Red Spice Road, CBD

Red Spice Road's interior cannot be beat...

Ahhh... Red Spice Road... Why are you so good to me?

Your food, your setting... Oh, how it gets me so...

I came here with some friends a while back after wanting to eat here for the longest time. The whole vibe of the place was just amazing from the moment we stepped in.

I absolutely love the design of this part of the restaurant. 

How the massive, red lantern was majestically situated in the centre of the room with ultra high ceilings, surrounded by the semi-circle tables, and acted as the backdrop to everyone's evening... Simply beautiful...

What I also love about the whole restaurant's layout is how generous they are with space and that it's split to several very distinct sections, almost with an entirely different theme and decor of their own. It's great.

These were the biggest communal table I've ever seen at a restaurant, which was actually quite nice to sit at...

No matter which part of the restaurant you find yourself sitting in, you're sure to be surrounded by people happily chatting away and having a good time.

Now, I completely apologise for not getting the full name and price of every dish. I, err... Thought I could just refer to the menu on their website anytime, but had no idea the menu had changed since. Sorry! 

School prawns

DELISH! Light, crisp and could taste the natural sweetness of the prawns. Very addictive!

Quails

Nicely fried and pink with great flavours. I really enjoyed that they served it on a BED of coriander and not just use it as a garnish, very refreshing... The dressing also cut out a lot of the sharpness of the fresh herb so it was actually really enjoyable to eat with the fried quails.

Twice Cooked Lamb Ribs with Chilli jam -- $17.00

ZOOOOMG these were the best!! Braised till soft then flash fried, moist yet super crunchy on the outside... Awesome! Best part was the chilli jam, which tasted more like sambal than sweet, sticky, spicy jam. Never knew sambal could go so well with lamb ribs. 

Damn good with a big bowl of white rice. Totally went nuts over these...

Pork Belly with Apple Slaw, Chilli Caramel and Black Vinegar -- $35.00

YUM! Again, crispy on the outside while being moist and tender on the inside. Just like the lamb ribs. What I loved most was the sauce. Almost nectary sweet but carried the pork as well as the bountifully fresh vegetables very well. Kept spooning it onto my rice, so gewd... Another favourite for sure.

Soft Shell Crab Stir-Fried with Snake Beans, Wild Ginger, Basil and Black Pepper Sauce -- $34.00

Was definitely taken aback by this at the start... Soft-shelled crabs... STIR FRIED...?? Don't think I've ever had soft shelled crabs that wasn't deep fried.

But since the waitress recommended it, we decided to give it a go. In fact, I was totally wrong. Def a very tasty dish and loved how generous they were with the soft shell crabs.

Veal Shank Curry

Lots of fresh, flavour profiles (from the pineapples, tomatoes, etc) in this monochromatic curry. Veal was delicious and falling off the bone.

Lychee Filled Jam Doughnuts with Cinnamon Ice-Cream -- $14.00

Doughnut was quite dense, felt like it needed more sauce to help it go down. Still, interesting concept.

Lemongrass Panna Cotta with Mango Marshmallow -- $14.00

Ermm.... This was way too weird for me. Couldn't get past the strong lemongrass flavour in the dessert and it almost tasted like curry leaves! Pass...

Passionfruit Brulee with Puffed Wild Rice and Coconut Ice-Cream -- $14.00

Really liked the ultra thin crust at the top. Custard was delicious but only wish that it had set a bit more because it was a tad runny. In their defence, passionfruit was an AMAZING flavour to use for a creme brulee and now I want to make this at home too. That aside, BEST COCONUT ICE CREAM EVERRR!

Will just stick to this dessert from now on...

Final Thoughts:

Overall, this place is AWESOMEEE... First, the whole ambience of the place was fantastic. Lots of buzz but thankfully the high ceilings and wide open space drowned out the noise. Decor was simple, yet classy.  Again, that room with the massive red lantern in the middle... Stunning...

BEST part about this was that even though I expected to pay $35 per person for a meal at a place like this (which we did), I was surprised by how big the portions were (especially the mains). Hugeeee... Even if the portions were cut in half (which I sure as hell hope they won't), they would still be considered a fair quantity in many other similar Modern Asian restaurants. 

And, yes... The food was deliciously executed and we all enjoyed the entrees and mains very much. 

Another thing that we found to be a vital factor for the enjoyment of our meal was the unlimited supply of rice. I know, I know... Sound so Asian. No, really. The mains were really tasty and pairing it with white, fluffy Jasmine rice made it so much better. 

Would SO gladly come back here over and over again. IMHO, my experience here was WAY better than the one I had in Chin Chin or Longrain. Easy to book, nice environment, prompt food/service, delicious food and value for money. Again, that's just me. I came back here a coupla weeks later with my mate Adrian for a simple catchup one night after work and it was just as awesome.

Red Spice Road... You have definitely won me over (twice in a row). Now, I look forward to coming in to your new branch at QV for more lamb ribs awesomeness in January!