Chennai| Origami, the new Pan Asian resto bar in Palavakkam, serves soup in paper pots and cocktails with gochujang and matcha

Origami, the new Pan Asian resto bar in Chennai’s Palavakkam, serves soup in paper pots and cocktails with gochujang and matcha

The pastel pink soup in front of me looks like it is dressed for the Met Gala. It even has a pleated white tutu-esque skirt. Except that is not a tutu but a hot pot made of paper. Interestingly, the soup is served on it. Called kami-nabe pot, it is made of washi, a traditional Japanese paper. Below, a tealight candle puts in all its might to keep the soup hot. Though this hearty soup, brimming with tofu, chicken, and broccoli, feels great on this rainy day — a word of caution — if you don’t like the taste of fermented miso or seaweed, this may not suit your palate.

At Origami, a new Pan Asian resto bar in Palavakkam, influences are drawn from Japan, Malaysia, Korea, Singapore, Vietnam... The menu is consciously devoid of the usual suspects like chilli chicken and Phuket fish. Instead you find yaki buta skewers, Thai prawn cracker, yang nyeom tong dak among others. “The idea is to bring in an Asian experience and not focus on what is already being served in most places,” says Arasu Dennis, consultant. “It’s a progressive menu. We experimented a lot to come up with food and drink pairings,” he says.

Located in Green Meadows resort, Origami is housed inside an orange A-frame building with a terracotta tiled roof. An intriguing structure, it is suitably Insta-worthy, inspiring multiple impromptu photoshoots. An alley leads me to the door, which opens up to a space with large origami birds — which are actually lights — hanging from the high glass-panelled ceiling. Today, the DJ’s beats are interspersed with the steady pitter patter of the rain.

On the far end is the elevated bar, where the mixologist is rhythmically shaking up a cocktail. Our first drink feels like a treasure hunt. It is called Gunfire and conceals a combination of flavours. The drink is sweet, with an underlying taste of milk. It also has light rum, red wine, spices, orange juice, dried pomegranate tea, and milk .

“While creating the cocktails we decided to stick to the core of the concept which is Pan Asian, and give importance to the ingredients, “ says Harinath, director of The Masons (a bar school and consulting company), who conceptualised the cocktail menu at Origami. Which explains why you might find gochujang in your whisky, and ingredients like umeshu plum, yuzu, matcha, shiso leaves, truffle oil, soy sauce, and shiitake mushroom in your drinks. Starting this weekend, there will be small martini trolleys making their way to each table where the bartender will create a cocktail for the guests. Our guests can see techniques like throwing, where the martini is aerated, it’s almost similar to the filter coffee making process,” says Harinath.

The starters arrive at a quick pace. The chicken yakitori makes a dramatic entrance, shrouded in smoke. It is served on a grill, has a rich, smoky flavour, and is tender. The taste justifies the drama. What follows is crispy shiitake mushroom, drizzled with black and white sesame seeds. It is average at best, with a goopy sweet coating. The spicy chicken Shanghai potstickers are so smooth they almost slither off the chopsticks. But so good, we polish off the entire portion. The savoury meat filling with hints of Sichuan pepper is fiery, and pairs well with our next drink that tastes of peanut butter and is rightfully named Nutty.

Next, we ditch our cutlery to make a happy mess with the mushroom bao. The first mouthful reveals a crunchy mushroom patty with cheesy insides. As Joey Tribbiani of Friends says, “What’s not to like?” We end the meal with sticky rice and glossy chicken teriyaki and yet another cocktail, Kaboom. With gin, apricot, honey syrup, and agave nectar, this smells like a freshly mowed lawn. Refreshing!