New York City is known for being a melting pot of different cultures. A perfect example of this is the restaurant Spice Market, located in the Meatpacking District. Here you will find flavors from Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam, and India.
When you walk through the door you feel like you have been transported to an exotic land. Their décor captures the imagination with hanging lights, wooden pagodas, drums for seats, and candle light everywhere.
I started the evening off with one of Spice Markets creative cocktails – the Yule Mule (their take on a Moscow Mule). Adding the hibiscus liquor to it made the drink much sweeter than a typical mule. It really was delicious and added to the feeling like I was on vacation.
The menu may seem overwhelming since there are so many choices, it is best to have an idea what type of food you are in the mood for. The dishes at Spice Market are served family style, so whatever is ordered is shared with the table. I prefer this style of eating because it allows me to sample a variety of things.
The first two dishes that came out were the spring rolls and dumplings. The spring rolls were Vietnamese style with lobster, shrimp, and pork inside. The flavor was great and the wrapper had great crunch. The dumplings were mushroom and the sauce they came in was a paired nicely with mushrooms.
Before I could finish my dumplings the next two dishes arrived at the table. The grilled chicken satay was served with a Mandarin orange sauce. The chicken had a wonderful smoky grilled flavor that worked well with the sauce. That sauce was so good that I actually started dipping my spring roll in it. The other dish was the Hamachi crispy sushi with a chipotle mayo. I was expecting a sushi roll that was tempura fried but that is not what came out, which was a pleasant surprise. The fish sat on top of a thin layer of the chipotle mayo and a fried cube of rice. The fish was so fresh that it melted in my mouth. The rice was the star of the dish; it was super crispy on the outside but still moist on the inside. This dish was a nice change from typical sushi.
The final dish, which I would consider the main course, was a red curry duck in a pineapple sambal. The duck was extremely tender and tasted wonderful with the pineapple sambal sauce. The flavor was not dominated by the curry because of the sweetness of the pineapple. As a side I got a bowl of the ginger fried rice. It was simple with just a hint of ginger and was great to use up the extra pineapple sauce.
If you are interested in a unique experience I recommend checking out Spice Market. Just make sure you call ahead for reservations because they get busy. www.spicemarketrestaurants.com
Enjoy!
T
