Om Nom — Restaurant in Melbourne

What had so much potential to be a great birthday celebration of our good friend went completely downhill. Went to Om Nom last night (Good Friday 15th April) and had a booking at 7pm for a group of 7 of us. We arrived on time and as we sat down were given one menu for the whole table (would also recommend updating this as they’re quite scruffy and pages were just coming out of the book) 10 minutes in I asked if I could get some more menus for everyone at the table, we were then given 2 more. Food came out, we were not even offered side plates nor cutlery. After the cheese board had been sitting there for a bit we then got cheese knives. The staff at the beginning of the reservation were nice although attention to detail could be worked on, my drink also sat there empty and no one came around to offer further drinks. My friend then got the attention of one of the wait staff and ordered another drink where the order was taken and NO mention of needing to finish up soon. A lady then came around to the table a few minutes later and this is when it went downhill. We all noted how aggressive she was and she said that it was a 90 minute booking and “you have already gone over it so you will need to be out of here in ten minutes” she then said “and I know you have a drink on the way, that one will be cancelled” Straight on the defence and no kindness at all. Also anywhere I have ever gone, once they put the drink order in you should at least just get that last drink even if the reservation is ending soon. Or simply state this before taking the drink order. We still had food left and some of the guests had drinks still going so we quickly tried to finish everything and this woman came around again and instead of giving a gentle nudge just said “you’ve been told more than enough times now” it left us all feeling very frustrated as we looked around at empty tables that needed to be cleared and wiped (put it this way - the place was fairly dead) My friend explained he didn’t appreciate the way things were handled, in which he was dismissed. When he asked if he could discuss with management the concerns she stated she was the manager. On a night like Good Friday that’s paying staff more than the usual rate, would you not think the restaurants would be more accomodating particularly when there are empty tables? Overall, will I be back? Hell no, this place used to be...

Food Quality: I took my best friend here on the 27/07/2019 for a birthday for high tea and she absolutely loved the quality of the food. She thought that the cakes were a delightfully different and had a good selection. I on the otherhand did not enjoy it as her but as long as she had a great time, I am content.

Service: I made an online reservation on the 15/07/2019 and was sent a confirmation immediately. I gave the most diligent details regarding occasion, dietary requirements and preferred seating location. I was contacted via call four days before the date to confirm which I really appreciate with a repeated clarification of the details I requested. I was also sent an email reminder the night before. On the day, we had about three waitress/waiter service us. When we enquired about the menu and drinks, they were informative with a particular waitress even giving us her favourite recommendations, which I appreciate. They were attentive to requests to refill water and tea, and the same waitress took a photo for us.

Pricing: The reason that I am giving this review a three star as opposed to a four is because it was quite expensive for me. It was also my first high tea and I kind of expected more food, but like I stated, my friend was happy with everything so it was a successful surprise date with her. Personally, I probably won't come back.

Location: In the CBD and a great walk back to the car.

Ambiance/Atmosphere: Was advised over the phone that the place is quite dark overall but it was seeable. It was lovely and it felt like each patron kept to themselves/their own tables. I thought that the venue found a good balance between ambiance and atmosphere, however would personally prefer a slight more lighting.

Conclusion: It was a good first experience. My friend thoroughly enjoyed the entirety of...

ORDERED: High tea ($79.00pp) 🥪 Savoury: Gougere, pork sausage roll with seeded mustard, boudin en croute, prawn roll en croute, truffle egg sandwich, ribolitta with saffron aioli and pecorino, mushroom arancini with tarragon mayonnaise 🦢 Sweet: Entrement, carrot & walnut financier, passionfruit & coconut layer cake, salted caramel chocolate truffles, macaron, chantilly swan, scones with jam & cream

REVIEW: It was a pleasant surprise to see Om Nom operating outside of dessert hours - they offer high tea at $79pp basic package without card & weekend surcharge!! 🍵

❤ Incredibly filling selection of food. I found that anything mushroom flavoured (truffle egg sandwich & mushroom arancini) was absolutely delicious. Om Nom pulled the earthy, umami flavour of mushrooms so well! 🍄 The rest of the savoury selection were decent.

From the sweets, the stand out was the chantilly swan. Unfortunately I was too full and didn't get to try everything (cry!! 😭) but the chantilly swan had an amazing lightness that was easy to consume. It had a beautiful construction that felt like I was eating a piece of art.

🎹 With the live piano playing in the background, it was an elegant place to celebrate my friend's bridal shower. The sweets tier also came out with a lovely Congratulations message. Thank you!! Atmosphere wise - great place to have a girls catch up but the lighting is a little too yellow for our liking (photos don't come out...