Well this is awkward
Many things are awkward, but watching the Instagram story of a random acquaintance 12 seconds after it was posted is at the top of my list.
Second on that list is writing a newsletter about not loving a restaurant that everyone else is, which leads us onto this month’s place to taste (or not taste): Oma in London Bridge.
The skinny
Described as a ‘restaurant inspired by the Greek isles’, Oma has influences from the Middle East and the Med, and comes from the same guy behind Smokestak and Manteca.
It’s received some serious hype from Giles Coren, Grace Dent and social media influenzers.
But, while the food was delicious and the setting is ace, for me it’s not quite the ‘standout, hands down, pants off, run around screaming, slam-dunk best-of-the-year-so-far joint in central London’ that Coren described it as. Don’t @ me.
“Why send me an email about it then Fraser?”
Well, because a) you need something to read while on the loo and b) we’re very much a public service provider. Did Eat My Words save a small subset of the home counties from boredom during lockdown? Arguably. Do we think you should put your hard-earned Benjamin’s towards other less-hyped restaurants? Probably.
The vibe
Oma is upstairs, semi formal, and booking’s advised. Its sister restaurant, Agora, is downstairs, more casual, walk-in only, and ‘inspired by the streets and markets of Athens’.
Oma has a terrace (see pic) which I’d recommend if you want to do some people watching across Borough Market. It would be a great place for a wine (the list is extensive) or cocktail (we had a clementine gimlet which was delish).
The food
The breads are a must-order. There’s a Turkish-style soft bagel called acma, but we were recommended the laffa (Iraqi bread) with salt cod XO labneh. Side note: XO sauce is in the midst of its Basque-cheesecake-on-every-menu-circa-2021 moment.
The hummus and baba ganoush were tasty but not jaw dropping. I remember being more impressed by Berenjak’s hummus.
Crudo. I’m always happy with raw fish so we had the gilt head bream ceviche and chalkstream trout tartare. Again, both tasty but not knock-your-socks-off.
Oxtail giouvetsi. Social media’s getting very excited about this one which comes with a roasted marrow bone to scrape out and add to the casserole/stew.
Final thought
Service was a little slow but we did have a great guy looking after us. We got to chatting and he said that he thought Oma’s appeal is that it’s great food in a good setting and it won’t cost you £100 a head.
Well, he gave us some beers and gimlets on the house and it was still £120 a head.
I don’t want to sound too harsh because I would go back. Everything was tasty, and £120 a head with the wine we had was actually not bad value. I just don’t think it’s quite as good as the hype suggests.
Speak soon,
Fraser