Oms/b

Oms/b [156 E. 45th St. (bet. 3rd and Lexington Aves.) 212-922-9788]
A very good and unique lunch option, Oms/b specializes in rice balls. For the uninitiated, a rice ball (at least at Oms/b) is basically a small pyramid of rice wrapped in seaweed and containing one filling of fish, meat, or vegetable. It is reminiscent of a sushi hand roll. These rice balls are the main attraction here, but the small restaurant also offers traditional Japanese dumplings, soup, salads, and more. I recommend the menu Set A, which allows you to choose any 3 rice balls and any soup (I like the Miso) for $7.50. And if you like seaweed salad, their version is tasty and just $2 extra. Of course you can always go a la carte if you prefer. My favorite rice balls that I have tried were the Lobster Salad and the Eel. I also enjoyed the Shrimp Dumplings. But the selection changes daily, so look around and try what seems fresh. My one concern is that I wish that each rice ball was packed with a little more meat/fish.