107-109 king Street East Toronto, Ontario, M5C 1G6
416 603 8009
I really should have posted this right away…especially in light of how dam good the food is!
Diana surprised me the other night with an early birthday present out and the theatre to see Rock of Ages!
I was thrilled when we arrived at Origins as i really wanted to eat there. I don’t get out much in the city i live in as after spending so many days on the road and eating in the best restaurants in the world im tired of eating out and just want to chill at home and/or cook for friends.
Well im glad we went out this night. We arrived very early and the place was empty, the cooks still jamming away on their mis en place. i quickly evaluated they would be busy just by glancing at the mis. Large bowls of freshly chopped shallots etc……….
we were promptly seated and drinks taken care of immediately. i asked for a non alcohol type of fruit cocktail which often results in a pitiful mix of stale pineapple juice and orange juice……..not here….a freshly muddled drink of Mint and pomegranate with lime and pineapple…freaking delicious.
Our server was excellent. No pretentious BS but still professional and on top of his game. he was excellent at assisting us with the menu and guiding us on portion size.
The menu is a bit of a play on Street Foods of the world which works for me. It’s not Encyclopedic in size but covers all bases. I found myself wanting most dishes which is a great sign for me.
Although Diana and i had decided to go more Asian in style we still had to try the cod croquettes with Saffron Aioli…….i have a confession to make here…i am not a huge Saffron fan. it has its place but is often used with too heavy a hand. This was nicely balanced. The croquettes were the perfect size to balance crunchy exterior with the soft interior with each bite ( 2 bites)…..i love them. in fact i could go back and just eat these at the bar for a while….i spend a lot of time in spain and these brought me back to some little cafes in Madrid where i munched at midnight on more than one occasion.
We then switched over to A hand-roll with Spicy tuna…..A tuna in a ponzu sauce with chilis and scallions, a seared beef salad with peanuts and cashews,…………all excellent. Not overwhelmingly creative in style but all focused in deep flavor of what they should taste like. You want creative go to their sister restaurant Colborne Lane where Chef Claudio hangs his toque.
I had to do it…i couldnt help myself. ive been thinking about a burger for several days and due to my disciplined training regime i have not succumbed to the temptation…..well it is my birthday…….i opted for the burger with chorizo fires and a cream soda shake…………..Diana stayed Asian and had the Miso marinated sable fish…good choice Diana. The best rendition of this Nobu classic ive had on this side of the border.
So i had the burger. it was an excellent burger with top quality meat sourced locally. Perfectly cooked and juicy. The only comment i can make which may sound a bit negative is i think burgers need an acid to round out the fat….ie KETCHUP………..i love catsup in all its forms…homemade heavy on the TAMERIND, red onion and vinegar and plum reductions, grainy mustards with cider vinegars…you know SOUR.
I have experianced this with the ultimate gourmet burgers served in many a great kitchen including ONE and Daniel……….usually Brie or Foie or Shortribs involved somewhere…all exceptional, but with a bit of acid to cut all that UMAMI taste they would be over the top!
But the burger was excellent and had i asked i bet one of the boys would have whipped something up in their more than capable kitchen.
I didn’t do the Banana Cream Pie for dessert, although i still live with that regret, as i had the amazing Cream Soda float………a great restaurant. I will be a loyal customer and plan on having the kids there for burgers, sushi, floats, and pie VERY soon!
So Colborne lane is one of my favorite restaurants and now also the sister, ORIGIN.
Culinary Design Solutions 
Sounds like a great place, loved how you wrote your review too. Not pretentious and stuck up like I hear sometimes on the local CBC station. A well informed, well written, balanced and fair judgement.
thanks man…love good food and i dont want to be a food critic…i only write about the places i like