Hard to believe that my wife and I only recently went to Left Bank for the first time even though we’ve been in Oman for years and Left Bank has been opened for just as many. After hearing several good reports from friends about their good food and specials, we decided to go there for dinner a little over a week ago. Left Bank is located on the same hill as Mumtaz Mahal, just behind the Children’s Museum in Shatti al Qurum.
With this time of the year being the perfect weather for sitting outside, we sat outdoors overlooking the mangrove swamp facing the Crown Plaza and “love road“. It was quiet when we arrived at 7pm (you really should get a reservation as it can be busy here!) but picked up by 8.
Left Bank looks pretty cool inside and would be a better option when dining from April to September. If you don’t like the smell of smoke, it’s highly recommended to sit inside as a lot of people enjoy smoking outdoors on the patio. We sat outside even though we were surrounded by smokers at other tables, but weren’t really bothered at all.
Plenty of mocktails at Left Bank which they list on the menu as “Chauffeur Drinks“. 🙂 Ours were great. I had the Apple Mule (2.5 OR) and my wife had the Jumong (2.5 OR). Of course Left Bank is a licensed bar/restaurant, so there are plenty of alcoholic drinks on the menu to choose from.
We didn’t order anything from the “Light Bites” section of the menu, but I’ve added it here in case any of you folks considers going to Left Bank for lunch between noon and 3pm from Saturday to Thursday.
It’s seems like we order vegetable spring rolls wherever we go as one of our appetizers so for something new we chose Duck Spring Rolls from the “Small Bites” section. It would normally be 4.4 OR but we ordered 3 items off the list for 7.5 rials. I really like these money saving schemes available on Left Bank’s menu! 🙂
I was told that a lot of guests go with 2-4 items from the Small Bites and don’t even make it to the mains, especially if they’re having a few drinks.
We were very glad that one of the helpful Filipino waitresses (in her great wisdom) suggested the Whole-Baked Camembert. My wife hesitated at first because it’s a lot of cheese, but we both agreed that this appetizer was incredible. Take note that when ordering this from “Small Bites“, this appetizer counts as 2 items.
The Sunday Roast sounds like a great deal and we’ll be trying that out in the very near future.
I’m a real sucker for beer-battered fish and chips, so the Left Bank Fish & Chips in Tiger Beer Batter (7.4 OR) was an easy choice for me! I’m not sure if you get an idea of the size from this photo, but this was a huge serving and was so delicious! The fries were great as well. One of my favorite orders of fish and chips so far in the Sultanate, and I’ve had quite a few!
As recommended by the head chef/manager, my wife ordered the Lamb Shank. I’m so glad my wife “insisted” that I try some of this as the lamb was perfection. And once again, this was a good sized portion. The carmelized sharlot sauce went extremely well with the lamb. It is easy to see now why the chef recommended this dish to truly try the best of Left Bank.
There are plenty of options on the Left Bank menu for future visits here and we will definitely be back.
Sticky Toffee Pudding (3.2 OR) wouldn’t have been my first option from the dessert list, and I’m glad the chef recommended it as this was the perfect way to end an incredible meal. It went so well with my Cafe Latte.
The view from the Left Bank parking lot, with the Sultan Qaboos Street on the left, ROHM straight ahead and the Children’s Museum (igloo-like structures) on the right.
We definitely had a great experience on our first evening at Left Bank with great food and fantastic service. I may be a little more than biased here, but I think that the exceptional service comes from the fact that all the waiters and waitresses are Filipino! 🙂
Have any of you been to Left Bank? Regular customers perhaps? Are you as impressed with the place as we are? I think it’s with good reason that they’ve moved Left Bank into the “fine dining” category of Entertainer Oman 2013. Check Left Bank out on facebook here. Here is a pretty good deal for ladies on Saturday evenings (from the Left Bank facebook page), called “Hush”:
Left Bank Business Hours: Sat-Thurs – 12-3pm & 6pm-2am Fridays – 2pm-1.30/2.00am. As I mentioned before, if you do go, make sure to call ahead and make a reservation. Tel: +968-2469-3699
Andy in Oman 
Happy & Blessed New Year to you & family!
Anon,
Same to you and yours! 🙂
Well, I have been there 2 times.Both visits there we were dining and also having some beverages. For partying and having drinks OK but the food option let me down thus I can comfortably say it’s a crap! What I don’t like particularly in Left Bank is the light(very dark),also the music was a bit loud. The people,don’t order mojitos-unless you want to end up with 3/4 of the glass of the ice and 3 drops of rum.(for 4 rials omani or something).
For going out and having some drinks that’s fine but I don’t recommend this place as for dining.
My opinion is subjective and I went there only 2 times, and as I like to say;”I gave them a chance .”
Well the food we tried was fantastic. What dishes did you try? (If you in fact went there…) If you’re looking for a well lit place, a pub obviously wouldn’t be your wisest choice! We thought the lighting was great. If the place was as bad as you say it was, funny that you went back a 2nd time (so you say). Yes, “crap” is quite subjective (and unclear). If you are going to use a word like “crap” on my blog, please use it properly. It would not be “a crap”, but rather “crap”. (non-count noun or “uncount noun” as some call it) 😉 Yes, it was so “crappy” that we are heading back for a 2nd time in less than 2 weeks to bring a friend visiting from overseas.
Well, firstly thanks for the quick lesson of English nouns/you’re a teacher,right?(English is not my 1.language so I apologize for misunderstandings:-)
Andy, don’t be so offensive, I just mentioned my own opinion.You did ask the people what do they think of this place and you need to be ready to expect the different answers.
I went to LB for the first time someday in autumn 2011, then in summer 2012 to celebrate my friend’s birthday as it was his choice. The ambiance is fine as the interior but I don’t like to be ripped off by ordering mojito and getting glass of ice in return.
Personally I didn’t like the food over there and again it’s my personal opinion.
Nothing against your taste nor choice.I didn’t comment your blog ,I expressed my experience of that place. Howk!
Yan,
Sorry to be “offensive” but I don’t appreciate unclear critical remarks towards people or even establishments without specific details. You didn’t mention which food you ordered and why you didn’t like it. I am “ready” to hear different answers; I just expect them to be civil, clear and without insult. People throw their insults around so casually on the internet, without any consideration and I therefore moderate comments on this blog for that very reason. Why can’t people just keep their comments objective and clear without using foul language like “crap” and getting all personal!?
We went to Left Bank last night with a friend to try Sunday’s Roast (new pics to be added to this post!) and once again we were pleased with the whole experience; good food and good service. My friend and I both ordered one alcoholic beverage each and they were far from “a glass of ice”. I had a Bullberry (5 OR) which was far from weak and our friend ordered a double Jack Daniels (10 OR) with diet pepsi in once glass and the jack daniels (a fair amount!) in the other glass.
BTW, what do you mean by “howk”?! Do you mean “to kick me with the toe of your foot” or do you mean that I’m an “ugly, dirty person” (in Scots)? (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=howk)
You’re free to have your own opinion, just be more specific and civil, please! 🙂
Thanks Andy! Mumtaz majal wasn’t open when we got there and I told my husband, “I just read on andyinoman that there’s another place up here.”
The food and service and atmosphere were all pleasant and relaxing. I thought the prices were very high and the food we ordered was more like snacks than dinner, but it was much nicer than the places we usually go for a night out.
We had roast pumpkin, haloumi cheese and an onion relish. It was beautifully presented and very tasty. We also ordered edamame beans and Singapore Duck.
Fantastic! It’s always great to have some backups plans…just in case! 🙂
Thanks for sharing your experience here with us all, Angela!
Is there really a drink called “Jumong”? “Jumong” is a historical drama produced by South Korea and very popular in Iran and Asia. It portrays the life of Jumong Taewang, (founder of the kingdom of Goguryeo). Did you happen to take a picture of the “chauffeur menu”? Thank you.
KB,
Yes, there is actually a drink called “Jumong”. I wonder what was their inspiration for the name. Yes, I’m quite familiar with “Jumong” in the Korean context and have seen a few performances during my 9.5 years in South Korea. Thanks for bringing back the memories! 🙂 Sorry, but I didn’t get a pic of the chauffeur drink menu. I’ll try to remember to take one on my next visit!
Hi Andy, we tried left bank as a first reserve on Tuesday night having booked a table at Trader Vicks only to find it was rather quiet, well very quiet… So diverted to left bank instead… The menu is a little limited but the food fesh and service was good. Normally only drink here, but the bar food is OK and the entertainer voucher came in handy too..!
Dave B,
We love having Trader Vics to ourselves when it first opens! 🙂
Glad to hear you enjoyed your visit to Left Bank. We’ve enjoyed our evenings out there and we’d frequent it more often if we didn’t have 2 kids! Always appreciate your comments. Thanks.
Ye. here is really “the It place in muscat” Totally recommendable