Spice Temple - Sydney

Spice Temple is one of the open secrets of the CBD. This subterranean eatery features dark walls and subdued lighting, making it a great place for a romantic, intimate date. Still, passing its high tech door and descending a flight of industrial-grade stairs, one wonders what is in store. The good news is that what one is offered is a menu of mostly Chinese cuisine, with a few Japanese and Korean flourishes that transforms the food from good, but typical to the truly flavorful and interesting. The food, as the name implies, focuses on the spicy. While there are some relatively tame dishes for the sensitive palate, the real winners tend to be those that will get the endorphins flowing. Personal favorites include the Hot and Numbing dry wagyu brief (it WILL numb your mouth) and the Wuxi pork ribs. There are also a number of sides and desserts that are well worth exploring. Is it cheap? Well, what is in Sydney? This is definitely not your Thai place down the road with the silly pun in its name; Spice Temple is more for special occasions. But it is also something of an institution. If you haven't been and live here, I don't think you can call properly yourself a Sydney-Sider.

Great food. Service was very nice, until you complain about being served a 10.00 glass of water, So the front desk girl was argumentative and thought that was OK to CHARGE 10.00 FOR A GLASS OF WATER. I won't be back, maybe bring your own water and enjoy the food or just skip it all together. Let me get back to my review. 30.00 for 3 glasses of water. Happy to supply the receipt.

Wow!! Team dinner for 20+ in Sydney. Walkable to the business district. Right on Pitt Street. The colors were fantastic. We ordered Pork Belly, Kung Pao Chicken, Fish, which was incredible. The colors and variety of the dishes were spectacular. The atmosphere and service was world class. Very reasonably priced, about $50 AUS a head.

Fantastic and interesting modern Chinese experience. Not one dish was like something I had before but all were excellent. They prepared a Lunar New Year menu for one for me and it was much better than I expected. The highlights were tuna sashimi, Pippas (clams) and beef with eggplant and dumplings, though everything was great. Each dish had layered flavors, some spicier than others, and tasted very different from each other. Also, great service and a modern ambiance. A great meal.

Pretty cool place down underneath Sydney in the basement very moody. I order the Kung Po Chicken, Fries Rice and Pickled Cucumber along with a nice glass of Pinot Noir. The Kung Po is not your typical Chinese fare this is dry with no sauce roasted chicken and cashews and green onions on bed of whole dried chilies it reminder me of a salt and chilli chicken dish I ate in Beijing at the Szechuan Provincs Communist Party restrauant a seminal dinning experience buts that another story for another review The dish packs a punch hot spicy but aromatic too this is where the pickled cucumbers come in to cool everything down with a fresh crunch. The fried rice is all bacon and peas everything tastes better with bacon it's a hugh portion size. Upscale, great ingredients and attentive staff but with a hefty price tag sometimes you have to spoil yourself.