Origin City

Modern nose-to-tail

Crispy brawn, malt vinegar mayonnaise + Quail Scotch eggs, brown sauce

I always admire restaurants that go to the next level in sourcing ingredients, working directly with farmers and fishermen etc to really understand the ingredients. Located by Smithfield market, Origin City has taken it to another level. The people behind it also have an animal farm in Scotland so all their pork, lamb, and beef are heritage breeds coming directly from their own farm. On top of that, they have their own oyster farm and vineyards in France so they have full control of most of their supply chain. The cooking is British themed with meat playing a central stage, open fire grill and using prime cuts as well as offals.

Hand dived scallop, cauliflower purée, oxtail

Wye Valley asparagus, lardo, langoustines, sauce setoise

Texel hogget, wild garlic, haggis, baby gem, tongue

The Wye Valley asparagus was crisp and crunchy, it came with 3 pieces of Scottish langoustines which were cooked to perfection. The magic ingredient was a sliced pork lardo which acted like a rich oily seasoning and combined everything brilliantly. The Texel hogget lamb was served in 4 ways, from racks, sausages, haggis and tongue. What a lamb dish it was, the meat was very tender and mild in taste, I enjoyed the onion puree which enhanced the savory taste of the lamb, and even the garnish of the baby gem was wonderfully dressed. I also got the chance to try the black pork which followed a similar theme to the lamb and came in a few ways, the pork loin was super tender and the black pudding was perhaps the best version I have encountered.

Black pig loin, fennel sausage, butternut squash, black pudding

Roasted pork, lamb and beef Sunday feast

Coffee and hazelnut choux bun, hazelnut ice cream

While it isn't a fine dining restaurant, Origin City offers canapes as well as petit four which does make the whole dining experience a touch more special. I found the cooking was classy yet comforting at the same time. The kitchen knows how to deliver big meaty flavours and offer different types of textures of an animal to great effect. Besides Quality Chop House and Blacklock, I have now discovered another excellent meaty temple and this is one for sure I would love to head back to again in the future.

Food 4/5

What I paid: 
£115 with wine

Average cost without drinks and services:
£60

12 W Smithfield, London EC1A 9JR

https://www.origincity.co.uk/