Peter Emrys-Roberts
Once you’ve been here a while, you realize that every part of London comes with its own memories, and for me, Farringdon isn’t short of them: late-night queuing to get into Turnmills and, later, Fabric; working for several years in a consultancy on Britton Street at a time when the area was tumbleweeds on the weekends; and, in the days before Covid, redesigning a co-working office on the upper floors of the market. The latter didn’t quite go to plan as lockdown stopped the project and led to the client liquidating, passing me their office cat by way of compensation. Thanks. Suffice to say, I have watched Farringdon’s journey like some kind of geographical family member. And Origin, which opened last year, becomes part of Smithfield’s future now that the meat market has left.
Origin describes itself as a farm-to-fork restaurant, with its beef, pork, and lamb reared on the shores of Loch Striven in Argyll, Scotland, in 600 acres of un-compromised pastureland. Graham Chatham, executive chef, comes with 35 years of experience working with stalwarts such as Rules and brings authority to the kitchen. Several of the wines also come from the Landsberg family, whose Provençal vineyard, Château De La Cômbe, produces low-intervention, organic wines.
The nose-to-tail ethos, as pioneered by hunter-gatherers, is the inspiration behind their interior, which features large prints of cave-painted animals and primitive craft artefacts. Their use of banquettes and independent 70cm tables delivers a generous layout and good acoustics, which means you’re not obliged to overhear your neighbours’ conversations. If you don’t want to 😉
We began the evening with a glass of sparkling rosé from Clos Jangli while we scoped the menu. Surprisingly, it hails from Luxembourg, is made from pinot gris with a light mousse, and is dry with notes of strawberry. Delicious.
It was a nice touch to be brought a trio of welcome bites as an intro, including fried pickles (or as they call it, a ‘frickle’) – sweet and acidic with a crunch, chorizo slices, and a delicious warm alpine cheddar arancini.
Half a dozen Loch Fyne oysters arrived served with just apple balsamic and a squish of lemon and were absolutely perfect.
I really enjoyed the Black Angus steak tartare, coarse and boldly chopped with parsley, chives, and tarragon. It is served with bitter leaves, shavings of radish, and super fine game chips. It was very special, the herbs adding a fresh-cut-lawn note to the ensemble that transported me to the Highlands.
For the main course, you are presented with a tray of horn or hardwood-handled Sheffield steel knives in a ‘Gentlemen, choose your weapons’ sort of way.
A treat, the stemware is very delicate and rings like a bell, enhancing any wine. We were honour-bound to try a family-produced wine and shared a bottle of La Combe 2015. Dark and full-bodied, it has notes of vanilla, purple berries and a smidge of chocolate and was very enjoyable.
My sirloin steak arrived with seared baby gem, pine nuts, and breadcrumbs. I had built high expectations though, in honesty, the steak proved a bit chewy, though the certainty of its provenance made it overall a pleasure to eat.
My guest had the Black pig cut of the day, fennel sausage, and faggot pork. A ribbon of crackling arcs over the dish which, although visually rather brown, perks up when the individual cassoulet is added. We loved this dish, served with an edge of fat, pork belly style. The fennel sausage brought a gamey note while the faggot was almost black pudding. Top choice.
For dessert, we chose Strawberry and elderflower Eton mess meringue which fell slightly short, and we failed to spot elderflower.
But the Amedei 70% dark chocolate tart came in a short chocolate case along with milk ice cream and cocoa nibs and was intense and indulgent.
I guess the measure of a first visit to any restaurant is whether you would return again, and I say with confidence that we will. There is passion in the food, charm in the wine, and an elegance to the front-of-house team that makes this a compelling place, and the pricing is reasonable for this quality. Smithfield Market may have left, but its legacy will continue to resonate at Origin.
Origin is at 12 West Smithfield, London, EC1A 9JR
