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Review: Origin Restaurant

3 May

I have been itching to get to Origin for months now, after a friend had gone and raved about the food. I dug the concept: tapas with a twist. This is definitely not your traditional, Spanish tapas. At Origin, you’ll sample small plates with Asian, Italian and Latin influences. I didn’t find the menu overwhelming, but our server was more than happy to help steer the meal so that similar and complimentary flavours were eaten together.

So what did my companions and I choose for dinner last night? It was tough to narrow it down as we would have been happy with just about anything on the menu. We started with the tostones: smashed, flattened and deep-fried plantains with guacamole on the side. The plantains were very well seasoned, with generous use of  kosher salt and a light dusting of curry powder. This particular dish inspired J to try to make it at home and I, for one, am looking forward to being the taste tester.

Tostones.

Next up were the deviled eggs with smoked bacon and gremolata and the smoked cod croquettes with saffron aioli. Both were a big hit at the table, disappearing in a flash. I preferred the  croquettes of the two, but I didn’t exactly NOT eat my share of the deviled eggs.

Everything is better with bacon.

Smoked Cod Croquettes

Those scrumptious bites devoured, we ordered another bottle of wine (three cheers for Monday night dinners with lots of wine!) and anticipated the arrival of more delectable plates. In the meantime, we marveled at the strangeness of the cutlery provided. The only way to balance your knife was blade up. That seemed…dangerous. Especially after the third glass of cabernet sauvignon.

Happily, our next dish appeared and we dove right back in (carefully, so as not to cut ourselves on our upturned knives).  A gorgeously-presented order from the Mozzarella Bar: bufala mozzarella with pear, rosemary oil, pine nuts that was drizzled with honey and placed on a crunchy, toasted slice of calabrese bread. Want it? You know you do:

Fancy Cheese!

Creamy, gorgeous cheese eaten, next up was the Bangkok beef salad with peanuts, mint, mango, fried shallots and a sweet and sour dressing. There was a moment of hesitation while we all tried to dance around the fact that splitting this thing among the three of us might get violent. In the end, however, we shared well. Our kindergarten teachers would be so proud! This wasn’t an exceptionally complicated dish, but it was done to perfection: the beef was tender and pink; the mangoes were ripe and slippery;  the shallots and peanuts added the crunch the dish needed; and the cilantro added the wonderful, bright note at the end. It should be noted that my friend said it was the third time she’d had this particular dish and it was exactly the same every time. THAT is a sign of a great restaurant.

Bangkok Beef Salad.

Our final round of food was to arrive and we were practically giddy with excitement. We had decided on the Chinois duck with pickled cucumber, hoisin and sriracha sauce on a chive pancake, the curried shrimp with naan and the miso-glazed black cod with soba noodles and a ginger vinaigrette. We knew each dish would be good, but didn’t know HOW good. We had spent the first half of the meal happily eating away and we were by no means disappointed with our choices. But these last three dishes absolutely blew it out of the water.

The duck was crispy and, I must say, substantial. The kitchen does not scrimp on the portions! The sweet hoisin sauce was a great compliment to the duck and the heat of the sriracha. A definite must-order.

More, please.

Next up, we attacked the curried shrimp which was intensely flavoured. In fact, it was quite spicy which is just fine with me. The soft, aromatic naan bread sopped up the spicy broth that was left after devouring the plump, juicy shrimp.  Another dish that hit its mark!

Curried Shrimp

Finally (and kind of sadly), we came to our last dish: the black cod. Black cod is one my favourite fish and I have it a fair bit. When I was out in Vancouver earlier this year, I had it almost once a day. This black cod might be the best I’ve had.  Ever.  It was flaky, tender and moist. The miso glaze was pleasantly salty and the skin, importantly, was crispy. (Soggy fish skin? Yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.) The soba noodles were slurped up along with the ginger vinaigrette and, literally, there was nothing left when we were done with it. In all likelihood, the best dish of the night though the three of us never could decide on a clear winner in that category.

This bowl was bare in minutes flat.

All in all, I would definitely recommend Origin to anyone who has some reasonably adventurous taste buds and who is willing to share! There is one composed plate that makes a meal – a burger combo with Spanish fries and a float. I have no doubt it’s delicious, but it seems kind of beside the point of a restaurant like this. Go with friends, go on a date, go with family. It’s not a cheap night out, but it is most definitely money well spent.

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Eating Vancouver: Wednesday

15 Jan

I was really looking forward to dinner on Wednesday as some old colleagues of mine had made reservations at Miku, a Japanese restaurant in the west end of Vancouver.  I’d been perusing the menu for a couple of days prior and was, to be honest, totally overwhelmed at the variety of delicious options it presented. Meeting first for a drink – a golden mojito that I will definitely be making at home – at the Pan Pacific Fairmont, we popped over Miku across the street and were promptly led to our giant table perfect, as one friend pointed out, for sharing!

Leaving it to my dining companions to choose our dishes for the evening was a good move and everything that arrived on the table was not only delicious, but fresh and gorgeously presented. We started with a beer and then sake (choosing the cups was especially fun, resulting in a barrage of Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade jokes) and then it was on to the endless rounds of beautiful seafood.

Not necessarily in this order, we had:

-Goma-ae: assorted vegetables in a handmade sesame sauce

-Aburi Tuna: albacore tuna on a bed of crisp vegetables & dressed with masatake sauce (made with onions, garlic, soy sauce, and sesame oil)

-Ebi Fritter: lightly beer battered tiger prawns served with a chili cream sauce

-Sockeye Salmon Sashimi

-King Roll: ebi tempura, snow crab & avocado topped with tobiko, with a chili cream sauce

-Salmon Oshi Sushi: local salmon pressed & dressed with our Chef’s own soy & Miku sauce, topped with jalapeño

-Miku Roll: salmon, uni, snow crab & cucumber rolled in tobiko & topped with Miku Sauce

-Coal Harbour Roll: ebi, salmon zuke, lettuce, cucumber & ikura, paired with honey mustard & topped with rice crackers

-Red Wave Roll: snow crab & avocado wrapped in maguro & topped with masatake sauce

Though it all disappeared quickly from the table, the resounding favourite among us was the salmon oshi sushi, which we renamed “fish cubes.” (Appetizing, non? I promise, this dish is not to be missed!) The heat from the jalapeño slice and cracked pepper paired well with the smooth, rich taste of the ruby red salmon between the sticky stacks of rice. These mouthfuls were so good that we had to order another round.

Among the food, the friends I hadn’t seen in ages and the couple of bottles of sake, it was definitely right near the top of the best meals I had out here on the west coast.

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Eating Vancouver: Monday & Tuesday

12 Jan

This week, I’m out on the beautiful west coast. I haven’t been out here since I was 15 and while I have fond memories of my first trip, I definitely didn’t appreciate it the way I do now. This applies to the stunning mountains, the rolling waves of the Pacific and the friendly, relaxed vibe of Vancouverites; however, this is exponentially true of the food. As soon as I found out that I’d be coming out here, I started making dinner plans. I want to eat and I want to eat well, dammit.

First stop: a night out with my cousin on Monday. We met at the downtown hotel where I’m staying and wandered around til we found somewhere that struck our fancy. And where was this place? A little Japanese spot that look enticing. First up? Bring us a Sapporo and some warm sake, my good man!

Once that important decision had been made, it was on to the food. You just know the seafood is going to be incredibly fresh which automatically gives it a leg up. We order a variety of yummy things: salmon, tuna, shrimp, crab, California rolls….and they quickly disappear. Friendly atmosphere, great sushi, even better company: the makings of a great night.

Next, on to lunch at our hotel. Generally, I’m kinda “meh” about hotel food; however, this place does it up really, really well.  Lunch is done tapas-style, but we were absolutely ravenous by time we ate so no sharing for us.  Instead, we ordered sides and a “main.” Asparagus with melted parmiggiano reggiano was ordered by everyone at the table and my companions opted for the flatiron steak with sauteed wild mushrooms and caramelized onion aioli while I opted for the caramelized black cod in a ginger-carrot broth with bok choy and taro chips. De-freaking-lish. The fish was cooked beautifully, flaky and tender, and the broth was bright and warming. A great lunch option as it was filling without making me pine for my comfy hotel bed just a few floors away.

Finally, on to dinner this evening at Lift, a cozy restaurant overlooking the water that was recommend to me by a friend who was on the west coast late last year. Greeted warmly at the door by yet another unfailingly friendly Vancouverite, we were ushered to a great corner table. After ordering a glass of Malbec, I spent a long, long time perusing the menu. I. Wanted. Everything. I finally settled on the duck confit salad with
 mango, pine nuts, wild greens and a raspberry dressing as my app…and probably could’ve stopped there. My dinner companions ordered the sea scallops with truffle mashed potatoes and lobster sauce and baked wild mushrooms on polenta, respectively, and we all had a little of each other’s dishes. Wow. Big flavours, each dish cooked exactly as it should be and interesting combinations to boot.

For a main, I had the braised veal cheeks (I swear they’re great, despite the fact they’re, well, face) with side stripe shrimp ravioli, shiitake tempura and spinach. Whoa. Three surprisingly massive pieces of veal arrived in front me and I gasped a little. Wasn’t quite expecting that! But the meat was incredibly tender, falling apart with each forkful. When asked by the server if we’d like to see a dessert menu, a great groan arose from the table, “Uhhhhhh…..noooooooooooo. Fulllllllll.”

Two days in, two days to go. Wednesday night holds dinner out with some friends I haven’t seen in quite a while at what looks like a great Japanese place called Miku and Thursday night is to be dinner with my boss and coworker at a place just outside of Vancouver proper. Can’t wait, but am so very glad that I have access to a treadmill this week. More to come soon!

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