Ted Sealy
Things at Sydney’s Spice Temple just got a little bit spicier with today’s introduction of a yum cha menu. And with Mr Wong just moments away, it could be shaping up to be the battle of the fancy dim-sum dealers.
This being Spice Temple, the menu was by no means limited to Cantonese classics, the usual har gow and wonton favourites being joined by dishes from China’s farther-flung provinces, such as Hunan-style barbecue pork buns.
Our picks from today’s first service included some dishes common to the menu at Spice Temple Melbourne, which has offered dim sum since early 2012. The short menu of gua bao – little pockets of steamed dough served cold – yields little buns stuffed with white-cut chicken and pickles, and a nicely XO-spicy number packed with prawns. On the more luxe side, there’s a fat lobster siu mai topped with flying fish roe (not cheap at $12 for a single dumpling, but loaded with lobster) and rice-noodle sheets rolled around spanner crab flavoured with black bean.
Pair this lot with some favourites from the broader Spice Temple menu – the superb quail with steamed savoury custard and peanuts, say, or the fried eggplant with hot ginger and garlic dressing – and you’ve got a lunch of champions.
And the best news? Once the menu has settled in, team Spice intends to serve it in the bar right the way through from lunch until the end of dinner service. High time to get down the Temple, we say, and renew your devotion.
Looking for more Sydney dining options? Check out our list of the best restaurants in Sydney.
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