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| - I will begin by saying that the service here was amazing. Helpful, always on time with drinks and able to make a polite break in our girl talk to ask a question-- which is a hard thing to do with three girlfriends who haven't been together for quite some time.
We were celebrating a birthday and I don't think we told them, but they found out and brought a candle in a little glass of black beans for our friend to make a wish on her dulce de leche parfait!
The decor has a dark, clubby feel on the bar side and a minimalist bistro feel on the other. Good luck fining your way to the bathroom, located at the back, in the basement--- just when you think you're about to walk into the kitchen, you're met by several signs shouting "KEEP OUT!!". Then you can pee. If you can decide which bathroom to use. Upon seeing the urinal in one-- I chose the other.
Yes, the food---ok... well...it was a full "meh". I think my main issue with Origin, and other places like Kultura, Nyood, is that their menu tries to culture hop too much. My palate ends up being assaulted with several disharmonious flavours-- especially when the food is brought quickly and you're met with many dishes inspired by Indian, Spanish, American Diner, Chinese, Thai and Italian. It's not that any of it wasn't good. It was just too much too fast.
It also wasn't great, either.
We began with four things at our table at once:
Spicy Spanish Fries: Yum they were a lighter version of Poutine. But I found the flavour of the manchego to be lost on the fries. I prefer it on it's own with wine or shaved on a salad.
Pakoras were alright, but the transition from manchego to strong cumin and coriander was like driving in a car with someone who can't operate a stick shift. To be honest, if I want Pakoras, I'll visit an Indian restaurant.
Truffle popcorn is gorgeous and dripping with infused butter and oil and sprinkled with what I am assuming must be Reggiano to justify the $11 price point. I make a lighter version of this at home when I watch a movie, simply with truffle oil and sea salt.
Guacamole was a scant portion speckled with pumpkin seeds with maybe four crispy chips.
Mozzarella di Bufala with pear, honey and pine nut is nice, but tasted cloyingly sweet after the previous savoury journey across most of the world. We felt like we were eating dessert.
However, this did not deter us from ordering another bottle of wine. Then the mains arrived:
Chinois duck crepes were very good, but I'm betting it wouldn't be to hard to put these babies together at home. The more harmonious flavour of the Bangkok Beef Salad was a better transition for sharing. My friends also split the burger, which I did not try so I can not comment. I won't eat my meat cooked beyond Medium Rare-- It's a religious thing :P
Nothing that we had made me sit up and go 'Wow'! Since the brain is the biggest sensory organ we have, I like food to make me think. I'm a firm believer that there is a psychology to food as well as the art of cuisine and flavour. I wasn't inspired to try making any of the dishes at home nor was I left trying to pick apart the ingredients and figure out how they made things the way they did. For me, this is called 'boredom'.
Most of the dishes were clashing clanging and screaming at me. Like five radios blaring all at once, but playing different music. It's fun to try nibblies and share your food, but I prefer an overall theme. Good luck pairing a wine with this menu. I'm really surprised that foodies like this place. The brunch menu looks a little more cohesive so I might be tempted to go back and try that, but for the price, I'll probably stay home and make cod cakes with dosa.
Our birthday friend, when talking about going to the movies, remarked that she doesn't like to go and see a lot of films in theater because of the sensory overload-- sometimes the sound is too loud and the visual is too in your face, this can detract from the story, the plot and finally the overall experience. I think she perfectly described Origin and their menu concept.
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