A Family Affair
By Mark Goldberg
Dining Critic
The origin of this new Asian bistro began thirty years before their Origin sign went up on Washington Avenue. That’s when Chef Joe Thanu Sinevong began cooking in The
Cellar in New York. Other culinary stops included Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok; Windows On The World, FISH, and Rain in New York; and Chitra French Thai Cuisine in Los Angeles. The result
is an inherent skill with his native Thai cuisine that has been delicately spun via his French training.
Origin is a family affair, with daughter Lena working the floor in her warm, soft-spoken style. Husbands, uncles and others work behind the scene. But should you need
anything, Lena will be right there to explain a dish, help serve it and, in some instances tell you how to eat it.
The words Asian and sushi have become almost synonymous and Origin’s sushi bar is exceptional. Particularly their oversized special rolls like the Crispy Duck ($8)
which incorporates fried duck with asparagus, jicama, sweet pepper, pickled daikon and masago wrapped in the sticky rice and served with a tamarind vinaigrette. The Soft Shell Crab Roll
($8) arrived with the crispy shellfish protruding from either end and slices of eel topping the rice cover. The red curry sauce adds another dimension, but so does the kiwifruit puree.
Origin Nigiri ($16.50) was a handsomely displayed assortment of nine fish – from spicy tuna to red clam – freshly caught and perfectly sliced.
Green Papaya Salad ($6) was so habit forming we ordered it twice. The papayawas shredded, along with scallions and blended with long beans and roasted peanuts in a
chili and lime dressing. The entire salad sat atop a ring of red papaya that added a bit of sweetness to the tart green/lime mix. Lamb Ribs ($7.50) were boiled until soft then grilled in
an Asian BBQ sauce fragrant with cumin and curry but sweetened with a honey garlic. Tuna Spaghetti Sashimi ($9.50) was a perfect description of long, spaghetti-style slices of belly tuna –
rich, red and tender – resting on a wakame salad that hides sweet slices of Asian pear that have been hit with a bit of yuzu which takes a moment to hit the back of your throat.
Something as simple as Spicy Chicken ($14) was given the Chef Joe royal treatment. The pieces of white meat chicken were wok-stirred with Japanese eggplant, mango,
basil and cashews, moistened with a conservatively spiced red curry sauce and settled into an attractive crispy taro basket. It’s difficult to wok-fry a thick cut of Filet Mignon ($19) to
order, but Origin got our medium-rare right on target. More so, the gently charred beef was joined on the plate by asparagus, sweet potatoes and onions in a mild, hot/sour masaman curry
sauce.
Origin also offers dinners that are a little more “hands on.” A flaming grill was brought to our table with a hot stone atop the flame. We chose Shrimp ($18) from
choices which included filet mignon, squid and pork loin. The raw shrimp arrived, thin sliced, along with lettuce, basil and mint leaves. In separate dishes were a lemongrass sauce, a
wasabi soy and slices of chayote kimchee spicy enough to melt the roof of your mouth. Daughter Lena arrived with the dish and showed us how to take a slice of shrimp, dip it in the wasabi
and place it on the stone. It cooks quickly and she flipped it over then suggested we dip it in the lemongrass sauce, place it on the lettuce leaf with some mint, roll it up and enjoy.
Desserts in Asian restaurants are usually fried dough and red bean ice cream. Origin chose to offer a chocolate mousse dome with a crème brulee center, a creamy slice
of chocolate cake, mango mousse with bits of white chocolate and a deep fried apple/banana roll, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and topped with a scoop of green tea ice cream. All
desserts are $6.
Origin opened with little fanfare, but its big tastes, nice turns on classical dishes, personal touch and comfortable attractive room should have crowds lining up at
the door in no time.
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Origin
ADDRESS: 754 Washington Avenue, South Beach
PHONE: 305-532-1709
HOURS: Lunch Monday – Friday Noon to 3 p.m., Saturday & Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Dinner Sunday – Thursday 5 p.m. to Midnight, Saturday & Sunday till 1 a.m
FOOD: Asian with French influences
SERVICE: Excellent attention but could use a bit more knowledge on the dishes.
PRICES: Appetizers $5 to $9.50; Entrees $12 to $23
ATMOSPHERE: Gentle in design in perfect keeping with the soft-spoken style of the servers and owner.
WINE: Short, moderately priced list
RESERVATIONS: Suggested
CREDIT CARDS: All major credit cards
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