The Origin, Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The Origin, the latest vegetarian restaurant in town, could possibly be the best thing to hit Ampang this year. A fully vegetarian menu is the highlight with lots of organic ingredients, no genetically modified products, a focus on locally sourced produce and of course no MSG. A mishmash of Asian dishes are featured - Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese and Nonya flavours all make an appearance. Being a family run business, many of the recipes are traditional favourites coming from grandma herself (who has been vegetarian for more than 30 years). You cannot go wrong with any of the dishes on offer - all showcase colourful, flavourful, wonderous combinations of grains, nuts, fruits, legumes and vegetables. As no garlic or onion is used in any dish it's hard to believe that everything can be so tasty! The list would encompass just about the entire menu if I were to note everything that I liked here. So, to keep it short, do not leave this place without trying the pumpkin tofu with Thai passionfruit sauce, organic seasonal leafy greens with ginger and goji berries and the seaweed wrapped tofu with nyonya assam sauce (grandma's recipe!). Even the kids can be satisfied with dishes such as soya nuggets and cheesy broccoli rice.  Word must be spreading quickly as The Origin already has a decent lunch time crowd. Weekdays, set lunches start from 9.90RM and include a drink and dessert and the most expensive items on the menu don't go much above 20RM. Even though it has just opened (11/11/11) there seem to be very few kinks to be ironed out. The owner says they look to expand the menu though it all appears to be just right to me. The feel of the place is peaceful and happy and the owner glows with health and happiness. A sure attestation that she is doing something (or many things) right.

The Origin Restaurant & Café

No. 8  Jalan 1/67B (Off Jalan Mengkudu)

54540 Ampang  (Besides Ampang Grocers and Brussels Beer Cafe)

Tel : 03 – 4253 5388,   012-3789415,    016-2913000
Coordinate:   N03⁰ 09.469’ E101⁰ 44.854’

Open Tuesday - Sunday
12noon - 3pm & 6pm - 10pm