Om Nom Dessert Bar @ Flinders Lane

It started with:

• A gruelling elimination challenge on MasterChef
• Christy Tania’s mouth-watering signature dish, Mango Alfonso
• A visit from mum……..

And I found myself sitting on the posh floors of the 40-seat Om Nom Dessert Bar. Labelled as the “female Adriano Zumbo”, Kristy Tania’s  simple yet complex desserts proved that her appearance as guest judge on MasterChef was no fluke.  Once the youngest project manager of IBM Singapore, Kristy Tania packed her bags and headed off to France where she trained under world renowned chef Alain Ducasse and now head chef at Melbourne’s new Om Nom Restaurant.

Up a short flight of stairs and you will come upon what looked like a hotel-reception desk where a friendly receptionist will direct you to the a longue consisting of eight black cauldron tables. Above is a ceiling of hammered copper-coloured metal reflecting the interior of the lounge and the soft glows of candle-light.  

Walking into a restaurant where traditional main courses were treated as ‘bar snack’ to the featured mouth watering desserts, I had no idea what to expect. First glance of the menu was rather unexpected and was different from the menu I browsed from their website which features ala carte savoury dishes (perhaps they have changed it). Now, dinners get to select from three different savoury menus, each featuring different dishes from savoury to desserts – Express Menu $69, Tasting Menu $79 and Degustation Menu $99. The bar snacks were mainly entree dishes rather than main courses.

I’ll be frank that I planned on having a Pan Seared Duck breast ala cart, plus a couple desserts but with the new menu, we certainly were not prepared to drill a dip hole in our wallets for a three course meal, hence we skipped right to the dessert menu and sampled three desserts. Not the cheapest of desserts with prices ranging from $25 to $28, or you can opt for the “Dessert Degustation” where you have three desserts for $55 per person.

Mango Alfonso – $27

Yes, it was the dish that sent the MasterChef’s contestants into a whirlwind of pain as they struggle to recreate the hero of the dish – the choux pastry. And yes, it tasted just as good as it looked on TV.  I tried really hard not to make a mess as I attempted to disassemble this edible work of art. The mango moose in the profiterole was to-die-for, silky with a good mango punch. Sandwiched between the two profiteroles were liquid fondant and tempered dark chocolate. On top of that sat two halved spheres, one half was the mango moose and the other aws shiso cremo. Displayed on the sides were poached diced mangoes and two pops of coconut spheres that burst in your mouth. On the far left, was a coconut-lemongrass-ginger foam piped on top of a serving of smooth calamansi (a type of citrus that grows in tropical areas) sorbet. The ten elements on this dish were subtlety flavoursome and had a cohesive balance.

Basil Garden – $25

Mum’s and Cutie’s favourite. The centrepiece, a dark chocolate pot filled with vanilla, olive oil and honey ice cream and four orbs of lime, basil and white chocolate creameux. The dark chocolate crumble was quite savoury and bitter which balanced out all the other sweet elements.

Raspberry Field – $27

Our last dish, the Raspberry field featured two meringue stems, perched on top of them were two mushroom-heads of frozen raspberry sorbet. Surrounding them were raspberries, syrup coated lychees, strawberries plus raspberry and rosewater creamuex.  Whilst I enjoyed the sorbet and meringue, in comparison with the earlier two dishes which had something to balance out the sweetness, this felt just a tinge too sweet in comparison. Nevertheless, I must say that if you have a sweet tooth, this might be tailored made for you. Hands down the prettiest dessert I’ve every seen, displaying an orchestra of absolute finest and refined artistry.

The only downside of this bar is that the dishes are over-priced. Having said that, in exchange for that extra ka-ching $$$, you get sophistication, classy, balance, creativity, originality and finest. Well, just enough to pamper yourself and make you leave the place a happy person, contented yet yearning for more. Om Nom Dessert Bar is truly something special and the young, talented Kristy Tania is the one to watch.

Om Nom Dessert Bar
Address            : Adelphi Hotel. 187 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC, 3000
Contact No.       : +61(3) 8080 8888

Operating Hours : Breakfast 7am - 12pm
                            Dinner & Desserts 6pm - 12am, Mon to Sat
                            High Tea 12pm - 4pm Sun

Nearby Eats      :  Hardware Societe, Manchester Press