Spice Temple – Chinese New Year Banquet 2012

Kung Hei Fat Choy Everyone !

Having spent Christmas and early January in Singapore on holidays I watched excitement build in the local Chinese community as they prepared for the Year of the Water Dragon. Returning to Sydney I was eager to get myself to one of the various Chinese New Year banquets. A quick check with my foodie friend, Tony, and a swift online reservation, saw us locked in for the Chinese New Year 2012 – Year of the Water Dragon Banquet at Neil Perry’s Spice Temple.

Arriving at 6.30pm we take a seat at the bar and sample some of the speciality Chinese New Year Cocktails (based on the 12 Zodiac signs of the Chinese calendar). Both being born in the Year of the Horse, we have to try the Horse Cocktail – a mixture of pomegranate, molasses, lime and golden rum. It’s an excellent combination, sweet with some tartness, and dangerously easy to drink.

Sipping our cocktails, we notice Spice Temple Head Chef, Andy Evans, come out of the kitchen several times to check that the night’s proceedings are kicking off smoothly. There’s a buzz in the air and we’re looking forward to some fine food, especially Tony, who’s a first timer to Spice Temple.

We move into the dimly lit restaurant to commence our banquet – the menu for the evening rests on the table.

Each of the dishes are themed, designed to “promote health, wealth and fertility” in the coming year. The menu’s a little different to what I expected – there’s only one dish, the pork, that is bolded in red signifying that it’s got a bit of spiciness and heat.. I thought I was in for some spicy Northern Chinese food ?

Our banquet opens with a liquid refresher, the Fortune Cocktail, prepared with Aperol, Cointreau, Peach and Cava. The food side of the banquet starts in a flurry as attentive staff bring a selection of dishes to our table.

The Cabbage and Radish and Sichuan Pickled Cucumber, Shitake and Bamboo Shoot (Wealth) are rich in colour with an excellent crunch and acidity.

The White Cut Chicken with Ginger and Spring Onion Oil (Happiness) is a vibrant green. The chicken is silken and well matched by the classic ginger and spring onion combination.

The Northern Style Lamb and Fennel Dumplings (Family Unity) and the Tea Eggs with Salted Olive and Black Bean (Fertility) are flavourful with a nice salty bite.

The Shanghai Sesame Noodles (Longevity) complements and rounds out this first set of dishes. They’re actually rather light, almost pallet cleansing.

These opening dishes greedily consumed, we wait for our next dish Pippies – The Most Delicious Dish Under Heaven (Money). A staple on most Chinese celebratory feasts, the plump little morsels don’t disappoint.

Next up is the Crispy Duck with Steamed Bread, Shallots and Hoisin (Fidelity). It’s a Peking Duck (can’t go wrong with that) variation where we place succulent spiced pieces of duck, and shallots, into little pillow-like pockets of steamed bread topped with a generous slather of hoisin sauce. They quickly disappear.

The last two savoury dishes arrive, the Hot, Sweet, Sour and Numbing Pork Chilli, Sugar, Black Vinegar and Sichuan Peppercorn (Wishing For A Large Family) and the Steamed King Abalone Mushroom, Garlic Stems, Chives and Ginger (Prosperity). The pork dish is a personal favourite from prior visits. It’s not blow your head off spicy, although the mix of dried chilli and sichuan pepper does pack a punch, creating an intensely flavoured dish as well as the numbing, tingling effect on your lips (for which the dish is aptly named).

By this stage we’re starting to get nicely full. The waiter, unprompted, asks if we’ve had sufficient to eat. “No we’re good, but looking forward to a sweet finish”.

Dessert arrives. The Cream Cheese, Rum and Mango (Money Purse) is a neatly tied money (pastry) bag with soft, oozing cream cheese and refreshing mango.

It’s been a delicious, fun night and I’ve seen another, more subtle, side of the Spice Temple menu. Yes, I have my favourite spicy dishes like the Shredded lamb shoulder with salted chilli, Three shot chicken (with beer, chilli and soy) as well as the Hot, sweet, sour and numbing pork, but I’ve realised I don’t have to be a “chilli-head” to enjoy Andy Evan’s regional Chinese food.

On a final note for Spice Temple fans: Head Chef, Andy Evans, will be presenting a cooking class 8th September 2012 as part of Simon Johnson’s TALK EAT DRINK series. Expect some “beautifully balanced spice-laden food from the Eastern and Northern provinces of China”. More details can be found on their website www.simonjohnson.com or give them a call on +61 2 82448220.

Spice Temple
10 Bligh Street, Sydney 2000 Australia
+61 2 8078 1888