Spice Temple

WHERE AND WHAT

Spice Temple. Yum cha. One of the finest unions since Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung in Wong Kar-Wai's film In the Mood for Love. This column's weakness for yum cha may already have been noted, so the announcement that Neil Perry was jettisoning Spice Temple's a la carte lunch menu for his own take on the tradition caused a not unreasonable flurry of excitement. And the verdict? It doesn't disappoint.

WHERE TO SIT

Spice Temple faces the Yarra promenade outside the casino but it keeps to itself thanks to the pink-stained windows and thick timber venetians. The atmosphere at ground level is better than downstairs, where the lack of natural light and deliberately moody gloom can feel oppressive.

WHEN TO GO

Yum cha is served daily from noon until 3pm.

DRINK

The wine list is curated into a tightly packed 100-strong selection nicely skewed towards the food. Cocktails based on the signs of the zodiac are anything but gimmicky in the execution, or go for the range of Chinese teas with tasting notes.

EAT

It's an a la carte version of yum cha, instead of the more conventional trolleys, with a menu of more than 45 dishes ranging from the traditional to the modern - on the latter note, make a beeline for the crisp Guangxi pork belly slider or white cut chicken in a steamed bun with salted chilli and pickles. The art of dim sum is front and centre, with intricately pleated chive dumplings; har gow - the ubiquitous steamed prawn dumplings with a freshness and integrity that puts other places to shame; and the big-flavoured northern lamb dumplings done pot-sticker-style. Spice Temple at its soul is a modern regional Chinese restaurant, so if you can force yourself away from the dumplings there is an abundance of interest beyond the usual definition of yum cha. Here's your chance to sample miniaturised versions of Spice Temple stalwarts, such as the delicate pink slices of duck, brined then smoked, served with Chinese mustard and pickled cabbage, or the dry-textured and chewy Sichuan-spiced strips of wagyu beef that live up to their ''hot and numbing'' billing. Also not to be missed is the silken beauty of egg custard with crab and XO sauce, and tripe steamed with black beans.

WHO'S THERE

On weekends, the yum cha seems to be attracting couples, family groups and even the odd well-behaved small child.

WHY BOTHER?

Only a few weeks old, it's already the best yum cha in Melbourne.

Spice Temple - Crown Complex, Southbank, phone 8679 1888