Om Nom: The Hotel Bar and Restaurant That’s Changing Perceptions

Om Nom is the bar and restaurant at Adelphi Hotel, located in the heart of Melbourne, that’s got everybody talking. Unlike anything else in the city, Om Nom has proven that guests don’t need to leave their hotel to find a top level bar and/or restaurant, by over-delivering on style and service and elevating their clientele’s sensory experience of food and beverage.

Om Nom is all about desserts - and that’s across the bar and restaurant menu. Just ask for their Salted Caramel Cracking Espresso! These pieces of art are designed to capture their audience’s imagination and senses. These are not made to be sipped or simply eaten - watch, smell, play and see the myriad of flavours that unfold.

drinks bulletin: Where were you working before Om Nom?

Director of Food & Beverage, Marcus Willson: Before Adelphi Hotel I spent eight years in Indonesia working at Kudeta and the W Hotel.

db: How would you describe Om Nom?

MW: Om Nom Kitchen & Dessert Bar combines the luxury design of a boutique hotel lobby with an intimate restaurant setting. Elegant and slightly playful, it offers guests a sharing-style, savoury menu with a unique selection of desserts and cocktails that are custom designed to engage all of the senses.

db: Where did the concept to create a dessert-themed bar and restaurant come from?

MW: Adelphi Hotel was after something totally unique, which would engage the senses. While the Hachem design team was developing the concept for the hotel, they quickly realised that even though Adelphi Hotel was surrounded by many of the city’s top restaurants, something in the lane was missing - a dessert bar! The Hachem and Adelphi teams quickly decided that the restaurant should specialise in desserts - after all, who doesn’t have a sweet tooth? It didn’t take long for this concept to be extended throughout the entire hotel.

db: What type of experience does this concept offer Om Nom guests?

MW: Om Nom guests are treated to the most sensory experience, both through liquid and solid desserts, as well as tantalising savoury sharing dishes. Being a dessert-themed restaurant, guests experience not only the delicious tastes, but can also inhale sweet scents, see the gorgeous creations in front of them, and listen to wonderful music. A true experience for all of the senses - it’s a perfect mixture of playfulness and elegance.

db: How does the beverage menu reflect Om Nom’s dessert theme?

MW: The beverage menu reflects the visual and theatrical sides of the desserts. By utilising tools such as liquid nitrogen, dry ice and unique glassware, we are able to add another level of “wow” to the dining experience.

 db: What is your best selling beverage and why?

MW: Definitely the Salted Caramel Cracking Espresso. Given the popularity of espresso martinis, guests are drawn to this creation especially, as it involves part preparation at the table. We freeze the salted caramel foam with liquid nitrogen to produce a frozen edible layer that sits on top of the liquid component of the cocktail!

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