OM

OM.....

No, I am not meditating. What I did was have Sunday brunch at the OM Restaurant in Harvard Square.

When you walk into OM, you do feel transported to another world, a hip Tibetan/Buddhist realm. The ambience is certainly very cool and inspiring. The furniture, plates, silverware, and such all seem very modern and chic. While Asian artwork abounds. We sat upstairs, with a view out into Harvard Square.

OM has a full bar menu including their special aromatherapy cocktails, drinks with infused essential oils. These martinis cost $12 so they are a bit pricey, more comparable to the higher end lounges in Boston. We tried the Violet Femmes, which include sweet violet, Wokka Saki vodka, saki & jasmine essence. This was an excellent drink, with a smooth berry taste and without any bitterness. A great summer drink that should please most everyone. We also had a Bloody Mary, a good drink with lots of horse radish so it was very spicy. It only cost $9.

I glanced at the wine list too. It has many interesting choices though it is a bit pricey. Glasses start at $10 and rise to $25. There are very few bottles that cost under $40. The prices of a number of the wines that I know seem to run about twice the usual retail cost. But the wines generally are high quality, including some very renowned wines.

The brunch menu includes both lunch and breakfast choices. Prices run about $8-18, with an average of $12. You can get a basic bacon and eggs or something a bit more exotic. After we ordered, we were brought a basket with a large pecan roll and an almond croissant, both heated. I did ask the waiter if these were made on premises but he did not know though stated most of the pastries were made on premises. Both pastries were excellent. The pecan roll had plenty of pecans and cinnamon while the croissant was very flaky with a nice almond flavor. A good way to begin our brunch.

When our meals came, we split what we had ordered. This included the Black Angus Burger ($13) with smoked chili aioli, tomato marmalade, bacon, swiss, romaine lettuce, cornichons, sweet potato fries & a buttery brioche roll. The burger was large, juicy and flavorful. The roll was light and very fresh. The fries were excellent, just the right texture and crispiness. Maybe one of the best sweet potato fries I have ever had. We also ordered the French Toast ($12) with vanilla & cinnamon custard, seasonal berries, chantilly cream, and berry syrup. You receive 4 large halves of thick French Toast, with a strong vanilla and cinnamon flavor. The berries includes raspberries and blackberries and were fresh and juicy. The cream was great as well. Both meals were large and filling. We also ordered a size of Merguez sausage ($6) and received four sausage links. This was a spicy and delicious sausage.

We were too full to order dessert but we received small lychee popsicles. These were interesting frozen cylinders on a stick with a mild but noticeable lychee flavor. Very nice.

Service was excellent. Our waiter, Mike, was personable and helpful.

Overall, this was an excellent experience. I will definitely return here to try dinner some evening, or lunch during the week. Some people may find it a bit pricey but you do get high quality food, cooked well and plenty of it. It is Passionate Foodie Recommended!