Brothers Tim (pictured) and Trin Sunathvanichkul are the owner-operators of Origami Restaurant in Napier.
Brothers Tim (pictured) and Trin Sunathvanichkul are the owner-operators of Origami Restaurant in Napier.
Brothers Tim and Trin Sunathvanichkul have always loved the culture and vibrancy of Napier.
However, it wasn’t for that reason alone they chose the seaside city as the place to open their second Origami Restaurant.
“So many of our travelling customers who came to our Origami Restaurant in Cuba St,Wellington happened to be from Napier,” Tim said,
“And they would tell us that sunny Hawke’s Bay would be a perfect place for a sister branch. So, one day we thought, ‘Why not?’ And we dipped our feet into something new, and here we are now!”
The brothers, who also own and operate Aroy Thai Eatery throughout the country, opened their doors in Napier on December 13, last year.
Tim said the feedback had been better than they expected.
“Many customers said they have been waiting for a store like this to open, and now will be regular diners.”
Origami is a Japanese-fusion restaurant - its menu is a cultivation of modern Japanese flavours and blends of other Asian flavours, bringing out the best of both worlds.
“The uniqueness of Japanese food is that there is something for everyone to enjoy. Whether that be deep-fried chicken karaage, a hearty ramen or a good sushi roll with our mixed wild black rice. The dishes are small and bite-sized, perfect for sharing and tasting, and diners can make sure they have enough room for dessert afterwards.
Origami Restaurant has a modern, Japandi interior with an ocean view.
“Our range of creative patisseries not only taste good, but you can not take your eyes off them! We advocate for fresh, tasty and most importantly, homely food and desserts.
“Our desserts are creative pieces of edible work! We use locally sourced ingredients where we can - we even have our signature dessert, called Hawke’s Bay Citrus. It is made up of local Meyer lemons, whipped ganache, lemon confit fluid gel and a velvet spray! Our dessert range rotates depending on seasonal availability, so it’s a good idea to pop in every now and again for a new treat!”
Tim says the two most popular dishes are tuna salsa (lightly seared tuna slices in house-made ponzu sauce with salsa) and Chashu ramen, pork belly in a sweet soy broth served with ramen noodles, beansprouts, spring onion, seaweed and a boiled egg.
Prior to Origami, the brothers started up a Japanese restaurant in Palmerston North in the early 2000s, which began the creation of the Origami brand.
Fast-forward a few years, and they moved to Wellington in Kent Terrace.
Origami desserts are creative pieces of edible work using locally sourced ingredients where possible.
“Our menu back then was very extensive, with customers receiving a whole booklet of different choices ranging from 15 different sushi rolls, eight unique bento boxes, and more than 20 different small dishes to choose from - and that is only the surface of it. At this time, Origami as a brand was still very much up in the air.”
Throughout the years at Kent Terrace, they learnt a lot about how to run a business, how to maintain loyal customers and what makes good food, good.
“It was a learning curve - and as we started to become familiar with the hot spots of Wellington and the intricacies of how to run a business, in 2014 we decided to shift to the vibrant Cuba Street, where our Wellington branch still remains. A few years, menu and aesthetic changes later, the timeline brings us to where we are today.”
Two years ago they secured a site in Napier, which they converted to Aroy Thai Eatery.
“During the time spent in Napier while setting up Aroy, I found out there was no Japanese restaurant here at all, and started looking for a site. I was lucky to have found this spot after months of viewing different options.
Tim says Origami customers can expect to be greeted and served by friendly staff.
“Once seated, diners will be immersed in our amazing atmosphere and ambience, with our modern, Japandi interior and an ocean view of the Marine Parade. They can then expect their tastebuds to undergo a journey of different flavour profiles that all intertwine together.”
The restaurant is working on redoing its wine list to match the array of wines the region has to offer, as “when we opened back in December we had to base it off our Wellington store”.
What’s even more exciting is they are working hard to introduce weekend high teas, similar to their Wellington store.
I can’t wait for that to happen.
Origami Restaurant is at 2 Emerson Street, Napier.
