French/Thai

Tucked away on a side street in downtown Somerville is a culinary gem. But the crowd of patrons waiting to be seated gives a clue to the first-time diner that maybe others have already discovered this jewel. It advertises itself as Thai/French. The French part is not so obvious, although the menu does contain some items such as steak au proive.

The dining room is an old converted building with a high embossed tin ceiling and the kitchen is in open view in the rear. The first impression is of an extremely crowded Chinese restaurant but one look at the menu says otherwise. Furthermore, the tables are set with standard tableware including knives and forks. All the waitresses are dressed in black, and some wear bamboo picks in their hair.

Describing Thai food is difficult except for the flavor and aroma of fish sauce and Thai basil which has a more prominent mint flavor than we're accustomed to. At Origin all the ingredients are obviously fresh, which gives every dish a wonderfully refreshing appearance and taste.

We visited Origin on a Saturday night - admittedly not the best time for a critical review because of the crowd and general hubbub. Never the less the meal was quite enjoyable, with many fascinating flavors and textures.

Iona started with a Peking duck salad ($8) which included apple, pineapple, and cashew nuts. It was a large enough portion that by itself it could be adequate for a modest lunch. It was served in an interesting bowl of fried rice paper and decorated with the ubiquitous sprig of Thai basil. The edible bowl, while crispy and non-greasy, had little taste. The spiciness of the salad was tempered by the big juicy chunks of pineapple.

Dan's appetizer was crispy soft shell crab with ginger, green mango, cashew nuts and Thai condiment, served on a bed of Julienne vegetables with a flavorful Thai sauce ($11). Although fried very crisp, it was quite plump and tender inside. Likewise, the main course of whole crispy fish ($19) was deep fried. Its tail was curled around as if swimming, and it was served standing upright on a bed of baby bok choy and decorated with cilantro flavored vegetables. The flesh remained moist but with mild taste. Any lack of taste however, was more than countered by the excellent but very spicy sauce (which fortunately the waitress had served on the side). Iona's dinner of shrimp with Massaman curry had excellent taste. It was not overly spicy and was served with a foil of white rice.

We usually forego dessert in any oriental restaurant but became intrigued by Origin's dessert menu. Perhaps this is because it appeared to be more American than Thai. The banana julee with passion fruit ice cream and blueberries had a wonderful caramel sauce that could be proudly served in any restaurant. The apple spring roll with vanilla ice cream and butterscotch sauce was reminiscent of delicious apple strudel in a crispy shell.

We may not have been the first to discover Origin in Somerville. But now that we have, we are happy to share the discovery with you, our readers.

Last reviewed 9/01
Grumpy Gourmet