Asian fusion meets award-winning Korean wings at Origami in Lakefield – The Mail & Guardian

At Origami, there is no compromise on food quality.

In the Benoni suburb of Lakefield, Johannesburg, there is an Asian fusion restaurant called Origami that might catch your eye, due to its two-dimensional theme fused with the outdoor Japanese garden alone.

The menu offers a wide variety of Asian dishes, so you will be spoiled for choice. From Korean to Thai flavors, whether it’s sushi or a bowl of your favorite ramen, the restaurant caters to all tastes.

Origami wasn’t known for its Korean fried chicken wings, but it was nominated for and won radio station 947’s “Best Wings” contest in June.

THE Mail and tutor I had to try these wings and – like the other menu items we tried – they did not disappoint.

Breaded before being fried, the wings are crispy and a real pleasure to bite into, but it’s the sauce that makes the difference. At first, there’s a subtle sweetness, followed by a spicy tingle that makes you want to grab the next wing.

The restaurant is owned by the Bhamjee family and one of their sons, Ismaeel, said it was surreal when they heard they had won the competition. This has increased the number of customers who frequent the restaurant.

“Our victory has spread the word! People who had no idea we existed, even though they live just around the corner, came to us for wings,” Bhamjee said.

“Every restaurant could use an award. We needed one. It gave us the strength to keep doing our best and reminded us that this quest for excellence that we started on 17 years ago is seen and appreciated,” he added.

This 17-year journey dates back to the family’s first food business, Lazeeza’s Bakery, which was started by her mother, Saleeha, from their home.

Bhamjee recalls that his father’s glass business hit a snag and that’s when his mother started her home-based business.

It was also around this time that the youngest of his five children was born, so the family had no time to waste if they wanted to take their brand forward.

“A store opened up in the local mall. My mother convinced the lawyers to give her the space by letting them taste her custard slices, which is probably what Lazeeza is most famous for.

“For Lazeeza, we survived and did the best we could, buying equipment as we earned money.

“We didn’t have a cent of start-up capital,” Bhamjee said.

In the beginning, the bakery had only some second-hand equipment and an old discarded oven, which was brought up to date. But the main ingredients of the Bhamjee family were love and age-old family recipes.

Once the bakery was launched, the family moved into cold sandwiches and then grilled sandwiches.

Soon after, they opened Upcycled Café, which serves everything from gooey grilled cheese to sizzling steaks.

Without formal training, Saleeha Bhamjee and her children had to learn on the job.

The Upcycled Café was a lively place with a great atmosphere. However, as with any business, creators need to evolve to be successful.

The family ventured further, with the children being taste testers for their mother, and in a way, Origami was born inside Upcycled Café.

“My mom loves to experiment. She loves sushi, so she started offering it as a weekend special at Upcycled, just to test the waters and see what the demand was for Asian cuisine with a twist.

“The incredible number of orders she received convinced her that Asian cuisine should be her next challenge,” Bhamjee said.

The secret of the Bhamjee family’s success is that they do not compromise on the quality of their food.

“We like to do things ourselves, so for both Upcycled and Lazeeza, everything is done in-house. The design, the decoration, the work.

“We all get our hands dirty. And the end result is a place infused with the personalities of the entire family. This recipe works.”

“The biggest challenge in the food industry is maintaining standards. This is a task that can never be delegated.

“If you believe in your brand and want to always push the boundaries of excellence, you have to be there, yourself,” Bhamjee said.

They are not planning any new projects in the near future. They aim to maintain their quality level, regardless of their workload after winning the award for the best chicken wings in the Johannesburg region.

They might consider franchising their brands, but they fear that this would compromise these high standards.

For now, the Bhamjee family is moving forward one wing at a time.