Shifa Naseer discovers a new chapter in food presentation
Serving kachi ambi chicken tikka on a seekh in a handi because normal plates are too mainstream and serving drinks in balls decorated with dry ice to give a smoky and attractive touch gave the impression that OMG had put quite some effort on how to attract diners. Along with the tasty and quality food, the most important factor which takes a restaurant forward is the presentation. With a good presentation, even an average tasting dishes seem delectable. And that is what we observed on our visit to the restaurant. Having the same menu as any other CP restaurant, OMG stands out because of its presentation. Going with the chef’s choice, we were served dishes from every cuisine which they have to offer. Starting with the baked nachos served with cheese, olives and jalapeños with side sauces including salsa, sweet and sour and avocado. The combination was fair enough and the nachos were crunchy enough but nothing out of the box as such. As we progressed to the chicken tikka served on a seekh in the handi. The presentation took us by surprise and as mentioned above, it tasted exceptionally good and the presentation was definitely a contributing factor. The flavour of the kachi ambi was a delightful fusion with the juicy chicken pieces which made the starter our favourite. This was followed by the oriental style tofu with bell peppers. The deep fried, crispy outer cover of the tofu cubes complimented the inner soft core. The taste was enhanced by the bell peppers which was a treat to our taste buds.
The main course did not really rise up to our expectations. The first dish served, stacked bell pepper and cottage cheese with pesto rice, did not have any distinct flavour to it. We could not exactly understand the combination of the dish. The second in line, murg methi malai served with butter naan seemed fine enough.
The chicken was cooked to the core with the malai seeped in deep. The naan was crisp and fresh, dipped in butter. However, the lachcha paratha was dry and we can definitely say we have had better. The saving grace of the entire meal was the was pomfret fillet in laksa with sticky rice which had a very tangy flavour due to lemon grass along with the right amount of cooked fillet. The gravy was not too thick either.
The dessert was the freshly baked molten chocolava cake served with blueberry sauce and vanilla ice cream. Our spirits were raised by the dessert which sent us home all hale and hearty with smiles on our faces and very satisfied taste buds. Even though the ambience and the service was good and the presentation was impressive, OMG has a long walk ahead to make its mark in the long like of restaurants found in the city.