Spice I Am

Overview

Spice I Am almost sounds like a challenge, or at least a state of mind. If there's anything to help get you there, it's red-hot Thai food. This is all you'll find at Spice I Am near Central, the more casual and busy cousin of Darlinghurst's Spice I Am.

Drawing from north-eastern Thai cuisine, head chef Sujet Saenkham has concocted dishes away from the stir-fry stereotype. Expect expect soups and spicy salads as well as a few Thai classics with a twist.

The light meals include the classics such as curry puffs, pork satay sticks and fried fish balls, while the soups are more adventurous including the signature dish — the tom kha gai. This mild chicken soup is made with galangai, lemon juice, mushrooms, herbs and coconut milk. On the hunt for spice? Look no further than the tom klong, a crispy roasted fish fillet in a traditional Thai spicy sour soup.

The menu here is long and also includes classic noodle dishes such as pad thai, pad see ew and the spicy pad kee mao. Order these with chicken, pork, seafood or vegetables. The rice dishes are the same with traditional Thai fried rice or a spicy option available.

If you're after a stir fry then the signature dish is the crispy pork belly with Chinese broccoli, chilli and oyster sauce while the pla pad cha, which is a stir fry of fried fish with the house chilli paste, is also delicious. For the more adventurous, look towards the chef's specials menu, with green curry with slow cooked beef, long purple eggplant and Thai basil the pick. It also does cooking classes, so discover your favourite from the menu and learn to prepare it at home.