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Spice Temple

Two years after its plasma-screen door first swung open, the seriously dark, sexy opium den-inspired basement remains a conversation starter. These days, talk focuses as much on Spice Temple’s substance as its style – it is arguably Sydney’s, if not Australia’s, best modern Chinese restaurant (it’s certainly the darkest). Diners journey through lesser-known culinary China with a bold, spirited menu. Chilli plays a starring role, with the heat varying from subtle (the warmth of the wondrous lamb and cumin pancakes) to marked-in-red-on the-menu ferocious – sweet leatherjacket “drowned” in heaven-facing chillies and Sichuan peppercorns or the one-two punch of the numbing dry wagyu beef. The 100-bottle wine list contains some hidden and reasonably priced gems – as well suited to feasting as they are to spice-packed pork burgers in the bar.