Richmond’s Origo Club is changing the way we eat. Origo Club is a hybrid - it is at once a sophisticated fine dining French restaurant, a café and art gallery. It is the first North American spin-off of an extremely popular private Beijing club by the same moniker, which opened in 2014.
In another twist, Origo Club is serving French fare that happens to be produced by a non-French chef by the name of David Pan. The head chef might not be French but what comes out of Origo Club’s kitchen is worthy of even the most discerning Parisian.
“We take popular French dishes, use some East Asian and Japanese ingredients, then execute them in the time-honoured French tradition,” says David. “Ninety per cent of everything is made in-house.”
At Origo, David is part of the nouvelle-cuisine movement, which makes French cooking lighter and more seasonal in orientation. The carte du jour is a small but well-curated, including beloved classics, such as beef tartar, house-made pappardelle, snails in lemon, garlic and parsley butter, and Terrine de Foie Gras.
During the day, Origo transforms into a café. The baristas serve up espresso drinks crafted on its state-of-the-art Modbar brewing system, as well as premium coffees and teas from around the globe. What also pulls in the afternoon crowds are the made-on-the-premises croissants, the Pâté de Campagne sur Baguette with pickles, spicy aioli and cilantro, as well as the Croque-Madame with mornay sauce, ham and fried egg, to name a few.
So, how does a Hong Kong native turn French chef?
“I travelled the world by myself to explore different culture and cuisines and learning,” says the former chef at Vancouver’s celebrated Bishop’s Restaurant. “I was exposed to so many diverse cuisines.”
Originally, David was studying to become a sommelier, travelling to the top European wine regions before focussing on French wines. A few years later, he travelled to Bordeaux and dined at Michelin-star restaurants on a discovery trail of French cuisine. He was hooked.
David went on to study and train under the old European Chefs in hotels and restaurants.
