REVIEW: Spice Market Restaurant

We just gonna say right up front on this one – if you’re in London and want great food at an award winning restaurant look no further than Spice Market! From start to finish you won’t be disappointed – atmosphere, cocktails and of course the food all 5 stars.

For those of you unfamiliar to Spice Market allow us to introduce you… welcome to Southeast Asian food like you’re never had before, be prepared to be delighted with unique interpretations of the region’s cuisine all inspired by the street food Jean-Georges enjoyed whilst travelling in Southeast Asia. The restaurant facade is completely transparent on three sides, and showcases the wall of spices, visible from the street. The eclectic and intimate design is a result of gold mesh sliding screens, brass screen lanterns, jatoba flooring and cozy booths, a unique brass ‘birdcage’ spiral stairs and 600 custom designed wok-lights. Impressive right?!

So where to being… we’re thinking at the beginning seems appropriate. When you walk into Spice Market you are immediately whisked away from the hussle and bussle of Leicester Square into an oasis of rich mahogany, low lighting and extremely friendly staff. As all good reviews start we went to the bar first and sampled Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s signature cocktail the Ginger Margarita which was one of the best margarita’s we have ever had – a brilliant combination of flavors that gave it both a refreshing and edgy taste.

Ginger Margarita

On to the the food! With so much to choose from we thought it would be wise to go with the sampler menu which on consisted of 4 courses and 9 flavours and then add a few dishes that we’d heard we just had to try. The set up of Spice Market means the food comes continuously throughout the meal and is placed at the center of table for all to share so we ordered and let the good times roll…

First up was the Lobster Summer Roll and Sriracha Emulsion and Dill, beautifully light and full of cooling raw favours. Following was the Salmon Sashimi, Warm Crunchy Rice and Chipotle Emulsion & Spring Onion which really was a taste and texture explosion. With decided to complement these dishes with another famous Spice Market cocktail the Kumquat Mojito. We can confirm the sweet and savoury paired perfectly!

Next came the Spiced Chicken Samosas which were packed as full as they could be (no puffs of pastry air here) with filling and paired with a dipping side of Coriander Yoghurt. Then our personal favourite the Charred Chilli Rubbed Beef Skewer with Thai Basil Dipping Sauce. The beef was cooked to perfection and tasted nothing but pure quality – Cut The Cap highly recommends you try these.

Then our bonus dish arrived – the award winning Black Pepper Shrimp and Sun Dried Pineapple. All we really need to say on this is we know why its award winning! Finishing up the mains we ended with [deep breath] Cod with Malaysian Chilli Sauce, Thai Basil and Celery and Char Grilled Chicken, Kumquat Lemongrass Dressing with Ginger Fried Rice. No we don’t know where we put is all either but it was too good for us to stop.

And just when you thought we could have possibly had room for anything else we tucked into the most amazing desserts of Ovaltine Kulfi , Caramelised Banana, Spiced Milk Chocolate Sauce and Thai Jewels and Fruits, Crushed Coconut Ice, amaaaaaazing! At this point you could stick and folk in us because we were done.

Hungry? We thought so, so here’s that all important info:

OPENING HOURS & RESERVATIONS

Breakfast:
Monday to Friday open 7am to 11am
Saturday to Sunday open 7am to 11:30am

Lunch:
Monday to Sunday open 12pm to 3pm

Dinner:
Sunday to Thursday open 5pm to 11pm
Friday to Saturday open 5pm to 12am

For reservations, please visit:
www.spicemarketlondon.co.uk

Or contact the restaurant:
reservations@spicemarketlondon.co.uk
+44 (0) 207 758 1088