"ExteriorExterior of the \u00d3m\u00f3s restaurant area. Photograph: Bryan O’Brien \"DiningDining room details at \u00d3m\u00f3s. Photograph: Bryan O’Brien <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u00d3m\u00f3s \ue9d9 \ue9d9 \ue9d9 \ue9d9 \ue9d9 Address: Abbeyleix, Co Laois, R32 K259 Telephone: N\/A Cuisine: Modern international Website:…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":613021,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[93,61,60,8285,709,5861,5863],"class_list":["post-613020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-laois","tag-magazine","tag-restaurant","tag-restaurant-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/613020","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=613020"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/613020\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/613021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=613020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=613020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=613020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}