Origami, Benoni

Updated: 10-02-2022

Great halaal Asian food in the East Rand is like searching for the lost Arc. So when Saaleha, the owner of the iconic Upcycled Cafe in Benoni first mentioned she was planning to open an Asian Fusion restaurant I was brimming with anticipation. Months later her vision has come to life, with Origami opening at the new Lakefield Junction complex. Another addition to the East, making it one of almost 10 great halaal sit-down spots. This gives locals even more options and makes Benoni more of a destination choice for halaal foodies.

The decor is original and so intriguing. Taking its inspiration from the Japanese art of Origami, with touches of the paper art on the walls. The space is literally outfitted like a sketch. With white walls, furniture and surfaces outlined with bold black lines. My first thought was that it had an Alice-in-wonderland feeling, like a storybook. But the monochromatic style that forms the backdrop of this space really is a blank canvas on which the food becomes the art. Like she did with Upcycled Cafe, Saaleha turned this space too into a creative expression of food and art.

The menu like the space, is minimilistic. Choose from a handful of starters, we chose the Korean Fried Wings, 4 choices of Bao Buns, we chose the fifth one, the “Can’t Decide Bao”, which is a combo of 3, and 3 choices of noodle dishes, I had the OG flavour, a Tom Yum flavour base with your choice of protein, I had the Prawns. There’s also Bahm Mi, which is like a filled baguette, asian style, and a full sushi menu. We couldn’t try the sushi as they were not quite ready with it for the day, but I have sampled the prep menu at Upcycled and can vouch that it is inventive and non-traditional. Though they have some standard varieties for us purists.

The Korean wings were crispy and saucy with a tang that hit the mark. It’s a generous portion for a starter or could even make a light meal. The 3 different Bao fillings comprised of cooked Salmon on one, Chicken on the other and Haloumi on the third. Hubby wasn’t mad about the Salmon version, but the sauce on the Haloumi one had him singing. The buns while light and fluffy were large and the 3 made for a filling meal, in fact, the chicken one went home for later. The Noodles were flavoured with fresh lemongrass and sesame. The Tom Yum flavour was spot on, I was just sorry I ordered it mild as it had great flavour but no chilli. I was playing it safe as some places’ mild version is already hot. Next time I will definitely have the hot version.

The mocktails are reminiscent of what they have at Upcycled, though the range is smaller and more carefully selected to suit the menu. My Ginger and Basil mocktail was refreshing and light. We didn’t try the dessert but that’s a reason to go back real soon. There’s a sweet Thai Roti dish which throws me back to a long-ago trip to Thailand.

Prices are not bad. Most of the meals are at around R75 to R95. Only the Noodle dishes I thought to be a bit pricey at R159 for Haloumi to R189 for the Prawn version.

We went for a midday breakaway when the space was bright and airy. I’m curious to see what the ambiance is like at night. A bit romantic with a healthy dose of quirky I imagine…