OMA- Borough Market, London

has small plates gone too far? or not far enough?

I recently watched a TikTok video that I promptly sent to almost every friend living in London. It was someone doing a parody of small plate restaurants in East London.

Let me set the scene.

A young waiter/waitress comes up to you. Almost always with shaggy hair, a facial piercing, baggy jeans, fidgety fingers, and always always always accompanied by a feeling that they would never talk to you unless they were getting paid to do so.

They go on to explain their restaurant’s ethos, a super unique concept that no one else has ever done (bar the 100 other ones down the road with the exact same concept). Their menu always operates on a “two-bite” dish- where one dish can maybe feed a smaller-than-average child. Diners are encouraged to order 3-4 things, with all prices ranging between 15-45 pounds. Dinner often comes out to at least 50pp without alcohol and you’re often left more confused and hungry than satiated.

It made me laugh because of how accurate it is- London has become a mecca for stingy, slightly pretentious places that make you feel they’re doing you a favor to eat there.

So, upon trying OMA, I tried to keep my expectations low and went in with, in all honestly, a skewed idea of what it would be. I had seen it recommended often, and after trying their sister restaurant Agora (which was very nice), I was keen to see if it lives up to the hype.

It’s a restaurant inspired by the simplicity of Greek food, and when you walked in, I could see the influence immediately. It screamed beachy minimalism, with limestone-washed walls lending a softness to the usual harshness caused by stark white decor. The kitchen was open in a sense, with glass windows looking into the staircase and the inner restaurant. As we didn’t have a booking, we were sat on their outdoor terrace area- a quite frankly massive landing on top of Borough Market. The trains passed by every few minutes, and instead of being aggravating, it was actually quite a nice touch for some reason.

I could barely tell we were outside in spite of the rain and cold. Their overhead and feet heaters were working overtime- and the chill wasn’t noticeable at all. There were also blankets draped on each seat in case one was extra susceptible.

The service was friendly and knowledgeable. Shaggy hair and baggy jeans were present but the pretentiousness and fidgetiness were left at the door. We were talked through the menu (which was very much “small plates), but I felt they weren’t trying to upsell us or make us order too much. Instead, he recommended his favorites and told us we had ordered enough when we asked if we should get another main. We also decided not to order the grill/clay pot mains as they were significantly more expensive and at the end of the day, we’re just girls trying to survive on hospitality salaries!!!

Their menu was split into 6 main sections-

BREAD ETC. ; SPREADS ; CRUDO ; LINE-CAUGHT BLUEFIN TUNA ; SMALL ; CLAY POT + GRILL

So, this is what we ordered

Breads etc:

wild-farmed laffa 3.5

acma verde 3.5

Spreads:

salt cod xo, labneh 6

tarama, pickled cucumber, carob rusks 6

babaghanoush, tahini, Jerusalem artichoke crisps 6

Crudo

gilt head bream tartare, capers, gherkins, dill 12

Line-caught bluefin tuna

tuna sashimi, todoli citrus + burnt pepper 18

Small

charred lamb belly, hummus, shallot + mint salata

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Our vibe was much more let’s get lots of bread and dips with some small plates afterward. We also all got 2 glasses of wine each. Anna and I got 2 glasses of the house white and Issy went for the house red. Each glass was 5.5 pp and very acceptable for the price point. While some might consider it slightly cloying, I had no issue with it (but I am not yet a wine aficionado). If I could say one thing- I wish the stem was skinnier. I KNOW! I’m sorry!!! But, I just love a wine stem that’s so thin you’re afraid to hold it. I swear it makes the wine taste better.

SO, let’s get into it.

If I’m frank, the bread and dips were by far and large the best part of the meal. However, I would like to point out again that we didn’t get any of the large mains- so our opinion might be a bit skewed.

The wild-farmed laffa was unreal- hot out of the oven and pillowy soft. Truly, my fingers sank into it like a marshmallow and it was just so easy to eat. It was one of those perfect complements to a dip that can sometimes be hard to find. I feel that sometimes restaurants assume people will eat the bread regardless (which I definitely will), which is why it’s such a delight when you can tell real thought has gone into it.

The acma verde was their take on a bagel, and while good and delicious, we all agreed it wasn’t anything insane. It was light and fluffy but the laffa was far and large our favorite of the two. So much so that we ended up ordering another one.

For the dips-

There’s just so much to say. Initially, they brought out the wrong dip. They messed up our taramasalata dip with their tahini and honey dip. However, after alerting our waiter, the proper dip was quickly brought AND we were allowed to keep the wrong dip for free. I love it when stuff like that happens.

The salt cod with labneh was sublime. The cod lent a lovely saltiness to the dish that was then cut by the jaw-tingling acidity that labneh always brings to the table. However, the element that made it outstanding in my eyes was the XO sauce it was topped with. It’s made out of dehydrated vegetables like onion, garlic, tomatoes, red peppers, and chilis and putting them in oil and salt. It is truly a flavor bomb and to me, the definition of umami. It just begged to be mopped up with that fluffy laffa bread.

The babaghanoush with tahini and Jerusalem artichokes was good but also nothing out of the realm of ordinary. It again, was obviously well made and delicious and I thoroughly enjoyed it but it wasn’t anything incredibly different (which I don’t think it needs to be!).

Our free extra dip which was tahini with hot honey and crispy chickpeas was actually much better than I expected. We initially didn't order it because we were a bit tahini’d out but the honey cut it so brilliantly. The sweetness gave a really nice mouthfeel and of course, the crispy chickpeas added that bit of texture that a smooth dip almost always needs.

The final one is a taramasalata dip with pickled cucumber and carob rusks. Taramasalata, a fairly popular dip in the UK was pretty foreign to me before moving here. However! It has really grown on me and as soon as I saw it on the menu I knew we had to get it. It’s made from taramas which is cured and salted cods roe, which might put some people off but it is SO good. It kind of had the same vibe as the salted cod dip but was much lighter and the pickled cucumber really cut through the salty and cured feeling of the taramas.

While eating all these dips, the main detail I noticed throughout was their attention to balance. I just felt nothing was too strong in any aspect and it was all balanced so wonderfully.

Moving on to the final three dishes- the tartare, sashimi, and charred lamb belly.

The tartare was sublime sublime sublime!!!!! I’m a real sucker for seafood done well- and this was everything and more. I was unsure initially about the capers, gherkins, and dill as they’re three super intense flavor profiles. But ugh!!!! So balanced (are you noticing a trend yet?) and light on the tongue while still packing a flavor punch. The fish wasn’t over-cured- a real pet peeve of mine- I despise when it gets rubbery and chalky if it’s left in acid for too long. Still bouncy and soft, it all just worked so well together.

On to the sashimi and lamb belly. I felt these two could be either left or ordered. The sauce that came with the sashimi was soooo good. I really loved the combination of the todoli citrus and burnt pepper. It was acidic and smoky in all the right ways- and I probably could have drank it out of a glass. The tuna was nice as well (and extra points for being line-caught and sustainable), but ultimately I felt the texture was a bit soft and not ideal for the thickness it was presented in. I think it would have done better sliced thinly and presented more as a crudo.

The lamb belly was also good but since the slices were so thin, it ended up feeling a bit chewy and overcooked. The best part of the dish was the mint and parsley salata it was topped with. I love a rustic salad where its whole leaves of mint and parsley- it brings so much freshness and brightness to a dish, I genuinely could not stop picking at it. It was served on hummus which didn’t do anything for me- I didn’t really realize it was hummus until I checked the menu again. It was a dish that sounded really good on paper but ultimately wasn’t that outstanding.

We didn’t end up going for dessert as nothing caught our eye but I’m sure it would have been delicious.

Our final bill came out to 43pp with alcohol and without alcohol, it would have been 32pp. We disagreed a bit on whether there was enough food- I thought it was due to the fairly generous portion sizes of the dips and breads but I agree the small plates really were on the small side. We also conceded that we might be more peckish due to the cheeky wines we imbibed. Was it pricy? Yes. I would say for 45pp, I’ve had much more satiating meals. However, the restaurant vibes were impeccable- it was buzzing on a Monday night, the service was great, and the food was mostly delicious.

I’d really like to come back another night with more people so we can try more of the menu along with some of the mains and desserts. But, for now- I’m happy knowing I’ve tried both the little and big sisters of Borough Market, Agora and OMA.

Final rating- 8.2/10

Love,

Laila x