Where the monks at?

Thought this place got swag for a temple. Normally temples don’t allow alcohol, meat and short skirts but this one says yes! The only thing in common is the smell of incense wafting near the bathrooms. Clean bathrooms in a Chinese restaurant are a revelation! This temple is everything a Chinese restaurant isn’t: swanky surrounds, service without the frowns, kick ass booze and a menu you can understand without  a translator. The scary thing is that it’s owned by a pony-tailed gwailo! Obviously a black belt in the art of the wok and Steven Segal’s cousin, the kitchen explores Chinese beyond the boring old Cantonese we’ve been eating since 100BC.

Yes, there is more to lamb than Mongolian and Captain Chilli makes many cameo appearances (You can find him in red on the menu that has a Bangkok bride portrait on the front cover – I wasn’t able to tell how old she was). You can be handsomely rewarded by building your own banquet that crosses duck to fish, cold to hot, salty to fiery but maybe not Tibet. Oh, you wont get chopsticks thrown at you here too because they practice a thing called decent service.

The problem about Spice Temple is that there are going to be a bunch of diners who will never comprehend the premium you pay for refinement in Asian cuisine. It’s as hard as teaching your wrinkly grandma how to use Facebook. But don’t you think it would be fun just for kicks?

Spice Temple within

MONKEY cocktail

My future wife

Lamb and cumin pancakes $14

Tea smoked duck breast with pickled cabbage and Chinese mustard $29

Cabbage and radish pickles $6

Cucumbers with smashed garlic and ginger pickles $8

Guangxi style roast pork belly with coriander, peanuts, red onion and sesame seeds $32

Hot and numbing crispy duck $39

Steamed king abalone mushroom, garlic stems, chives and ginger $19

Stir fried prawns with salted duck egg and four chillies - Brined, dried, fermented and pickled $39

Peanut & caramelised chocolate parfait $18

Mango pudding with condensed milk chantilly $16

Tangelo Granita $14

Spice Temple

10 Bligh St
Sydney, NSW 2000
(02) 8078 1888