Robyn Z.
Yelp
having left a rather atmosphere lacking whighams wine cellar, i made the short journey to the crossroads at haymarket where i was off to treat myself to a curry. the crossroads are more a massive mess of ugly tram works, but omar khayyam is a beacon of chic and stylish light at what used to be a very busy traffic point.
on approaching the front door to the restaurant, i was warmly greeted by one of the servers who opened the inner door for me and showed me to a big table where i choose the comfy booth seat over the chair. he also offered to hang my coat up, which i declined as i just folded it neatly and placed it on the bench beside me. i arrived early, my date still on his way, but this didn't stop the waiter bringing me water, a glass of red wine, and poppadums with dips.
once my date had arrived and taken his seat, he was quickly approached by the ever efficient waiter and asked if he wanted a drink, to which he order a pint of kingfisher (they don't appear to have cobra here...) and was brought this seconds later. we had a look at the menu, opting to just go for main dishes and add a side, using the poppadoms as our starter.
after ordering our mains, we started in on the poppadums that were nice and crispy and accompained with three very tasty dips. there was the regular mango chutney, which was a bit to sweet for me, a spicy raita, and the best spicy onions i've ever had!! the onions were fresh, mixed with bits of tomato in a zesty and spicy sauce that made them the perfect topping for the crisp poppadums!
our food arrived so quickly that we hadn't even finished the poppadums yet, but the waiter solved that problem by putting the remaining poppadum on top of the naan bread and leaving use with the dips. now the main dishes...omg hello flavour explosion!!! i ordered the punjabi karahi with chicken and this dish was the perfect blend of spices and curry and a chilli kick. there was a really warming taste of cinnamon mixed in which just brought the dish to a five star review rating! it was so good i ate all of it, even though i felt like i'd have to roll myself home!!
my date had the black pepper chicken, which i used some naan bread to dip in the sauce, i also found this dish very tasty and would be happy to order it next time i go. we shared pilau rice, an onion naan, and a very tasty side of aloo palak (spinach and curried potatoes). the only thing left after we devoured this incredibly delicious meal was a bit of naan that neither of us could fit into our overly full tummies.
so the food was outstandingly delish, but the service was also something to compete with! the waiters seem to always be there with what you needed and everything was served so quickly, but they made us feel comfortable to linger over our meal and not be rushed out the door. i also liked the hot towels they brought after clearing away the plates, these were proper hot towels not the lame wet tissue like ones you get in other places. the restaurant also looks like it's recently been done up and the decor is all sumptious dark colours and clean lines.
clearly, i loved this place!! i will definitely be making the extra journey to come here again for some more delicious curry delights!