Saving my best of 2018 for last at Origen

It only seems fitting that my first post of 2019 be about my favourite meal in 2018. If you follow along with Call Me A Food Lover, you know that my annual dinner by Chef Rodolfo Castellanos at Origen in Oaxaca is always a highlight and sits on my “best of” list each year. This year, as I looked back through my year of eating on my Insta-feed, I realized that this dinner was indeed my favourite.

I’ve learned over the years to ask for a “reasonable” tasting of around 5 courses so that that I can delight in each of the dishes without feeling stuffed by the end. I know that the desserts at Origen are always delicious, so I want to be able to get there and enjoy the finish rather than struggle through it. With this number of courses, I’m also able to confidently enjoy every morsel on the plate before moving on, to the point that I’ve almost licked each plate clean.

It was with immense excitement and tempered expectations that I arrived at my meal at Origen.  On this visit we sat at the Chef’s table upstairs in the room beside the kitchen, which was a welcome surprise as in all the years of dining at Origen, we’d never had this vantage point before. Chef Rodolfo came out immediately to welcome us warmly and the group ordered a round of cocktails to start the evening. As we all loosened up after our first drink, it was finally time to start the show…

It seems unbelievable to state, (because I say the same thing every year), but this meal was one of the best I’ve had at Origen. There was refined confidence with each dish, nothing was fussy, and everything was extremely flavourful. The variety of colours and textures on each plate had purpose and each resulted in mouthfuls of pure delight. My dinners at Origen always leave me feeling happily satisfied and excited to return again. I guess that’s the magic of Chef Rodolfo’s food at Origen, I’m always left anticipating the next time…