Spice Temple

I love the Spice Temple and I think the décor of the Sydney one is the best. It is very dark and moody, almost like being in an opium den (although I haven’t actually been to one!). Plenty of businessmen lunching too so if you are single and ready to mingle, it would probably be a worthwhile spot to visit for a girl’s lunch.
On this visit we had the three shot chicken, the numbing pork, stir-​fried greens and the peanut caramel parfait. They were fantastic as always.
These guys have an excellent selection of cocktails that are named after the Chinese zodiac signs and their wine list comprises 100 different bottles.

I had high expectations for this place and whilst the service was good, the ambience really pleasant, the food was ho-​hum.
To be fair, before putting up this review I did get the views of the other two diners.
We all agreed that we wouldn’t visit again any time soon for dinner. We would consider perhaps sitting at the bar for a few quiet drinks though.
We ordered a lot of varied food — probably around 7 dishes not including the dessert we had.
Stand out dish was the eggplant from the entrée menu, followed by the orange noodle dish which comes entrée size even though it’s on the main menu.
The rest was okay, well cooked but nothing special. The 3-​shot chicken we all disliked after a couple of mouthfuls so most of that was left on the serving dish.
We each ordered a dessert to try and end on a highlight but again all agreed, wouldn’t have them again.

This place screams «trendy» from the minute you manage to find the door off the street – it looks and feels like you’re entering a night club, albeit a very quiet one. This is a great venue to impress a client or have a very special evening with your certain someone, which made it a bit funny to visit with a family friend who is basically an uncle but is old enough to be my father – I’m sure some folks may have thought it was a date! The food here is truly fusion, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t extraordinarily delicious – you definitely get what you pay for. The waiters here really know their stuff when it comes to wine pairings and practical serving sizes (to share versus having enough to take home as left overs) and you won’t have any room left for dessert. We made a point of trying almost everything highlighted for being spicy, but none of it was overwhelmingly so. The prawns were really special, as was my mixed drink, the «Year of the Monkey.» Go in and be open to your waiter’s suggestion and you absolutely will not be disappointed, but at $ 40 a plate and up, make sure there’s enough in your bank account.

The atmosphere… the menu… the service… the flavors. I’m quickly learning that Chef Neil Perry can do no wrong, and my experience at Spice Temple was without question one of the best Chinese culinary experiences I’ve had — maybe ever.
Star 1: How were the service and atmosphere?
«Is this… it?» is what I asked myself as, after passing it back and forth maybe four times, I saw the small signage on an otherwise nondescript door overshadowed by Rockpool Bar & Grill. It was it, and as I descended down the spiral-​esk staircase I had a pretty good idea that I was in for a pretty special experience.
The décor an ambiance were almost tangibly classy, and even my full service spot at the bar came across as though it was somehow exclusive. Right from the get-​go i was understandably overwhelmed by the Cantonese meets SIchuan menu, and unlike many Chinese places I’ve been to even at the higher end of the spectrum, I found myself saying to myself «that sounds amazing» after reading the title of just about every single dish. I opted for the Hot and Numbing Crispy Duck, and maybe ten to fifteen minutes later my dish emerged from the kitchen. Star Granted.
Star 2: How were the portions relative to the cost?
My portion was nothing overwhelming, but it was certainly enough for a single person, and my side of steamed rice made this a full meal. While the $ 42.00 price tag may have had me cringe a bit if we were talking USD, we’re not, and some quick math had me realizing that at only $ 30.00 USD this was a bargain and even so one of the more expensive single entrees on the menu. Star Granted.
Stars 3 and 4: How was the food?
I honestly didn’t know what to think when I saw the title of my dish. Hot and Numbing? That sounded a bit like blazing hot buffalo wings at some discount dive bar that you later regret eating — but that’s far from what this was.
I don’t know how it’s done, but I’d honestly never experienced a combination of flavor and heat like this before. Was my Duck spicy? It was, but certainly not overwhelmingly so and not at all at the expense of unique flavor. However, somehow the dish did indeed, with every bite, briefly give me a numbing sensation that I’ll admit I enjoyed, and I ended up putting the leftover sauce on my steamed rice to enjoy yet again.
If I haven’t yet made it clear, this dish was marvelous — plain and simple. Dual Stars Granted.
Star 5: Would you eat here every day if you could?
Without question or hesitation. Spice Temple embodies a five star establishment, and is a model for Chinese inspired cuisine on a global scale. Star Granted.

Absolutely beautiful interior and stellar service, with some truly exceptional dishes. The Hot and numbing dry Wagyu beef was outstanding, as was the Yellowfin tuna with spicy orange oil and lettuce. However, the Guangxi style crisp roast pork belly with coriander, peanuts, red onion and sesame seeds was bland and we barely touched it. That was the only dish we found subpar, so it may have just been a case of everything else being so good that this one didn’t stand a chance (plus we ordered a lot of food for two people).
My dining companion was a Chinese work colleague and he found the food interesting, if not necessarily authentic. He told me that the numbing preparation common in Southern China is many times spicier than that used here, which is hard for my Western palate to imagine. I am grateful Neil Perry toned that dish down as I am certain not many of us could handle a dish that hot. My dining companion also selected the hot pot of fresh shiitake, oyster, enoki and wild Chinese mushrooms, Yunnan style, which was another fantastic dish with a spice that slowly gains on you as you progress through the meal. (Did I mention that my mouth was truly numb as well as on fire by the end of the evening?)
This is one of those restaurants that I have wanted to try for years. I am very glad I finally had an opportunity to dine here, but the prices are such that I don’t see myself making a return trip (unless someone else is paying, of course).
For a special night out, it really can’t be beat.

… Always a favourite… Never fails! Fabulous food, service and evening! Kung-​Pow chicken is
A signature dish… Beware: it’s hot… Sexy atmosphere to. Thanks Spice Temple!

Entering the Spice Temple made me feel like a character in the ‘Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe’…leaving the hustle and bustle of uptown Sydney through a mystical doorway entering in to an exotic underworld of spicy cocktails and and even spicier food. This is a cleverly designed intimate dining experience, even though the restaurant was full the subdued lighting and the soft furnishings dampen the ambient noise so you can enjoy a conversation with your fellow diners. The service was excellent, cocktails delicious and our share dishes were very tasty. The standouts were the crispy pork, sublime wontons and panna cotta. Between three it worked out to be $ 75 a head which we thought was quite reasonably priced.

Make a reservation at least a day ahead of time, unless you’re okay with a late dinner.
At first it was hard to find because the door looks like a sign, pretty cool when you realize it’s not.
While waiting for our table to be ready we sat at the bar, the service was very slow with our first drinks but after that everything made up for it.
Great atmosphere and amazing food!!! Five stars all around

Fantastic service. Great food. We had the tasting menu so we could try a few dishes. Everything was delicious and very filling.

A bit late for for this review but better late than never. Came here for their special chinese new year 10 course banquet but the food was worse than what i could get from a normal average chinese food joint, for a much higher price tag. Their lemongrass & rosewater soda was nice though, just dont go for the virgin ox one, that was a disaster. I probably won’t come back.

Love the Sichuan style cuisine recreated and expressed in Neil Perry’s way. Fine service, nice atmosphere and authentic flavour with modernised creativity!

A must visit for those that enjoy quality Chinese food (not your average neighborhood greasy chopstick). Great atmosphere matched by attentive floor staff and a quality wine and drinks list start your dining experience off perfectly. Once again Neil Perry gets it right! The food is of the highest quality and handled perfectly, a must try is the cold cuts chicken a perfect combination of heat and numbing Szechuan pepper. Desserts are also great with the 4 milk cake to die for. Do yourself a favor, you will become a regular.

A little hard to find… Literally a door in the wall to an underground basement. Fit out was nice but it was quite dark. Ok if it’s a romantic night out but was a work lunch it could have been a little more light. Food was ok but nothing amazing. The flathead and crispy skin chicken were the best. As I wasn’t paying there were no complaints from me. Nothing bad to right about it just not amazing.

The food was wxcellent for both vegetarian and non-​vegetarian meals the desserts were surpriaingly good

Interesting interior. Very dark and mysterious. It somehow gives the place a more luxurious feel. The flavours in the food are quite light and clean and high quality. Even if you eat a lot (which we did!), you don’t walk away feeling like you had a heavy meal. Obviously it’s a little pricey, but the quality of food you get is well worth the price tag. Highly recommend the sticky pork ribs. Oh and be careful with the pepper noodles — it’s really delicious, but the pepper after-​taste is so overpowering that it will numb your tastebuds! Literally!

Lovely atmosphere — food is fantastic — wine is exceptional — people are elegant — will do it again

I know Neil Perry’s name but haven’t been to his other offerings. I was certainly confused by this place. Firstly the name suggests Indian and not Chinese food. Chinese food is hearty, not exotically spiced. Then the door. What’s with that front door? Interesting anyway.
The food and décor inside was not Chinese like at all. It was dark like western fine dining and priced to match. I found the dishes nice, but tiny. Very tiny and you’ll need to order more than you would in a normal Chinese restaurant. Overall the food was good, but I wouldn’t rate it as worth the extra price. In fact I would say it is on par with excellent Chinese restaurants, and not especially better.
In Chinese restaurants, I’m not sure I want it dark so I can’t see what I’m eating. We are not fine dining here, we are sharing plates and having a clear view of well what’s dirty or not and spill and things dropped on the ground is important to me.

After being spoiled with the great dining in Newtown, Darlinghurst, and heck even Rose Bay, I just can’t get into the CBD restaurant scene. My experience so far is that they are way expensive, and far more focused on ambiance than food. And so it was with Spice Temple …
This place does seem to have a following, but a few big caveats to know whether it’s for you:
Pros:
If ambiance is your thing, ST could be your jam. They have a super cool secret entrance to their neat underground space.
They keep it pretty dark and the music quite moody, so if you are not one of the daywalkers, this place may also appeal.
Cons:
— Small servings/​Pricey. 3 entrees, 2 mains and 1 round of drinks and tea was $ 250 … And we left hungry. Mains run 40−60ish. Entrees $ 20ish.
— The pumpkin veggie dish ($ 20) was crazy tiny, as were the entrees. Prawn wonton were ok, but was only 8 tiny wontons ($ 20).
— Flavors? The menu seems to be focused on balsamic vinaigrette, pickling, and super, super hotness.
For my tastes, the food was way too spicy. The fried eggplant tastes like a blinding flash of way too much chili oil, followed by a tingling numbness that gradually takes over your lips. Same with the chili beef our table had. Literally pieces of beef in a broth, the entire surface of which was floating chilies.
— Service: was ok for a while, but then they seemed to forget about us … Perhaps they just couldn’t see us because the restaurant is so dark … Seriously.

Lovely service, cocktails based on your Chinese zodiac and fantastic food — what else could one ask for?
Combined with good company and a stunning wine selection, we just told the waiter to go for it and order what he thought would be good. It was. Caveats: I’d probably skip the abalone next time — I know that stuff is expensive, but its bland as hell and if I wanted a sauce accompaniment, I’d go for rice. Also the bamboo — bland again. Skip it.
However! Pork spare ribs, tofu in chili, cabbage (I know!) and simple cucumber in sesame oil were stunning. And the duck. I don’t normally like it, but this was amazing.
Note: It’s expensive overall, but once in a lifetime stuff.

I first noticed this place after my numerous trips to Rockpool Bar & Grill for their immaculate Full Blood Wagyu burger and their steaks. It has a really cool entrance, and at first glance I thought it was Thai food. Nope, it’s Chinese. A couple friends went before as well and raved about it, so I figured I had to give it a shot. The fact that it was granted Two Hats this year elevated my expectations a bit.
I came here this past Saturday after making reservations for two online on Thursday. Since I made reservations so late in the week, they told me the only available option would be 9:30pm. They called to confirm my reservation the day before, and informed me there may be a slight wait. No big deal… so I thought.
Upon pushing open the door you’re led downstairs via a curving stairway. The place is dimly lit, so if you appreciate that type of ambience this place is for you. We were told there would be a slight wait before being seated so we grabbed a spot by the bar and sifted through their drink menu. 10 minutes soon became 20, and then 20 became 30. At this point I got up and enquired about being seated and was told that there was an issue with large parties staying at their tables longer than anticipated, and there would be a longer wait as there were several others ahead of us waiting to be seated. No big deal… so I thought.
30 minutes soon became an hour, and I enquired again. The hostess was really apologetic and stated the same. At this point it was 10:30pm, and the thought of going somewhere else was inconceivable… we already dedicated this much time to this place, we were going to eat here damn it! Soon, the hostess approached us apologetically again, and offered us free entrées of dumplings and pancakes and two soft drinks while we waited. Cool, free food and drinks! The food came within 10 minutes and a table opened up just as we were about to finish up. At this point, it was 11:00pm when we were seated.
Since this place is called Spice Temple, I figured the food would be spicy. The menu states that the items highlighted in red are their spiciest dishes, so naturally we opted to try one. We weren’t too hungry so we opted for the Egg Noodles in the entrées section, and then by recommendation from a friend we ordered the Shredded Duck. We asked our waiter what the difference between Hunan style pork belly and Sichuan style pork belly was, and he was very well informed. We opted for the Hunan style which was twice cooked and crispy, whereas the Sichuan was a bit softer.
The food came in a relatively short amount of time; the egg noodles coming first. I was expecting this to be very spicy, but this wasn’t very spicy at all. If you’ve ever had Shin Ramyun, I would compare the egg noodles to a non-​soupy version of that… and less spicy. It was pretty disappointing.
The Shredded Duck was amazing, just as expected. The combination of chestnuts, fried tofu, and black fungi gave it a very interesting texture and delicious taste. It was combined with some chili paste, but yet again… not very spicy.
The Hunan style pork belly was great. Crunchy on the outside, soft, succulent and juicy on the inside. I could probably eat this dish for days… or until I got a heart attack from clogged arteries. However, this dish is eerily similar to the Pad Prik King pork belly you can get at Home Thai… and for $ 20 cheaper.
Since we were a bit full from our free entrées before, we didn’t finish all the food and boxed it up rather quickly. Our bill for the three items and a drink came out to $ 81.50. Cheap right? The only reason it was so cheap was because they gave us a 15% discount due to the long wait.
Food — Hit and Miss, and not very spicy if you’re accustomed to Southeast Asian food.
Service — Outside of the long wait, amazing service and very attentive. The discount and free entrées almost made up for the 90 minute wait after reservations. Almost.
Ambience — Romantic-​ish, but hard to read things sometimes. Slightly loud.
If you’re going to go here, reserve way ahead of time to avoid the stupendously long wait.