first look: origami bistro & bar
As a follow-up to our previous coverage on Ma Petit Bakery & Cafe coming to the Doulgas, we also toured the building’s other anchor restaurant space.
Filling the corner unit of the “Glass Atrium” retail arcade is a new bistro and bar concept already well-known in Valencia for its sushi, steaks and martinis.
Restaurant owners Brian and Stacey Lee are bringing their successful Origami Bistro & Bar to Downtown Los Angeles, a fitting locale for the hip establishment.
The Koreatown couple are starting to settle into their intimate Historic Core retail space after scouting locations near LA Live and in Little Tokyo.
A Spectrum of Superior Sushi
Lee proudly explains that his kitchen will serve many familiar Japanese favorites such as udon and gyoza alongside specialty dishes like Kobe beef skewers, Origami buffalo wings and Euro-Asian tapas.
However, the centerpiece of Origami’s fusion cuisine will fall under the seafood category. In addition to Chilean sea bass with a banana-miso cream sauce and other creative entrées, a large selection of sushi and sashimi is intended to set the place apart from less contemporary alternatives in Little Tokyo. Hardcore devotees will be pleased to find the uncommon jellyfish sushi on the menu.
We hope there’s a market in Downtown for raw, esoteric sea creatures.
Bamboo Meets the Glass Atrium
Staying consistent with the decor of the current Origami location, bamboo walls, dark woods, rich earth-tone hues, low lighting and some organic touches will create a mellow atmosphere for diners. A row of Indonesian black bamboo will stretch to the ceiling and provide a separation between tables in the restaurant’s main dining hall overlooking the interior atrium.
After dinner, patrons will enjoy Origami’s martini lounge, trimmed in low bench seating, leather-clad tables and a moderately sized bar.
The swank lounge space will sit at the front of the house and offer a bar menu of its own.
On Its Way
Construction on the 3,400 square-foot restaurant is approximately 70% complete. Despite the usual problems with City inspectors, the Lees have an alcohol permit in hand, which means they’re over the most difficult hurdle in the process.
Expect lunch and dinner until 2:00am after the planned early April debut.
If Origami plays its cards right, it may give many of the sushi restaurants in Little Tokyo a run for their money. On the other hand, a little local competition is a good thing.
Origami Bistro & Bar
257 S. Spring Street #101
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Project Opening: April 2008
origamibistro.com
-Origami Bistro & Bar Floorplan
-Origami Liquor License Application
8 comments
It may also draw part of its customer base from Little Tokyo, since it is a short walk away from that neighborhood.
This is welcome news. It has been my sense that the Korean presence downtown, as business owners and residents, has been growing. One aspect which I quite like is they don’t seemed to be uncomfortable with the grit of downtown. They shift mileaus comfortably. I’ll pass along news of this forthcoming opening to my Korean friends and neighbors.
It would be great if the late-night hours are successful. Civilization is on the march through the Historic Core.
I duly note the phrase, “Despite the usual problems with City inspectors…” Again, I ask, why does the city hinder business development? Again, I ask, why do our local council members not do anything about this?
their current place in Korea town is awesome too….sushimi on 8th.
My wife and I met this couple and they’re pretty pumped up on the downtown location.
BC all of them are at the trough. The Dems (the big business party) – big business gets major benefits from their policies of higher taxes and regulation (because it prevents firms from entering markets) – continue to cause problems for firms/businesses wishing to enter the market. Keep voting democrat!
Thanks John for now making this a political forum. If that’s the case, then why is it easier to open business in SF, NY, or Chicago? Aren’t those “democratic” cities as well?
L.A. just has tons of bureaucratic red tape (i.e. red, as in the color of the Republican party).
The blame for the problems with the City inspection process rests on the several entrenched bureaucracies responsible for permits. They have no desire or incentive to communicate and work together. The City Council has little power to effect change; after all, they have term limits and career bureaucrats don’t. I am bureaucrat myself and can tell you how paranoid we are about change, especially if it means giving up control.
If you change is impossible, how did the adaptive reuse ordinance sneak through?
Just as the city relaxed the residential requirements to encourage development, they should pass a similar measure that eases permitting and zoning requirements to benefit retail development.