Omar Dhiab is a one Michelin starred restaurant in Paris. Its also very highly rated on Google; in fact, it has a 4.9, a near perfect score. I had big expectations, and I am going to tell you why it didn’t meet my expectations for the most part. When you enter the restaurant, the first thing you will see is the open kitchen.
We were then seated. The dining room is fairly casual. Some people were in suits, some in t-shirts. The tables are very close to one another. In fact, they are so close together that when a server is attending to the table next to you, their tailcoats will touch your glass, plate, food etc, which is gross! We were poured some hibiscus juice from Egypt. Having just gone there, I had a basis for comparison, and this one, came up short unfortunately.
Next, my wife went to the bathroom while a server brought out some amuse. This is a mistake that most Michelin starred restaurants would not make. They would wait until everyone was at the table to bring out any dish. The lady said she would explain the dishes when my wife returned. My wife returned, and the lady never came back. Therefore, I am not sure exactly what we ate except for the skewer below which was beef tongue (I asked after). Also, the first amuse had some turmeric in it. The second amuse, the bowl, was acidic.
The beef tongue had lots of umami, the other amuse were just ok. Next, they brought some bread and butter from Brittany. The bread was delicious. Nice spongy texture, and really good crust. The crust had lots of flavor and was crispy like a cracker.
Next, a deer tartar covered with beets.
Our next dishes were tuna. They were good but the long piece had lots of sinew which is just poor cutting. This was disappointing, especially as I just came from Jin Sushi the other night, where the chef proudly explained how he cuts the fish to AVOID sinew.
Next up was one of the highlights of the night. A mushroom dish that was full of flavor. This was delicious.
Next was another standout dish (actually, it is the chef’s signature dish and only comes with the 7 or 9 course menu), the sweetbreads.
Throughout the meal, there were some other service failures like having to ask for more water, wine (the sommelier recommended a Chablis which was very good), and not clearing empty plates. This is not Michelin standard. Also, we ordered sparkling water but the server pouring had to ask what kind of water we had. There is some attention to detail lacking at this restaurant.
Next dish was a lobster that tasted a bit fishy, and some BBQ lobster that was well done with just a hint of that BBQ grill taste.
I should also mention at this point that the gaps in between dishes was too long. The kitchen needs to be better organized. The final savory dish was duck. It was ok, but the duck was very chewy and the skin was not crisp. It also had a slight gamey taste.
We also added the cheese course which was a compte. It was good. Almost parm like with lots of umami crystals.
Next was a series of desserts, none of which was particularly outstanding. However, this vinegar, Madagascar vanilla, and potato ice cream was interesting and unique.
I did not care much for the figs with yogurt and walnut cake.
Another interesting dessert was this seaweed bite with ice cream.
This chocolate mousse was very basic.
Finally, the meal ended with some sort of rose water pudding.
Overall, there were a lot of service issues that should not be happening at a Michelin starred restaurant. There were also issues with some of the dishes with very few outstanding ones. I would not return nor recommend this place.