Oms/b

Wednesday at the last minute my dinner companion changed, but, luckily, Jaime offered to serve as back-up. We already had the restaurant picked out, Oms/b a.k.a. Rice Ball Cafe, so it was easy to get together at the last minute. Oms/b met our needs - midtown for easy access to Port Authority, fairly inexpensive, and ethnic. Okay, so, we don't really make ethnic a priority. It just happens.

Oms/b is small. At first, it looks like you can only sit on one side of the tables lining the right-hand side of the restaurant. It turns out a little stool is tucked under the table. I guess, like everywhere else in NYC, they have figured out a way to make the most of their space. The staff was very friendly and the service fast.

We both ordered Set A: Any 3 Rice Balls + Miso Soup for $7.50. I ordered the Yukari-Plum, Spicy Tuna, and another pickled vegetable type one. (If I took this seriously, I guess I would take notes). Jaime had seaweed, spicy tuna, and salmon, The rice balls are cute, hand-size triangles that remind me of sushi with more rice than filling. The Yukari-Plum was salty; I didn't expect that, am glad I tried it, and won't be trying it again. I really, really liked the pickled vegetable one. The rice was sticky and slightly sweet, just like it should have been. Jaime felt that the miso soup was quality - it had a thicker consistency than lots of places.

I'll definitely go back here. It would be a great place to wander by late afternoon when you are hungry and unable to go home. The hand rolls are at most $2.00 each and much better than a hot dog, dried out pretzel, or even the yummy almonds from the Nuts about Nuts carts.

Location: 156 East 45th Street (between Lexington & Third Avenues)
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00a-7:30p; Sat 11:30a-5:00p
Price: $