At Spice Temple, Neil Perry turns to China for his inspiration. The spotlight is placed on the dishes of Hunan, Guangxi, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Xinjiang and Yunnan, with Head Chef Chris Budicin presenting the culinary delights of these regions in a modern yet authentic way.
The restaurant is beautifully presented in dark timbers, with seductive lighting. The design generates a succinct but not overpowering feel of its Chinese theme.
Start with fresh, sweet, stir-fried crabmeat with nutty undertones from soy-bean and amaranth, and with just the right amount of chilli to make this dish quite unique and tantalising. Slow-braised beef rib mapo-style is full of delightful contrasts. Braised slowly to be very tender yet retaining texture and flavour, the ribs are served with mapo (silky poached tofu) spiced with Sichuan pepper and chilli and enriched with black bean. Yunnan fried rice presents a wonderful mixture of mushrooms found in the region, stir-fried to perfection, with egg, mushroom soy and red and green chilli.
PSST! Banquet menus offer a great cross-section of the menu and eliminate the hard decisions when ordering.