Impressive French-Style Bistro Origine Opens Near Wudaoying
Our heart has been gradually breaking following the depressing chai-ing going on in the hutongs, but thankfully, one new restaurant's opening has mended some of the little broken pieces, even if just a little bit. We were intrigued to see the garnet facade of Origine slowly take shape on Jianchang Hutong, just south of Chez Gérard and Arrow Factory, noticeable for its touch of French class on an otherwise dusty hutong.
The meal kicked off with bread, homemade butter, and olive oil as well as fried foie gras with spiced orange chutney, apple puree, and hutong greens (local cabbage mustard), for a nice balance between local and French flavors.
The beef tataki (pictured at top), thinly sliced and briefly seared Japanese-style beef, was topped with slices of pickled white gourd, seaweed puffed rice, and a quail egg. The crunch of the puffed rice added a welcome crunch to the tender beef, while the powdered seaweed brought both color and umami to the dish.
This was followed by a marinated prawn salad (pictured above), in which the prawns were first soaked in alcohol before being cooked, a classic Chinese approach that gave the salad a nice punchy aroma. The French onion soup was similarly aromatic thanks to the combination of onion and freshly baked cheese croutons, which added a rich creamy flavor.
As for the mains, our favorite by far was the tom yum goon rice with king prawns. The Spanish-Thai elements really came into their own with the creamy rice, and veggies hidden at the bottom of the enamel pot, pairing perfectly with the juicy and well-seasoned prawn meat. The result was a warming, spicy flavor with an earthy mushroom aroma, and made all the more richer thanks to an added egg yolk, making the rice particularly silky.
The desserts were another highlight of the meal. The strawberry tempura came with strawberry cooked in three ways: using nitrogen, slow-cooked with maple syrup, and deep fried like tempura. The sweet crumbled nitrogen strawberry worked well with the pools of bitter matcha chocolate yogurt.
The deconstructed roselle crème brulee (pictured above) came with chunks of roselle flavored purple meringue carefully built on top of a scoop of Granny Smith sorbet, again making for a wonderful combination of crunchy and smooth textures with a tart finish from the apple.
The wine list is designed by French sommelier Jean-Marc Nolant, and is accessible without burning a hole in your wallet.
The bistro has two floors, with the first consisting of a half-open kitchen and dining area, and second floor a cellar with several tables and a bar, which would make for a good space for a party. There’s also a rooftop currently under construction but will be open soon, to give a view of the hutong area below.
The menu currently works on a simple set menu basis with RMB 168 getting you a choice of one starter and one main from the abovementioned, or fried fish, Sanhuang chicken curry, as well as steak (RMB 50 extra). Dessert is an additional RMB 30.
Origine's chef, Lochlin Zhao, who has previously worked in Australia as the sous chef at Kong by Chris Lucas in Melbourne, explained that he hopes to “return to the roots of simple bistro cooking,” which in Origine's case means rich European-style cuisine made with local Chinese ingredients. Given our initial impressions, Origine is certainly off to an exciting start in achieving these aims and we look forward to see how it grows.
Origine
Daily 11.30am-2.30pm, 5-10.30pm. 32 Jianchang Hutong, Dongcheng District (150 0128 2830)
源：东城区五道营箭厂胡同32号
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Photos: Tracy Wang
