The Sydney Morning Herald logo
Advertisement

Spice Temple

A glamorous setting for a jaunt around China... Spice Temple.
A glamorous setting for a jaunt around China... Spice Temple.Supplied

Good Food hatGood Food hat16/20

Chinese$$$

A meal at Spice Temple is like taking a five-star food tour of China with Neil Perry whispering over your shoulder ‘eat this’ and ‘now, eat that’. The journey is sheltered yet respectful, a banquet devoid of any marketplace stink, a sedate cultural tour featuring just enough lanterns to speak of the orient. It’s delicious, of course, because the produce is excellent, the dishes clever and the cooking careful. The menu darts around China, nodding to authenticity, skewed to the spicy textural dishes of Sichuan. Tea-smoked duck breast is rare and succulent, the meat’s sweetness offset by tart pickled cabbage. Minced quail is mounded over creamy steamed custard in a beguiling home-style dish. Beef brisket is served with sturdy ‘lucky money’ dumplings in a dish as luscious as an Italian ragu. Desserts roam along the spice route: a sponge cake with pomegranate and pistachios is the culinary equivalent of wrapping the five-star traveller in a silk robe.

And … The subterranean bar is a glamorous place to get lost in the cocktail list. 

Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.

Sign up

From our partners

Advertisement
Advertisement