Origin Pan Asian & Sushi / Fort Lauderdale
Important: This article was last updated on March 27, 2009. Please call ahead to confirm hours, prices, dates and other information.
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1201 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale
954-533-9347
originasianbistro.com
Cuisine: Asian
Cost: inexpensive-moderate
Hours: lunch and dinner daily
Reservations: yes
Credit cards: AE, D, MC, V
Bar: full service
Sound level: peaceful
Outside smoking: yes
For kids: boosters; high chairs
Wheelchair accessible: yes
First impression: I was disappointed when the wonderful, but short-lived Four Rivers closed its doors last year, but a breath of new life has been pumped into the space thanks to a Far East oasis dedicated to Asian fusion — Malaysian, Thai, Japanese and Vietnamese. Let the foodie buzz begin again.
Overall: Come here for a soothing diversion from the recession. The fare starts at less than $10 for some stir fries.
Ambience: Relaxing surroundings serve up a side of Zen with your pad Thai.
Starters: Have fun cooking your first course on tabletop Japanese river rock. We picked shrimp ($10), but other choices are filet mignon ($15) and New York strip ($12), served with dewy leaf lettuce, fresh herbs and a sauce trio — wasabi soy, lemon grass and Thai salsa. Or, pair excellent chili-spiced green papaya salad ($7) with Thai beef jerky for $3 more. Some of the robust morsels give your jaw a work out — It's jerky, remember? — but the flavor is intriguingly good. Lobster bisque fans will delight in this heavenly textured spicy tom khar version at just $5 for a big bowl perfumed by galangal and filled with lobster bits in every spoonful.
Entree excellence: Magic happened when we spooned into Cambodian Style Fish Amok ($18), steamed and served in a banana leaf. Each succulent morsel of scallops, shrimp, salmon and calamari is bound in a coconut milk mixture with a luscious custardy quality. Or, consider Asia's answer to fajitas — stir-fried skirt steak, shiitakes, onions and Thai basil ($19), served with guacamole, curry sauce and tortillas. It works! Some sushi is sold in half orders, like our $9 ($16 for a full order) surf-n-turf roll. The combo of shrimp, avocado, bell peppers, red onion and cilantro is draped in seared-rare filet mignon. That yellow sauce on top? Velvety curry mayonnaise. And when was the last time your sushi was accompanied by a footed goblet of fresh-cut fruit to cleanse your palate?
Service: First rate. When servers see something that needs to be taken care of — even if it's not their assigned table — they do it.
Sweet!: Dig deep into the coconut shell holding cream-rich coconut ice cream ($5) because there's a layer of coconut meat on the sides. Or, have cigar-sized dessert rolls ($7) filled with firm apple chunks and bananas partnered with green tea ice cream for a sweet take on an egg roll.
Liquid assets: Sake-tinis and other specialty cocktails start at $8; martinis are $9.
— Judith Stocks