Despite the fact that Omu ends up being little more than a pretty café, albeit one with a substantial dinner menu, we admire that they stick to such a focused food concept: variations of omu rice, a Japanese urban fusion dish involving chicken rice dashed with some ketchup, wrapped in fluffy egg and topped with meats, garnishes and sauce. The sauce options at Omu include tomato, demi-glace and Japanese curry; and the toppings range from lava egg (B20) and mixed mushrooms (B40) to katsu (fried pork cutlet, B80) and hamburger patty (B70-80). The sheer range of options coupled with the space’s sun-drenched and serene IKEA-inspired atmosphere has made Omu a popular hangout among professionals in the daytime for its cakes, coffee and Wi-Fi, and among young Japanese families in the evenings for the cozy lighting and hearty portions. Indeed, the ambience almost makes up for the average food. Partly to blame is the dish itself, inherently basic and a little bland, especially to a Thai palate: sauces are all similar and rice fillings share neutral flavors. To be fair, if you give it a couple of visits and figure out a combo you like, there’s a dish here for you. On our last visit, for instance, we were disappointed by the omu rice with hamburger and radish topped with Japanese sauce (which is pretty much just soya sauce, B200). The same toppings with the demi-glace sauce, however, would certainly pep up the slightly dry but otherwise delicious burger. The supporting dishes are average as well, though inexpensive, like the well-dressed Caesar salad (B100), which is cheap and packed with greens, but has little flavor aside from bacon and overly-soft croutons. Don’t skip dessert though, such as the green tea cake, which is very dense and has a pleasant bitter note (B95). If you’re ever in the neighborhood, you may well give it a shot, and find that the lovely ambience and attentive service make up for the kitchen’s shortcomings.
