Now Open: 25 Spices Is the Fiery Haymarket Newcomer That's Exploring an Underrepresented Regional Chinese Cuisine
Head to Market City to explore the bold, smoke-laced flavours of Hunan food, courtesy of Vincent Wei from Pappa's Stew.
Sydney's Chinese regional dining scene just welcomed a bold and fiery newcomer with the arrival of 25 Spices, a visually striking new dining room dedicated to the layered, complex flavours of Hunan cuisine. Now open in Market City, the two-level restaurant is the latest venture from Vincent Wei, the chef behind cult-fave Newtown spot Pappa's Stew, and marks the chef's most ambitious chapter yet.
Hailing from central China, Hunan (or Xiang) food is one of the country's eight great regional cuisines (八大菜系), and is known for its unapologetic heat, sourness and smokiness. After finding little Hunan representation in Sydney when he moved from China, Wei opened his first takeaway spot in 2016, which then led to Pappa's Stew. Now with 25 Spices, he's created what he calls "the restaurant I've dreamed of creating for many years".
The menu showcases a range of Hunan signatures and explores the interplay between sour, smoke and heat. Highlights include Hunan-style chilli with eggplant and century egg, beef with pickled green chilli, and a winter-only slow-cooked lamb hot pot. It's not all firepower though — options like braised beef noodles with crunchy peanuts, tomato beef brisket pot, and wood-smoked pork belly with garlic sprouts cut back on the spice, but not the comfort. You can balance it all out with aromatic bi luo chun tea, a naturally sweet green tea from the Hunan mountains.
"Hunan food isn't about numbing spice or sweetness — it's about deep heat, smoke, and soul," says Wei. "[This restaurant] represents my childhood and what I believe to be one of the most delicious Chinese cuisines."
The sense of storytelling extends to the fitout — the work of Lily Zhang of Haymarket-based Latistudio. A palette of deep red and calming blue evokes both the fiery energy of Hunan and the soothing tones of Australia's coast. Walnut wood finishes throughout the space add warmth and texture, while also nodding to the Chinese tradition of wood representing stability and connection to nature. It's a fitting look for a restaurant that's just as much about cultural connection as it is about flavour.
"This restaurant is about more than food," says Wei. "It's a space for anyone curious about a cuisine that's still underrepresented in Australia."
25 Spices in now open seven days a week, from 11.30am–3pm and 5–10pm. Find it on the ground floor of Market City, on the corner of Hay Street and Quay Street, Shop 1.01B, 9–13 Hay Street, Haymarket. For more information, head to the venue's website.
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