“Sitting inside, the decor feels like Origin has been transplanted from King East. Wide windows look out on the area’s old factory buildings, touches of wood echo the other location, while red resin machine gun casts suspended over the bar are a playful allusion to the restaurant’s nickname—The Gun Factory— which is a reference to the space’s past life as a female-staffed WWII gun producer...It absolutely has the potential to become one of the area’s top destinations, and...can hopefully help Liberty Village ‘s dining scene become even stronger.”

“Aprile and designer Jason Stroud (Stroudfoot) point to the building’s Second World War-era use as a female-run Bren gun factory as the inspiration for the restaurant’s design, from a large tribute mural to throw pillows with archived factory images scattered in the lounge area near the bar to industrial-looking numbers stamped on the concrete pillars around the central bar. The 6,400-square-foot space is broken through with splashes of fuchsia, as at the King East location. Besides the tables, Stroudfoot also custom-made the eye-catching chandelier—a mobile composed of red Bren gun replicas—that hangs above the central bar. Also echoing the original location are warm reclaimed elements like a chunky wooden bar top and stunning flooring made up of elm, maple and walnut woods; however, this space improves upon the original Origin’s design, particularly in the kitchen, where hot and cold stations are divided. For exhibitionist diners, there is the Bren Room, an elevated and transparent semi-private dining area that seats up to 12 on the main level, and visually links the inside dining room with the 50-seat patio.”

“The western outpost of Claudio Aprile’s successful Origin restaurant has been drawing lunchtime crowds since last summer. Outfitted by Stroudfoot, the subterranean space provides hungered patrons with a feast for both the mouth and the eyes: a fuchsia accent wall keeps the atmosphere upbeat, while original works of art pay tribute to the building’s gun factory roots. The pièce de résistance? A three-part chandelier composed of gun replicas, sitting pretty in the centre of the space. ”

“Aprile envisioned the first Origin as a prototype to be expanded around the city. His second location, deep in the new condo district of Liberty Village, opened last year. It’s more nightclubby, to suit the neighbours. The cavernous room is dimly lit by a constellation of Edison bulbs and, with its polished concrete floors and vintage metal stools, brings to mind a steampunk villain’s lair. A large bar takes up nearly a quarter of the space—it’s the sort of restaurant that puts as much emphasis on food as on wallop-to-the-head cocktails.”