An eclectic success

I think one of the keys to a successful restaurant is to be clear as to what you are trying to do. There are so many restaurant these days that suffer from an identity crisis. 'Authentic' mexican restaurants offer Fish and Chip dishes (ahem MASA...), 'authentic' french restaurants label their main dishes 'entrées' which should really be called 'plats principaux'...ahem...Petit Robert.

Another common mistake is to try to be too many things: Five Napkin Burger should really just stick to Burgers...

 This past Saturday, OM Restaurant, in Harvard Square put a group of Boston Brunchers up for a taste of their brunch offering. As per usual, I checked out the menu before heading out and was a little worried by the wide range of dishes offered: from Southern to Asian and classic American...I braced myself...was this going to be another case of identity mayhem?

This being my first time to OM, I had no past experiences to draw upon, I was at a clean slate.  I can very happily say however,  that OM impressed me through and through.

Being the sponsor of our get together of blogging brunchers, OM had a great welcome ready for us and a fabulous table right by the window.  The interior décor is Asian-styled with exquisite Buddha figures and beautiful wall designs.

Once everyone in our party had arrived, we were served their Lychee Bellini, a freshly blended Lychee puree with Prosecco.  I have always enjoyed anything Lychee, but let me tell you that something about the freshly blended fruit with the crisp champagne was really delicious and set things on a positive road from the get go.

Another brief look at the culinary range on the menu had me holding my breath...what was I to order?Luckily, we ordered in a way that allowed us to try many different items.

As a team, we decided to start sweet with their Banana and Chocolate stuffed French Toast and Lemon Pancake with orange maple butter.

The Stuffed French Toast, which is an upgraded version of your classic brunch item was absolutely delicious: the Challah was 'Frenched' and toasted to a perfect fluffiness, not too gooey but tasting of sweet egg.  The banana and chocolate filling was just the right amount, the thickness of the bread balanced it out perfectly.  The pancakes however, were not my favorite...I think the pancake on our side of the table was a bit over cooked...

Moving on to things more savoury, I tried some of their Kerala Scramble, which is eggs scrambled with chunky and fresh smoked salmon, ripe cherry tomatoes and green chilies.  It came with a nice side of greens and flat bread.  This dish was a nice light option, my only change would be to grill the flatbread.

Already though, my taste buds were liking what they were getting!

The next dish was the true champ. The Biscuits, egg and ham, a very southern dish, just seemed to out of place in writing.  Once it arrived in full form however, any qualms were eradicated and I proceeded to eat not only mine, but my fellow blogger's left over remnants as well. The country ham was salty and contrasted superbly with the tomato jam.  The biscuits themselves were buttery to the point where you couldn't really talk once you had a bite in your mouth. I would suggest getting runny eggs with this dish as you might otherwise be silent for the remainder of the meal:)

I also tried a bite of the Duck Confit Hash, courtesy of Bianca - my fellow chocoholic:).  This was an item I would have expected from Chef Patricia Yeo who is famous for her creative Asian/American flare.  This dish, with the spicy chili sauce was so distinct and yet so well done.

By the end of the meal, I felt as though I had been to three different restaurants each with their own specialty, and yet I had not left my spot at OM. It was a culinary adventure which began tentatively and ended with me being fully blown away and an advocate for future visits. 

With items priced around 10 dollars and generous portions, OM really delivers a great brunch.  An eclectic menu that delivers is a rare find...don't rule it out for a fine weekend morning or early afternoon!