OÚM — Restaurant in La Oliva

The space itself is lovely — tucked away from the busy touristy areas — and, as you can tell from the reviews, it’s a popular spot.

When it came to ordering, the staff member who took our order was speaking very quickly and rushed us into ordering at least five dishes. That’s fine if you’re hungry, but if you’re not, be prepared to feel pressured. They also direct you on what to order like you are a kid which i told him not to as i know what i like and he gave me a bad look afterwards.

As for the food: the moutabal and dolmas were ok, but the meat dish covered with bread let things down a bit — mainly because of the bread. Despite the waiter telling us everything was freshly made, the bread served was extremely thin, basic, cold and lacked flavor — the kind you’d easily find pre-packaged at a supermarket and not imported as they say they do.

It didn’t do the dips any justice, and worse, it dried out the meat dish so badly that we had to send it back to the kitchen.

The chicken skewer was juicy- and grilled welll. My partner had and that is what made me give them a 3 star instead of anything lower.

Having lived in the Gulf and dined at many Lebanese restaurants, I can confidently say that the bread here was unfortunately below average. It’s surprising that more people haven’t mentioned this, because good bread is essential for enjoying Middle Eastern food.

The owner offered us a complimentary dessert, which we really appreciated and thoroughly enjoyed. We did try to explain the bread issue, but it didn’t seem to resonate and she kept on saying that they import that thin paper like bread by plane. 😅

Funny coz the lady waitress i spoke to told me they bought from supermarkets and not import. Such double standards 😒

Honestly, even sourcing fresh bread from a good local baker or getting better supermarket bread and heat it up before serving it to customers would make a big difference . I understand that baking fresh bread every day is a lot of work, but quality bread would truly elevate the dining experience in comparison to the price you pay for the 5 pressured dishes

Edit: Please do not tell customers that you serve all fresh food because the bread is definitely from supermarket. Which is fine but at least get better quality bread from the store and heat it up before serving to customers. Same case with the wine that i had to follow up twice so the staff...

We had such a memorable dinner at Oum in Lajares, everything from the warm welcome to the final bite was spot-on. From the moment we arrived, the two waitresses were absolutely lovely and genuinely attentive. When my wife asked about gluten-free options, one of them immediately asked if it was an intolerance or celiac, which showed a great understanding of the difference. My wife has an intolerance, and the digital menu you access via your phone clearly marks gluten-free dishes, which made ordering so easy and reassuring.

The restaurant itself is beautifully decorated with Mediterranean charm, from the soft lighting and textures to the striking tableware. We loved the plates so much we actually tried to find them online, and noticed the couple next to us doing exactly the same, flipping theirs over to check for a brand!

The food.....WOW. Every dish was bursting with flavour and freshness. The Chamandar (beetroot) was a standout: so fresh with a subtle spice that was absolutely divine. The dolma was packed with flavour and perfectly balanced. But the highlight was definitely the chich taouk, incredibly succulent, deeply seasoned, and cooked to perfection. I can only describe it as magical.

We highly recommend Oum to anyone visiting the area, whether you're gluten-free or just a lover of great food in a stunning setting. Apologies for the half-eaten dish photos...the food was just too...

Had a great late lunch here, followed by a lovely hike up the Caldera de Hondo, and we then even went back for coffee and dessert. For our meal we tried as many cold and hot meze as we could, as we don't get to get around much because we have have our own restaurant in Caleta (Fiesta).

We had hummus, an eggplant dip, tabouleh, dolmas, plenty of pita bread (although the other bread was also pretty good), followed by the meat in dough and the chicken skewers.

It all felt authentic, freshly prepared and made with love. As a head chef myself I cannot emphasize enough how chef's love directly passes on to dishes and enhances the customer's experience. Everything was spot on. From the flavours to the presentation and decorations. The Menu has all the Lebanese classics.

Speaking about the place itself, it's tidy, nicely laid out and tastefully decorated. The location is quite since it's off the centre of Lajares, and if you seat on the tables closer to the entrance you can dine in full view of the volcano. Not a bad sight......

Lastly: absolutely amazingly attentive staff, pleasant, chatty and passionate about the enterprise which is only one year old.

In conclusion, give this place a try and you won't be disappointed. We are definitely going back when we'll...