Spice Temple

Getting out of the cab on the corner Spice Temple is supposed to be on, we spun around a few times looking for a door before noticing a giant digital panel with animation of an exotic curtain rippling in the "wind." Of course this turned out to be the door, which was an appropriate introduction to the place. Winding stairs led down into an underground lair of lush velvet curtains, modern low tables and orchids galore. Our private room had low lights around a square table, as modern as you can get, Sydney signature.

We were celebrating the wrap of another long shoot so our producer who was familiar with the trendy spot handled the ordering. I started off with a Dragon: Tanqueray gin with lemon, lime and ginger. Each dish was spicier than the last, like a gimmick without escape, not that you would want to. Calamari steaks with a dry rub were hot enough without the chili paste we dipped them in. Crispy eggplant and chicken was so overrun with chilies that when I accidentally bit down on a small one, an antiseptic numbness inside my entire mouth ensued for minutes. Dragon was the only cure!
The impressive dish was the Leather Jacket, a white fish that arrived in a bowl of broth with 3 inches of chopped, roasted peppers and a pepper expert waiter. He described the mix of pepper types while he allowed them to steep in the broth. One had notes of citrus, you know, once you got past the ear-popping fire explosion on your tongue. Another was known for the antiseptic I discovered previously and yet another was supposedly smoky. As he scooped out one after another heaping basket of peppers, about a 10 ounce fillet of fish was hiding in the broth beneath. I couldn't believe the flavor. By the time we got to the Leather Jacket, so many spicy dishes (and so much Dragon) had been sampled that I felt like I had worked up to it. I could handle more and more spice, so I could actually taste the delicate citrus and smoky flavor right before my tongue became completely numb.
Dinner at Spice Temple was more like an adventure or a trip somewhere exotic where you can't wait to try the local specialty than any other fusion restaurant I've been to. I would highly recommend a group experience here so you can try as many plates as possible.