Located at Marsa Al Bateen Marina, the new outpost boasts a private dining room that can accommodate up to eight guests.
It was nine years in the making, but Origami Sushi has finally arrived in Abu Dhabi. The new outpost has opened its doors at Marsa Al Bateen Marina, marking five locations of the Japanese concept across the UAE — Dubai is home to three branches, while the Sharjah offshoot made its debut last year. The design and architecture of Origami Abu Dhabi focuses on simple forms through natural materials and organic shapes that reflects the minimalism of traditional Japanese culture and cuisine.
The restaurant presents a temple-like structure, with the walls kept in their original state of rough concrete, complete with incompletions and imperfections. The space is divided into indoor and outdoor seating areas, with the former featuring an open space comprising a sushi bar and main dining area. Coated in a glossy deep red paint finish and bespoke terra cotta flooring, the combination instils the eatery's quintessentially Japanese feel. Incorporating a mixture of one-off and standard furniture with irregularly shaped custom items also provides a cultured yet contemporary style that feels inherently Japanese in design. This includes Fratelli Levaggi wooden chairs as well as original Tuareg carpets as a reinterpretation of tatami, a type of mat used as a flooring material in Japanese-style rooms.
Concealed away from the bustling ambiance of the main dining area, the koshitsu (or private dining) room offers a serene and personalised setting for up to eight guests, and it's a feature found exclusively at this new location. It's designed to create an intimate Japanese dining experience thanks to dedicated kitchen and service staff, making it the perfect setting for group gatherings, celebrations and family dinners. Available to be pre-booked through the website, the room has a unique table set-up that's different from the rest of Origami locations and includes printed table manners, providing guests with recommendations on how to consume presented items based on Japanese traditions.
As for the menu? Diners at Origami Abu Dhabi can choose from a mix of signature dishes found across its other locations as well as those exclusive to the location in the capital. The Japanese fusion menu includes a selection of items ranging from soup, small plates and salads to sushi, robata (or fireside cooking), skewers and large plates. Here, the exclusives include the likes of Prawn Tempura, Wagyu Ribeye, Chicken Tsukune Skewers, and Black Angus Skewers.
Other signatures span small plates such as Japanese Tuna Pizza and Wagyu in Potato Chips. A selection of uramaki, maki, sashimi, nigiri and sashimi follows, featuring Soft Shell Crab and Black Cod Hoso Maki.
Origami Abu Dhabi continues to do what it first set out to accomplish at its flagship location in Umm Suqeim 3: making fresh, quality-grade sushi casually accessible. Today, it retains this DNA, offering the kind of culinary experience that you'd encounter in the most revered underground sushi bars across Japan — unembellished, imperfect, simplistic.
GO: Visit www.eatorigamisushi.com for reservations and more information.
