More good eats at Origin Asian Bistro

Ok, so I stopped by Origin last night for dinner just like I said. It was incredibly good and I was reminded that I need to go back more often. Being that I was in Loserville, aka "dining alone" haha, I decided to sit inside rather than take up an outside table. It was kind of a bummer because one of my favorite things about eating outside there is that you get to see all the guys coming and going from "Booby Trap" next door...sinners haha. The inside is really nice and I think they repainted because I thought the paint used to be purple and its now a nice sage green. I could be mistaken though. There was one decoration that really stood out as an eyesore though. They have a staircase that leads upstairs to where the bathrooms are located and it is lined with 3 HUGE Alex Rodriguez autographed jerseys, one for each team he has financially sunk into the ground with his ridiculous contract before choking in the playoffs. I was thinking that either the owner is a huge fan or somehow A-Rod is involved with the restaurant, which would explain the eyesore jerseys since he has a huge ego to feed. Sure enough, 2 minutes later A-Rod comes walking down the stairs to have dinner with his wife who was surprisingly not that attractive at all. Now I understand the rumors that he cheated on her haha.

OK, back to the food... For an appetizer I ordered my favorite item - Cambodian Style Scallop Amok. The dish is comprised of tender scallops, egg, napa cabbage, lemongrass, thai basil, kaffir lime leaves, and a little coconut, which are all steamed in a banana leaf which makes for a beautiful presentation. This time it was a little less brothy than usual but delicious nonetheless. From there I wanted to go with the Scallop Cucumber Roll (scallops, cucumber, masago, mayo) and the Hamachita Roll (hamachi, jalapenos, tempura flakes, masago, mayo) but my waiter reminded me that their rolls are quite big (8 pieces in each roll!!) and that 2 of them would probably be too much. So, I audibled to an interesting item that I saw on the menu called Tuna Spaghetti Sashimi. Man, what a call! The dish had tuna sashimi cut into long, thin strips and topped with sprouts. It laid on top of sliced Asian pear that was laid out in a criss crossing pattern with hiyashi wakame on top of it. So we had pear on teh ground level, then hiyashi wakame, then the tuna, then sprouts for garnish. The whole "tower" was drizzled with spicy yuzu, sesame, and soy sauce. What a great dish! I was really surprised how well the Asian pear worked with the dish. It was perfect because it wasnt too sweet and didnt overpower anything else on the dish. The spicy yuzu gave a nice kick as well. The scallop cucumber roll was also very tasty, but I was a bit put off that the sushi chef had included some cream cheese as well. I like it better without and I didnt expect that ingredient since it wasnt listed on the menu.

Overall it was another great trip to this South Miami restaurant and I can understand why they would consider opening another one in Key Biscayne. My bill came to $31 and I added $6 for tip. Not bad for 2 high quality apps, a huge sushi roll, and a beer. I definitely recommend that any Asian food fans check this place out. On my way out, I looked at A-Rod and he gave me one of those, "Yeah, I know you know who I am, please dont bother me" head nods. I can respect that, so I simply said, "Go Sox" as I walked past and he gave me the "Thats funny...asshole" smile haha.

www.originasianbistro.com