Amazing food and service! Food was great value for money, very tasty and filling and cocktails and dessert paired perfectly with the meal. Our waiter Ella was exceptional and very accomodating and one of the reasons we will not hesitate to come back! Thank you for the lovely meal and even lovelier waitress :)
I went here for my birthday with my girlfriend. We were taken to the level below and while we've seen several people complain about the space being much worse than above, we loved it. It was dark, moody, and atmospheric. I loved it. As for the food they somehow added a ton of chili and spice to foods yet never made it unbalanced, too hot, or just there to burn your mouth out. It was all delicious. It is fairly pricey but I'd love to return again on a special occasion.
@therockpoolfiles Home of modern cantonese cuisine by Chef Neil Perry.
Had one of their signature dishes - Hot,sweet,sour and numbing pork. The flavours were well balanced and there was definitely a kick from the hot peppercorn
If you’re after food that is well balanced and full of flavour Spice Temple will not disappoint. Perfect restaurant for an intimate date night or even a catch up with colleagues/friends.
Excellent service.
I had my birthday dinner here this year and I have to say you need to have money to eating here...food is delicious and more on the Chinese fusion side but not very Chinese, flavour is interesting combination of east to the west, and as Chinese decent I actually enjoying it... also I’m very fussy eater but lovely table service was make my whole dinning experience very fun and exciting...coming back for a business dinner next !
Bindiya Kripalani-Mirpuri
+5
The food and ambience is excellent...and the service is par excellence. Ensure Diana looks after you cos she truly displays a very high level of customer service. She makes the entire experience very personal and memorable. I would go back there just for her service! Highly recommend
We had a lovely meal to celebrate my husband’s birthday on a Thursday. Courtney was our waiter, she was fabulous. We loved the hot and numbing dry beef, but the lamb dumplings were the star entree. Our Kung Pao chicken was packed with flavour and our sides were halved for us (which suited us fine as there was ample for two). Can’t wait to return to sample more of the menu. A lovely quiet night out!
Amazing restaurant! Been back and gets better every time. Staff are well educated on the menu both food and wine, the food is sensational, gorgeous fitout and worth every dollar! Will not disappoint!
I was so excited to try a high quality yumcha and though every dish was immaculately prepared..wasn’t a 5 somehow. I have been back twice but still something amiss to be a 5.
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Spice Temple is one of those higher-end restaurants on Southbank Boulevard along with Rockpool, Rosetta and the Atlantic. I'd been meaning to come here for a proper sit-down dinner for some time - I'm glad I got the chance on this warm Melbourne evening. The setting and décor are really very pleasant, as is the easy-going but helpful service. The waiter on this evening was particularly helpful in guiding us to some zodiac-inspired cocktails to get the ball rolling for the evening.
The 'Typhoon Style' calamari was the first cab off the rank - visually nice to look at and no squid went to waste during this sitting. This was a pleasant way to start the evening, but was followed by a punch the in the face - the dry and numbing wagyu beef. Exactly as it sounds - numbing to the mouth and spicy - this was an experience. If I'm being candid the beef itself was a too tough to make the dish really enjoyable, as novel and tasty as it was.
Finally we had the Kung Pao Chicken: Chicken with cashew and Sichuan chillies (more for aesthetics than for taste). It always seemed we hadn't eaten much of the dish given the array of fried chilli that made up a large chunk of the plate; that being said, it was as nice as any dish we had for the night. All diners enjoyed the experience here; yes it is expensive - maybe more than you would have to pay compared to Melbourne alternatives - but the matter at hand is whether or not the food and service are quality. Once we'd eaten a number of courses, accompanied by a selection of standard and novel-looking Asian beers (including one in a Buddha-shaped bottle), I can only answer in the affirmative.
The food was faultless! A bit of a delay in it coming to the table but understandable given it was a super busy Saturday night. All the dishes were worth waiting for will definitely be back! Yum! A note to the wait staff who were super friendly and nice too!
The name is no lie - This place brings the heat. Every dish is doused in chilli, so be prepared. My favourite dish was the salt and pepper tofu served atop a numbing puree of chilli and coriander. The tofu was a soft silken variety, cased in a crunchy, very salty exterior. I also tried the delicious, very garlicky stir fried morning glory leaves. They weren't as tender as usual as the stems were left on but I welcomed the texture. A side of Yunnan fried rice rounded out the meal. It was unremarkable and quite oily and very pricy at $22. Everything else was a bit overpriced as well, but that's to be expected for any dining venue in the Crown complex.
Very unique Asian cuisines with an absolutely unique dining experience. Something the restaurants at crown have been known for. This 2 level restaurant offers seating at the ground floor for gorgeous views across the Yarra or an underground level which gives you very jazz bar/ New York sort of feels.
The food is undoubtedly phenomenal but I wouldn’t go in expecting just some typical Asian food. Expect the unexpected and you will enjoy this culinary experience.
In my eyes, this is the perfect spot for a first date. Dimly lit, not overly formal, but not downmarket. I’ve eaten here multiple times, and I can say I much prefer eating on water level and not down below in what I term the “dungeon”. It’s not traditional Chinese regional cooking; but the food is good, not cheap, and some good dishes have bitten the dust; and no more sliders which is a mistake. Service here is not at same level of stablemates Rockpool or Rosetta, but I’ll give this place a tick. Anything with pork belly and calamari is recommended.
For the past 10+ years I had always disliked Sichuan food and would only eat it if my friends insisted. Spice Temple changed my perception of Sichuan food. Whereas other Sichuan food tastes like corrosive chemical, ST's food was suitably spicy and tantalising and did not leave a painful, burning sensation in my mouth and throat. For the first time in 10 years I actually enjoyed my Sichuan food, and that says a lot.
Prime location. Great drinks and cocktails, great quality food! The lamb dumplings are juicy and the beef tender. The noodles are thick and soft, but the absolute standout was the mango desert, it is phenomenal! Service is absolutely great. However the meals take forever to come out! So I wouldn’t suggest coming on a tight schedule. Another thing that is slightly uncomfortable is the darkness, yes it’s very intimate but at times a touch frustrating. Pricey but worth a try, definitely recommend
The prawns and the fried rice are to die for! Absolutely amazing flavours and the best experience! Everything else was good too, but the highlights were by far the prawns and the fried rice.
Very aptly named! We had so much food it’ll take forever to list them all, but one of my favorites was the quail entree: oh my god.
Besides all the yummy food, the restaurant itself was beautiful and the service was great. Definitely one of Crowns better pricey restaurants.
Very keen to come back here again, soon.
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Awarded One Hat from the Good Food Guide 2019. We dared to try Spice Temple for both of us who can’t take any spice. It was one of the last few restaurants at Crown Casino that we were yet to visit. And guess what… we survived!
We ordered the Crispy eggplant with fish fragrant dressing, the waitress was very attentive as they saw the amount of food we ordered, she suggested to half the size of the eggplant. Standard size: $26, Entree size: $12. The batter around the eggplant was very crispy. It was a thin batter lightly fried that allowed us to taste more of the soft eggplant within. The sauce coated around the chips was amazing, it was almost like a sweet chilli sauce – I didn’t know it was fish fragrant dressing as I couldn’t taste any fishiness! Don’t let the name scare you away. There was only a kick of spiciness in this dish – tolerable. It was a beautiful treat.
Peking Duck pancakes came in a bamboo steam – cute. We ordered the half duck for $60. Duck was roasted in the traditional style with cucumber, shallots and hoisin sauce – all traditional ingredients for a good peking duck!
I know we’re at a fine dining restaurant but I have to mention the amount of meat was no where near what you’d get at a casual chinese restaurant of peking duck. Casual Chinese restaurants give you a lot more. We each had 4 pieces, but I gave my last piece to J, just because I wanted to save room for two more dishes coming :). As I picked up the finely sliced duck with my chopsticks, I could tell immediately the skin was very crispy. There was absolutely no additional fat from the duck. Dollop some hoisin sauce and shallots and a stick of cucumber on the pancake and start folding them. It was very satisfying.
Tip: Don’t wait. You really have to eat it fast. Once the pancake goes cold it becomes powdery and more filling as you bite into it.
It was lovely! The heat and flavors were balanced out perfectly. The wontons were amazing and the Yunan fried rice was so delicate. The Kung Pao chicken was a visual highlight but was VERY overpriced with $45 getting you a handful of bite size chicken pieces among purposefully inedible chillies a few spring onions and a couple of cashews.
My favourite is the bang bang cold chicken cut.
The five spice deep fried squid, steamed eggs plant and twice cook duck.
The service and food was good.
Well done Neil Perry!
Delicious dinner for two, the prawn wontons with aged malt vinegar were mouth watering! Kung Pao chicken was also thoroughly delicious with just enough heat/spice to elevate the dish. Cost approximately $200 with drinks for two, worth it for a special occasion.
Highly recommend the set menu for lunch as it is a good portion size and introduction to the different types of dishes found at Yum Cha. However, the dishes are a lot more creative filling wise, than what would normally be found at Yum Cha. My favourites were the egg tarts that were made fresh out of the oven, the crust baked just right and the custard centre not overly firm or sweet.
really good food really nice customer service.
I really enjoy everytime we go there.
only down side is they dont offer cakes for dessert for bday and anniversary but not a big deal
Very lovely place to have dinner, staff were attentive and friendly. The dishes were very nice and presented well. Alcohol options were great. Inside was a bit dark for my liking. Wasn’t happy with the P/H surcharge but it is what it is.
Top notch service, very knowledgeable staff. It was just the two of us dining, so fantastic that they could offer us half served of most dishes. The steamed egg with quail was as awesome as eight years ago when I last ordered it. The kingfish was the dish of the night.
3.5. Have been here for the yum cha lunch many years ago and wasn't hugely impressed, but recently came back for a work function and the set course we had for dinner was excellent. The pickled cabbage and cucumber were great, and I loved the yellowfin tuna and bang bang chicken, which wasn't as spicy as expected. The prawns and barramundi were not bad, whilst the kung pao chicken and lamb in bread pockets were very good although we were getting very full by this stage. Thoroughly enjoyed my dinner, and service was great as well. Price-wise, the dishes are quite steep, which might limit how often I return here, but the food is pretty tasty and I wouldn't mind coming back for a special dinner with family or friends.
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The interior continues to impress with its elegance. It may have dropped a hat since my last visit (it still retains one) But my favourite food man Neil Perry still delivers with his amazing Asian menu (avoid the specials board, a chicken dish we had was not so special).
The lamb pockets are still a favourite but gee are they expensive at $49. As with all of the Rockpool group it’s not somewhere you visit every week given it’s prohibitive price points but it’s well worth the money when you do have the opportunity. A delicious experience
Original review
You never forget your first. Spice Temple is an exceptional offering from the genius that is Neil Perry. In fact I think it is his finest work to date. My first of many visits was over four years ago with my fellow foodie friend and it swiftly became a firm favourite.
Until this occasion I had never actually experienced a numbness of the mouth. Believe them when they say spice and order accordingly if you can't handle the heat. Or at least get them to send up some zodiac cocktails from the bar downstairs (also an excellent idea for a pre dinner drink or two). I do recommend drinking the entire calendar, they are very interesting and delicious beverages but I expect nothing less from such a luxe modern establishment.
The prawn wontons with aged black vinegar are sensational but the cumin lamb pockets are in my opinion a deliciously quirky revelation and the reason they have two chefs hats. The chocolate caramel peanut parfait is the only way to finish such an outstanding meal. All hail NP
Me and my husband visited this spice on our first anniversary. It was an awesome experience. Our host and server for the night was Laura. When I informed her about my preference for vegetarian food, she was humble enough to share a reformed easy menu with me which clearly highlighted the veg options in the menu. We ordered cold shredded potato salad, Fried calamari, Mung bean noodles, Lamb pancake, stir fried Asian greens and Yunnan fried egg rice. Food was really delicious. And they have portion sizes also which made us taste more of dishes. At the end Laura wishes us anniversary by serving a rose drink which was heaven.
Just one thing to point out..restaurant seemed to be under staff. We had to wait for the staff to be around to get ourselves easy with the orders and all.
So I’ve had a mixed bag from all the people I know to have eaten at Spice Temple. Whilst some love it, others don’t rate it at all and it’s been on my list for what seems like forever (just a little less than Tonka!)
I’m a pretty hard marker but what the evening was missing in service (slow wine service, gaps between courses, no one at the desk to pay on the quiet whilst guests weren’t looking), was made up for by the fantastic food.
Although the restaurant seemed to be under staffed, when available the wait staff were as attentive as I’d expect and despite some delays. everything the kitchen sent out was spot on. We had the $99 banquet and loved every bit of it.
The food and service here was impeccable! All the flavours were spot on. I especially loved the mapo tofu and wontons which had the perfect amount of spice. the eggplant with fish sauce was also very delicious however some bites were full of just batter :/ the food and drinks also took a while to come but still enjoyed my experience here
Absolutely Amazing!!! Our group of 8 chose the mid priced banquet.
The food was perfectly cooked. You could taste that a lot of work had gone into making sure each element of the dishes were perfect. The servings were so generous we couldn't even get through all the courses. One of the guests had a pork allergy so the chefs made her a prawn dish without any extra charge. My fave was the calamari... Yummy.
The service was exceptional, from the front desk to the bar staff and then our amazing French hostess. Could not fault them one bit.
I don't drink alcohol usually but the passionfruit cocktail that I had was so well made everyone else on the table ordered the same.
The ambience was fun and relaxed while still being feeling intimate enough you forgot the restaurant had other patrons dining.
I can't wait to return and highly recommend this place!
Delicious food. I’ve been here three times over the last few years and it never disappoints. The fried eggplant dish and wontons are so yummy. The dessert though - mango pudding - was out of this world.
We came and tried their Yum Cha banquet which gives us a variety of their Yum Cha dishes. The dumplings are pretty good, they have great thin skin and that chewiness that makes a great dumpling. The service is great too. Bearing in mind the banquet menu gives you only 1 dumpling per pax as opposed to three dumplings per serve.
The food was very innovative and loved the crab dish. Fried rice along with the Kung Pao chicken was an amazing combo and they generously served the Kung Pao Chicken with a lot of peanuts and cashews. The ambiance is very good. You can opt to sit in or outside facing the Yarra River.
This is my second time at spice temple and certainly they did not disappoint.
Dishes we ordered were: tea smoked duck, prawn dumplings with chilli sauce, steamed fish with Jiangxi sauce, sweet and sour numbing pork and the chicken cold noodles.
They were all quite excellent. I highly recommend going for the tea smoked duck as the duck was tender and dish was well balanced. The steam fish with the Jiangxi sauce - highlight has to be the sauce itself. Their signature dish was the sweet and sour numbing pork - I definitely recommend this for those who can handle the heat.
Overall great atmosphere and also great dishes by spice temple. Their flavour combinations, presentation and well balanced dishes really showcase the Sichuan style of food.
My favorite restaurant ever! Have been there many times and am constantly amazed each time I go there. The amount of flavor is like nothing I have tasted before.
Have been to Spice Temple for multiple occasions. Came here for one years Christmas party which was a good night but mainly just casual dinner when we want a bit of fusion experience. The dishes were all with quite strong flavours but very well balanced. Service was always friendly They have the animal cocktails which is quite interesting and I love the pig one can easily have two jugs. So yummy!
We went to Spice Temple for a friends birthday and got to experience dishes off the set menu. The kingfish sashimi was by far the most delicious fish dish I have ever had! The flavour combinations were perfect and the. Fish itself was fresh and tender.
The lamb dumplings had the perfect amount of spice but the accompanying pickled vegetables that we were given cut through that heat. The kung pao chicken pictured below was also delicious but so incredibly spicy!
Will definitely return again 😁
Underrated..... must be 6 or 7 star
Wonderful dishes. Order anything there and it’s beyond your imagination.
My orders were
Hot pot mushrooms
Hot and stunned duck
Best sliken tofu ever had in my life
Super duper salad
Fried rice awesome
Twice cooked pork
Dumplings lamb (never had such before)
And Japanese whiskey of course akashi
Super super super super super food
This place has been on my list for awhile. The hanun style pork belly was tasty, ma-Po style braised beef rib was the stand out. Loved the tofu and delicious broth. The waiter was very friendly and despite the public holiday surcharge, we were very happy with our evening. Yes, spice temple gets my tick of approval 👍
All in all a great evening at Spice Temple. Service was really great, and the food was amazing. Would I go back? Probably not. For only the reason that there are SO many amazing Asian restaurants in Melbourne, where the price is much more reasonable. That being said I am still talking about the eggplant dish with the stir fry pork, one of my favourite dishes ever. I unfortunately was not able to eat the pork hock due to my gluten intolerance so I was instead given beef and black bean. The beef pieces were very large, and very chewy. Not what you expect at a place like this. It really ruined my whole experience - but thankfully dessert helped claw it back.
Wanted to visit here for a while and finally decided to go on the weekend and booked through Zomato.
Service was good but I felt disappointed with the plastic spoons on the table setting as soon as I sit down... plastic spoon? Really? With this price tag I was a bit shocked 😳
Anyways, flavors were a hit and miss, especially with the drowning fish... I know they are trying to use good fish but it just doesn’t work as that really fishy smell was quiet strong even the chillies can’t cover it... they definitely using wrong type of fish...
Fried rice was nice and ma po beef was ok kongbao chicken wasn’t near the original...
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My partner and I went to Spice Temple for an anniversary dinner. I’m not sure if it is the ideal date night for one vegetarian and one non-vegetarian because the serving sizes were quite generous. My partner and I didn’t know what the portions would be like and of course, ordered way too much - pickled cabbage and radish, cold shredded potato salad, fried silken tofu, kung pao chicken, steamed Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce, stir fry king oyster mushrooms and some rice. As the food continued to arrive, my partner and I started to freak out. Thankfully they let you take left overs home. The stand out of the night was the kung pao chicken. It instantly packs a punch with flavour. There is just some seriously good spices and the chicken is slightly crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. You know it’s good dish your mouth is on fire but you keep going back for more. I also really liked the pickled cabbage and radish. It was refreshing to eat/cool down after the chicken. The rest of the dishes were vegetarian but sadly nowhere as good as the kung pao chicken. The fried silken tofu was exactly that - fried silken tofu and I wasn’t a fan of the sauce. The Chinese broccoli comes in a decent size but not the best I’ve had. The oyster mushrooms fell a bit flat. I have to say they were very good with dietary requirements but perhaps Spice Temple is better for seafood and meat eaters. I would still give it another go but next time, in a group, and less vegetarian dishes.
I’ll start by saying the prices are bordering on ridiculous. The flower drum is cheap in comparison! The food great and service good but never exceptional. If you have deep pockets or just had a win on the tables give it a go but there are better options out there.
I really enjoy Spice Temple. Everything I’ve tried here is delicious. I would particular recommend the deep fried eggplant as a starter (from memory it is also gluten free!). Kind of like crispy eggplant chips. Delish!
Chronicles Of A Foodie
+4.5
@Spice Temple
I love all the spice, the service is fantastic and the wines are a prefect match to the food. The eggplant is delicious, the calamari was crunchy, the scallops devine and I love the chilli chicken. I love the ambience, the dim lighting makes the food more appetising!
Came here for a quick meal before some gambling with my friend. We had some steamed vegi dumplings, tuna Tataki, vegetarian noodles and some steamed fish. All the dishes was tasty and nice to eat. We had two Smokey whiskys which were enjoyable.
Went there for dinner and absolutely loved the fine balance of spice and flavour! The food managed to tick all the boxes of spicy, sweet and savoury without any one flavour being overpowering. Would definitely recommend the chicken wings and their cocktails. The service was fabulous and the recommendations off the menu certainly did make for a memorable dining experience. My only regret is that we did not have enough time for dessert. Would definitely go back again!
A very expensive Chinese restaurant. However u pay for the service which is great & rent which I believe is quite high . U really need to know what to order since u are paying so much because some dishes are better than others . I recommend their eggplant dish, the sauce is sweet & sour , but not like most of the places , their sauce is quite unique . Don’t order their Ba Choy vegetables cause I feel like I can even cook better than the chef .The restaurant ambiance is nice . I will go back again .
What can i say i love the decor the food is delicious especially the numbing beef and the service is great. One of my favourite place to go. I will be back again soon.
Stylish interiors, nice food and friendly staff, situated amounts the vast spread of crown restaurants this a great place for a nice dine in meal with some Asian inspired flavours.
We’ve been here a few times now and love it. The service is great, food is delicious (with just the right amount of spice) and the ambience is awesome. Highly recommend the fire water beef.
Probably the most expensive dumplings, etc. that I have ordered but they were impressive.
I went to Spice Temple twice in one week as I was so impressed by the lamb and chilli dumplings. The sauce they come in is just wow.
All other dishes are also flavourful and amazing.
Service on the first experience (lunch time) was great. A particular bubbly fellow was very friendly. Service on the second occasion (dinner) was just okay - very slow to take our order. I felt like we were kind of forgotten in the corner and they kept serving the bigger groups.
Spice temple had really good service period. It’s a pricier place and normally I wouldn’t go to this place.. but have to say that the food was great. No complaints bar one dish which I thought was pretty flavourless.. which was the lamb beef which isn’t spicy. Lots of spicy food to enjoy however which is excellentay. I had some dumplings and some other dishes that didn’t disappoint. Overall for two people I thought I could get the same value in plenty of other places minus the 50-60 price on top. You are of course paying for the location..so will give them that. Otherwise nice place for a treat but won’t be a regular haunt like Bistro Guilliame.
Spice temple was defiantly a rude awakening for the world of spice! Defiantly need to lower the heat as my grandchildren found ever dish unbearable to eat! But besides that lovely staff, great food for my liking and authentic Asian styled atmosphere.
Go for the Dinner and Banquet. Avoid the routine dumplings, they are not fine dining enough. I think my taste buds were happy with the $95 dinner deal.
Easily my favorite restaurant!
The food, service and vibe was beyond incredible!
The lamb dumplings, pork hock and the numbing duck was to die for!
Food: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Definitely would return and would recommend this place to anyone!
We had the set menu, every course was either great or amazing, even the desert, which at some places is an after thought. The service was what service should be, attentive, knowledgeable and unpretentious. I actually booked online and booked the Sydney restaurant by mistake for a Saturday night and they were so calm and so accommodating and we got a table within 15 minutes. One of my favourite nights out in a long time.
i do not want to leave any comment below thank you for the food served it is a good experience unless not the right person hope i can become better
Food: Had the Golden Banquet and it was majority was pretty good. Enjoyed the kinda ~~ Fish Sashimi very much. The fried dishes was very average.
Drink: I don’t think the listed Dragon Well tea is authentic.
Service: Was very good.
One word for it ! Shock! Shock on how much this place has improved since I last came here 3 years ago!
Every dish we had was excellent especially the shredded duck and mouth numbing beef !
Service at this place has always been attentive which I couldn’t fault.
Cocktails were great too and I don’t know why the ambience of this place is rated low but I quite liked it 🙂
Great food, most of the time - has been very hit and miss as of late, cocktails are fantastic.
Great intimate venue.
Downside is that it can be very intimate - with the person next to you; as a couple on a busy service, they will pack people in like sardines to the point you could elbow the person next to you..
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