Spice Me Up

LOCATION
On the highway, opposite St Leonards train station. Parking available in Canberra Avenue.

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
The calming ambience of Spice Me Up’s dining room is a welcome retreat from the river of traffic speeding along the Pacific Highway outside. Leave the car horns and traffic lights behind as you step inside this soothing, stylish interior. Red and white feature walls border communal and smaller tables, as amicable waitstaff rush about on polished wooden floorboards. Feature lamps bathe the long, narrow room in soft light, creating a tranquil setting for a traditional Thai feast. Opened in October 2007, Spice Me Up services the work lunch crowd Monday to Friday and locals every night of the week. Offering BYO dine in, takeaway and local delivery, this restaurant also caters for functions with finger food platters and banquet menus.

Peruse the chef’s recommendations for a tasty selection of Thai favourites. The Spice Me Up special appetiser offers a flavoursome hint of things to come. Gnaw through a crispy outer wonton skin to meet a delicious concoction of chicken, carrot and coriander, dipped in a sweet and spicy sauce. An exceptionally hot jungle curry gives the tastebuds a fiery kick, with your choice of tofu, chicken, beef, lamb or prawns making its way into the bowl. The namesake lamb cutlets are marinated in a delicious blend of garlic, pepper and mint, and served with tamarind sauce for extra zing. Dip into homemade Thai-style custard or a slice of sweet banana cake for dessert. Snowed-under officer workers can pop in for a taste of the restaurant’s “speedy” lunch menu any day, or enjoy the three-course dinner special, currently at a very reasonable $20. Those with a case of the belly rumbles can choose from three banquet options, offering a sample of the restaurant’s most popular repasts. One of the more stylish restaurants in the area, Spice Me Up tickles the tastebuds with its sizzling menu of Thai classics.

Lauren Barker