Check the link for the comments of always right "customers" of a "fusion" restaurant:

http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=36026952&postID=116084707371341129



OM at Harvard Square

OM Restaurant, Harvard Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.


The word OM (AUM) signifies the sound that created universe. It is the symbol of Brahma the creator of the universe. A very religious significant word for the Hindu and the Buddhist - OM… Every mantra starts with OM. It represents primordial vibration from which everything begins…

And so OM at Harvard Square begins the disappointment as you enter through the
Nepali carved door that leads inside to the lounge suggest nothing has been created at Harvard Square, but a mediocre translation of OM - Culturally along with the Culinary…

Food preparation has all the pomp and ceremony but no AAH to the palate. The chef’s compliment – is a total waste and a poor start to the fanfare that it so pretentiously glorifies. The starter popcorn with the cheese sprinkled on it tastes dull. There is nothing modern to American food as you dig into the Lamb Shank.

What is more sad and petrifying is the Buddha looking at your food and the drink. Buddha that symbolizes peace, non – violence, is put on the holes in the wall and embedded… overlook the tables… while people sink their knives into the pork bellies and the shank. There is no Nirvana but only the noises and the horrifying deconstruction of an old tradition, culture and the art, of the people, the place, and the artist – be it the owners father. Buddha must be crying somewhere…

The only piece of art that personifies the place is Kal Bhairav – the Lord Shiva himself – the destructor or the destroyer… OM restaurant – where you could have seen the beginning of all things that could be calm, serine, and wholesome is really a place that emphasizes the modern world where there is nothing but destruction. And, so Kal Bhairav symbolizes the destruction of all that could have been good… if the creator of the place had really thought correctly the usage of such a powerful symbol OM – as you even utter the word OM you can feel the peace within yourself.

As I looked at the Kal Bhairav – the so powerful presence… I must give thanks to the artist that created it. Looking at it you can feel the power and you can almost see yourself transferred to Hanuman Dhoka in Kathmandu Nepal where the 10 foot tall stone statue of the same sits… My heart wants to take the artist creation not only of the Kal Bhairav, but every Buddha statue the every art and rescue it from the rude owner and take it away from the “bhati” or bar and put it in a place that it would truly belong – such as a museum of traditional art… where people would appreciate the artist and the creator and know where it comes from.

The fusion of the east and west leaves a bad taste in the mouth – a bad taste in the intellect and a misplaced restaurant at Harvard Square. It tries to belong and cater to the intellectual capital of the world – only to insult it.

I was kinda of surprised to see that it made it to "best restaurants 2006" compilation by Esquire magazine. I saw that Mr. Yonzon is one of the owners of the establishment.

But, as I was trying to get some more info. on the place, I stumpled into this link..

http://boston.citysearch.com/profile/41859533/cambridge_ma/om_restaurant_lounge.html

The reviews have been kinda mixed.

I want to know what Nepalis in Boston think of this place.

Overall, I liked the place.

Food: A

Eclectic American cuisine (don't go there thinking it is a Nepalese restaurant just because the owner, name and decor are Nepalese). The pop-corn as a tit bit was a bit odd but the menu was otherwise excellent. Prices were on the steeper side.

Ambiance: A+

My religious and cultural senitivities were not offended in any way by the statues of Budha and the Hindu dieties. I was very impressed by the 2 large thankas - one in the lounge downstairs and the other in the restaurant upstairs. I thought the choice of paintings, wood carvings and other decorative items was mostly in good taste.

Service: A

I had no complaints in this area.

heard that this resturant is operated by a MIT graduate Nepali engineer and co-owned with a Bangaladesh national.

about $2 million investment in this resturant must be good with the town's best chefs and bartenders...

Highly recommended resturant if you visit Boston

The reviewer is obviously determined to "kill" the restaurant.
Perhaps s/he has a problem with the owners not cannot see the success of others.
The reviewer appears to know more about Nepal than about the food that the resataurant serves.

As for me, I have NEVER been to this restaurant.

But from what I gather from these posts, I do know the Nepali owner -- Mr. Yonzon.
I am not partcularly a fan of him, but -- Nepali to Nepali -- I wish him success in this
venture.

Still, I think this review is vicious, cruel and mean and just plain stupid.
It is NOT written by a food-lover.

But don't believe me.
Just look at the evidence - and decide for yourself.
Look at this LONG list of negative phrases in this short review:

Bottom line?
I would visit the resatuarant and make my own decisions, and NOT trust a review like this.

The LONG list of negative phrases in this short review:


1. "begins the disappointment"
2. "lounge suggest nothing"
3. "a mediocre translation of OM"
4 "but no AAH to the palate"
5. "total waste and a poor"
6. "pretentiously glorifies"
7. "The starter . . . tastes dull.
8. "nothing modern to American food"
9. "sad and petrifying is the Buddha"
10."noises and the horrifying deconstruction of an old tradition"
11. "Buddha must be crying somewhere…"
12. "destruction of all that could have been good."
13. "rescue it from the rude owner."
14. "The fusion leaves a bad taste in the mouth.'
15. "a bad taste in the intellect."
16. "a misplaced restaurant at Harvard Square."
17. "insults [the the intellectual capital of the world]"

Need anything more be more said?

oohi
ashu

I just went through the Web site of the restaurant, and it looks very interesting (I would certainly eat there at least once when I am in Boston next time)

- http://www.omrestaurant.com/

****
Also found this Boston Magazine review.
Obviously, OM's Chef -- Rachel Klie -- seems to be a culinary star

- http://www.bostonmagazine.com/dining_food_wine/detail/om

The Overview

Think of Om’s heavy, decoratively carved wooden door as a portal: On one side is the hubbub of Harvard Square; on the other is what should be a peaceful retreat, with low lighting, a glittery water sculpture, and Buddha statues in every nook. It’s oh-so-hip and has been a surprise hit in Harvard Square. After all, where else can locals find surprising, and often divine, combinations like chef Rachel Klein’s take on surf ’n’ turf: seared tuna with five-spice short-rib dumplings?

Klein’s inspirations are ethereal, if a little precious. Take the early-hit tuna tartare: Bruléed with a blowtorch, it’s served with an artful smear of pomegranate molasses, a teaspoon of cubed ginger gelée, and a shot of hibiscus spritzer. The pairings are heavenly, yet so delicately arranged that it’s devilishly hard to get a bite of everything at once.

Pleae read "stumpled into" as "stumbled onto".

Ashu,

I think you also know the owner of Kathmandu Spice, whose menu is of a Nepali/Indian variery. May be you can recommend some Bangla dish to add to his eclectic menu, Babu-Moshai!
Cheers!

Ashu,

From the posting of the "chip of the oldblock", you either live in Bangladesh or are a Bangladeshi. So how come you seem to know all these restaurant owners in Boston?

Plus, blog is a blog, one can write whatever one feels like, whether or not one is a bonafide food critic or not. So the guy did not like Om Restaurant and wrote all those gibberish. So what? You seem to be genuinely miffed about it. Or do you have any other "ulterior" motive?

So, how about your analysis of Kathmandu Spice? Since, apparently, you know its owner too.

Riten,

If you are a regular visitor to this website and don't know who Ashu is, then I don't know what to tell you. Ashu is a Sajha stalwart and might I add a Boston Brahamin, so to speak!

He's a HAVAAAD guy, and has had a long association with GBNC and the city of Boston! I was just teasing him about Bangla dish cause he is, I think, in Bangladesh, and used to be a restaurant reviewer for The Kathmandu Post at one time.:)

Thanks, COTB, thanks for info on Ashu. Sajha stalwart, on top of that Boston Brahmin of Haahvahd, eh? Now, you have piqued my curiosity. I will have to ask around, I am sure folks here in Cambridge know about him.

COTOB,

Thanks for making me feel ten feet taller!!

Next time we meet (either in Florida or Kathmandu or Boston or wherever else),
the meals and the drinks will be on me :-)

That said, visiting the Web site of a restaurant is different from actually visiting a restaurant for a meal!

So can't comment on Kathmandu Spice, though I wish the owners well.

As for Bangla cuisine, I suggest this fish cake, which came out well when I tried making it the other day. Makes a good appetizer.

- http://www.icetoday.info/procedure1.htm


**********

Riten,

I have written -- as a matter of serious hobby and NOT as a profession -- many (anonymous and unsigned) restaurant reviews for two Kathmandu publications for many years . . . visiting restaurants, trying out different food and drinks, and writing about them has long been one of my hobbies . . .

Hence I was/am in my element when I made those comments above.

That said, I recommend these two food blogs to you or anyone else who also ENJOY having fine food amidst great conversations and great ambience.

For seasoned food critics (to find out more):
- http://www.chowhound.com/

For beginning food critics (to first get their alphabets right)
-http://blog.startcooking.com/

Bon appetit, people!

oohi
ashu

I love chowhound - use it all the time. Phantom Gourmet is also another good site: - http://www.phantomgourmet.com/showpage.aspx

With the caveat that it is only Boston specific, unlike Chowhound.

How about Ilish Macch, Ashu? Heard they make it very well there :)

Have a good one!

OM is one of the best nepali restaurants I have been to in the United States. I liked the atmosphere and the food was equally scrumptious. I just dont agree with the "reviewers" comments about the place and the food.

Vincent Bodega - I agree with everything you said although I'd be hard pressed to call Om a Nepali restaurant; especially if cuisine is the primary factor for determining the ethnicity or nationality of a restaurant.

ashuji seems like a great connoisseur in the restaurant line and also a great well wisher to fellow Nepalese. Regarding Om and the Nepalese owner who refused to talk in Nepali claiming his restaurant to be American, I think the owner does not wish to be known as a Nepali nor does he want to entertain Nepalese at his restaurant, it is clear from his actions. Probably ashuji's palate is used to French food but the smelly goat cheese for appitizer and sweet duck and tasteless lamb shank scattered with potato bits for dinner was a total disaster as we had to go elsewhere for dinner. My suggestion to the owner of Om ashuji is that he must learn to speak to customers in a more polite manner and if he is displaying Nepalese artwork it is also his duty to display Neaplese hospitality. His arrogance does not suit the restaurant scenerio and I presume ashuji you will agree with me, that you will expect good service at any restaurant you go to and probably will walk out if the staff or owner is rude to you. Please make sure you talk to the owner in Nepali when you go there and let us know the outcome of his reaction. Thanks and Jai Nepal

Sorry but OM is indeed not a Nepalese restaurant as the owner himself specifically said so in his own words " I refuse to talk in Nepali as this is an American restaurant" So it is an American restaurant with a sanskrit name OM and borrowed artifacts form Nepal for decoration, and as for the food I think someone in the resaurant mentioned that the chef's style of cooking was French. So in other words OM is a big jumble and has nothing to do with Nepal and Nepalese for your kind information!!

talking about restaurant made me hungry..

Dimple-ji,

I hear you all right.

First, let me explain my personal philosophy:

Nepali to Nepali, I wish the owner of OM restaurant my very best.
And I mean that most sincerely.

I don't have to be his number-one friend to do that, and he doesn't have to be my
fan to get that.

After all, wishing Nepalis -- even people who have spoken ill of you with ZERO
evidence in the past -- a lot of success in whatever they choose to do in life and
career is one thing I can do quite honestly, and that's the sort of sentiment was
what I was expressing above.

That is all.

If you start a restaurant tomorrow, or go on an exploration trip around the Arctic Circle, hey, Nepali to Nepali, I'll wish you -- sight unseen -- my very best too.

***********************


Dimple wrote:


"My suggestion to the owner of Om ashuji is that he must learn to speak to customers in a more polite manner"


Sure, for a few minutes, I too would be pissed off at the owner for his rudeness.

But soon enough, I can shrug that off, and not take such rudeness personally.
That's because I know that the sooner or later, the market will take care of him.

That's because the restaurant economics of Harvard Square is unforgivably brutal,
and, quite frankly, a restaurant owner who's rude to his paying customers is
not going to remain one for long.

For God's sake,

-- the rents there must be sky-high,
-- customers have lots of choices in the vicinity,
-- the competition's brutal,
-- you have to comply with all sorts of food & hygiene regulations,
-- you are dealing with perishable items all the time,
-- plus the creditors will be knocking on your doors from time to time,
-- the labour force is mobile. . .
-- and there's so much uncertainty hanging over your business .. .

Under such trying circumstances, only a certifiable jackass would even dare to be rude to people on whose wallets (and on whose referrals!) his very livelihood depends.

As the Chinese say, "The man who does not smile must not open up a shop".

So Dimple-ji, take heart.
Don't take the owner's rudeness personally.

If he is rude to you, the chances are he is probably rude to others too.
That's fine.

Let him dig his own grave.
As long as your money is not involved, what's the worry?
Eat somewhere else, yaar!

After all, you can't suceed in a service business by being rude to your paying customers!! That's as elementary as it gets anywhere!!

*******************

Dimple wrote:

"if he is displaying Nepalese artwork it is also his duty to display Neaplese hospitality."


No.

There is NO connection between "displaying Nepalese artwork" and "display[ing] Neaplese hospitality."

In management terms, "displaying Nepalese artwork" is simply marketing.
But ""display[ing] Neaplese hospitality" is accounting.

The point is, if you don't have your "accounting" right, then, sooner or later, your 'marketing' alone won't carry you far, and your business will fall flat.

Obviously, that's the risks this particular owner has apparently chosen to take, and that's his call to make while spending his own money.

That's all

oohi
ashu