For some time after high school, I didn’t eat much Chinese food. It was really as a response to eating Cantonese only food every night growing up as my patriotic father was strictly Chinese food only. But ever since that little period, I often get a strong urge for a spicy, Chinese kick and if I don’t have chilli at least a couple of times a week, I pine a little. And if I haven’t eaten Chinese food in a couple of weeks, well the pine turns into a whimper.
As we were staying at Crown Towers, we met up with Sam and Neil Perry for lunch at Spice Temple along with their friends Liz and Bruce. I’d never visited the Melbourne version, only the Sydney version and it’s only metres away from the bar and grill and new Rosetta. The restaurant area is downstairs, like Sydney and indeed the similarities don’t end there. It’s moodily and seductively lit, only this time there aren’t any photographs of comely Asian women on walls although the occasional spice dusted body part pops up.
You’d naturally leave the ordering to Neil although I do put in a request for a bowl of century egg congee. Unlike the Sydney Spice Temple, Melburnites are treated to a yum cha menu on weekends which has 57 savoury dishes and 6 sweet and they are cooked to order so there are no trolleys. As expected, prices are higher than you would see at Chinatown but the cornerstone of all of Perry’s restaurants is the quality of produce and this is detailed in the bottom right hand corner of the menu. At noon we are among the first diners but by the time that we leave at 1:45pm, the restaurant is full.
Spicy ginger beer $7
I make something like this at home for Mr NQN by simmering lots of ginger to make a spicy cordial. It provides such a sweet, fiery kick to wake up tastebuds.
Rat cocktail $18
No actual rat in it (did I really have to clarify that? 
), the cocktails are based on the Chinese astrological signs and I chose one from my year of the rat. This one had Cuban white rum, rhubarb, star anise, lime and basil and was a nice, tartish refreshing cocktail.
Crispy Guangxi pork $9 酥脆肉片
My eyes go straight to the slider selection. I know, everyone does them nowadays but these have got an Asian twist to them. We try the crispy Guangxi pork slider, all lovely sweet, buttery brioche bun and crispy shredded strange of Otway pork inside. I eat this slowly, it’s that good.
Cumin lamb $9 茴香羊肉包
The cumin lamb slider comes on a pale sesame coated bun and is filled with the aroma of lamb’s reliably good partner, cumin. The lamb and bun are soft and melting. Mr NQN and I always go the opposite way when it comes to food-he was team firmly in the cumin lamb slider, which I also liked but the pork slider won me over just a bit more.
Har Gow steamed prawn dumplings $11 虾饺
The test for yum cha, for us at least, is always the har gow. Is the skin thin and delicate and the filling is full of fresh prawns although these are chopped up and I prefer them in large pieces.
Crystal leek dumplings $8 韭菜合子
I had a bit of a carrying malfunction when taking these from the steamer to the bowl and I broke my half moon before it even hit the pool of house made chilli sauce (made in vast quantities as the jalapeno chillis aren’t available for part of the year). They’re filled with pork, shiitake and water chestnuts and are crunchy but I would assume better if you didn’t drop them all over the place as I did 
Chive dumplings $7 韭菜饺
The chive dumplings are round rice flour dumplings that have had their bottoms pan fried. I’m usually a huge chive dumpling lover but these weren’t my favourites. I really like the verdant greenness of chive dumplings and these were a bit too meaty for me.
Crispy prawn wontons with hot and numbing sauce$ 11 麻辣虾馄饨
The crispy prawn wontons came three to a serve, the shelled prawns wrapped in the won ton pastry. They were so crunchy and dipped in a deceptively hot Szechuan pepper and black vinegar which numbs and has us panting for breath.
Century egg congee $6 皮旦粥
Ahh my kingdom for a good bowl of century egg congee. Admittedly, I’m a latecomer to century egg and was mostly put off by other people’s reactions to it but when I tried it, I instantly loved its creamy texture and pretty translucent opalescent look. The congee is thick and full of flavour, from bits of sesame to the crunch of deep fried dough to the moon shaped pieces of dark green onyx century egg. And even though everyone else was really quite full, I kept going with this.
Chicken and crab Xiao long bao $12 蟹肉小笼包
There were three xiao long bao and each had a good amount of gingery soup in them and a chicken and crab filling. And the million dollar question, how was the skin? Well in all honesty, the skin wasn’t quite as delicate as that at say Din Tai Fung but it’s hard to best those.
House made egg noodles with XO and scallops $14 xo醬爆帶子配自家制旦面
Our last savoury dish is the thin house made egg noodles with roe on scallops and a generous serve of the XO chilli sauce which has a quite a bit of sweetness in it.
Egg tart $8 蛋挞
Oh how I love a multilayered egg tart pastry! I never feel quite as satisfied unless I’ve been showered by a thousands tiny crumbs on my lips and dress from the pastry (somehow shortcrust egg tarts aren’t as satisfying). Yes this is pricey for an egg tart but this is all layers and a less eggier than usual egg filling and all plans to just have a taste are quickly abandoned in favour of full on scoffing.
And you’d think that all of this would have sated me, but no, I just pined for more later that evening!
Oh and of course, I’m remiss as I forgot to show you our room upstairs at Crown towers. I’ve tried the two other Crown hotels (Metropole and Promenade) and Crown Towers is the most deluxe of the three. It’s certainly opulent with the prominent lights outside and the the slew of designer stores. We alight from the taxi and a very friendly porter/doorman takes our bags and is so polite and lovely that I find myself nodding when he tells me “have a wonderful stay with us!”.
We make our way to reception to the left of the lobby. It is a casino so the lights and glitz are amped up to nth degree. We are shown to the third floor check in at the Crystal Club which is the private club check in for rooms from the executive club suite level or above. Here, we take a seat and they tell us that breakfast is served here from morning til noon on weekends (jackpot!) and that there is also complimentary afternoon tea and pre dinner drinks and canapes here too. We make our way up in the lift to our room, number 1722 which is an executive suite.
It’s a large room at 72 square metres and opens up to a comfy lounge with a day bed, a low marble table displaying a spread of magazines and an enormous flat screen television with loads of channels and an iPod dock. In the corner is a desk and internet access is not inexpensive $25 per day or it is free in the lounge. All of the light switches are discreet and lighting can be dimmed or brightened by pressing down on the buttons.
Just near the entrance way is a nice mini bar area with drinks (for an indication of prices, sparkling water is $5) and a Nespresso machine with 9 capsules or Simon Johnson tea (English breakfast and chamomile). The curtains and blinds close and open at the touch of a button and you can stop these partway across if you wish. The floor to ceiling windows offer views of the edge of the city and the aquarium. And for light sleepers like me, I found that the blinds blocked out a great deal of light so I had very sound sleeps.
Walking through to the bedroom, there is a king sized bed with soft, smooth sheets and a good mattress – I couldn’t feel it when Mr NQN got up in the morning or did his usual tossing and turning. Another flat screen television faces the bed and the turn down box of chocolates and slippers sit by the bed. A sizeable walk in closet and plenty of wooden hangers and luggage space are located just outside the bathroom.
The cream marble bathroom has an almost art deco feel to it with the circular geometric themes. There is a large bath with television, extensive amenities (shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, body lotion, comb, sewing kit, emery board orange stick, cotton tips and pads, shower cap, toothbrushes and bar soap all house branded). However, some of the products are hard to get out of the squat bottles. There are also two sinks and below is a drawer that holds tissues, hand towels and a hairdryer. There is a small mirror that is really more suited to shaving than make up as it points upward. A little chair to do make up would help and there isn’t much natural light in the bathroom as it is in the back corner although the lights can be brightened considerably.
And a little test of the concierge service when I accidentally spill chilli oil on my dress. The night concierge is helpful and produces a vial of cleaning fluid of his own which is was very kind of him.
And breakfast? It’s a meal that I usually miss but how a hotel breakfast that goes until noon fills me with joy! We go into the Crystal Club lounge which has sweeping booths, glam shades of colour and plush velvet herringbone patterned chairs. I survey the buffet. I’m not sure what the regular buffet is like but this one looks good with good quality items rather than an overload of too many things. For example there is mango juice, a fruit salad selection that has a good variety of fruit beyond rockmelon and apple and two types of natural yogurts. There are three compotes with raspberry, blueberry and mango and a good bircher muesli.
There are also fried noodles with chopsticks and garnishes, scrambled eggs, sausages, mushroom and tomato and a selection of breads as well as cute little filled breakfast sourdough buns. Service is friendly and prompt and you can bet I went straight for the noodles and slider bun while Mr NQN went for the fruit and muesli (he’s funny that way ).
A little later that afternoon, tea is served and after an afternoon of shopping and walking around, we rest our weary bones on the circular banquettes and order a pot of tea from the friendly staff. Service in the Crystal Club is excellent and while they prepare the tea, I take a snoop around to see what is on offer. The first day we had these cakes and macarons. The chocolate cake with two balls of mousse was delicious as was the mango bavarois. I think the macaron flavour was cookies and cream and it was light and sweet.
The next day we tried the selection above which seemed all these as raspberry and passionfruit desserts. I would have loved some chocolate morsels or something a bit different though. The raspberry triangle is moussey, tangy and light while the passionfruit balls are the same, just with passionfruit. The raspberry macaron however…hubba hubba! That was good
And later between 5-7:30pm there are free drinks and complimentary nibblies. Here, I have an assortment of the quiche and beef empanadas which were excellent. I also had some hummus, sun dried tomato and bocconcini which I ended up being quite addicted to…
See how many I hid in my second round? Mr NQN pointed out that he could see about six pieces there under the tomato. Caught again!
I brought back a tamarillo for Mr NQN who was rather, oddly, delighted. He never fails to make me laugh.
So tell me Dear Reader, does your opinion of food differ from your partner’s or friend’s or do you generally agree on things? And is there a cuisine that you have to eat often and if so, which one is it?
NQN and Mr NQN dined at Spice Temple as guests of Neil Perry and stayed at Crown Towers as guests of Crown.
Spice Temple
Crown Entertainment Complex/8 Whiteman Street Southbank VIC 3006, Australia
Tel: +61 (03)8679 1888
Crown Towers
8 Whiteman Street Southbank VIC 3006, Australia
Tel: +61 (03)9292 8888
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38 Comments | Add your own
Lorraine, your capacity for food astonishes me – and makes me more than a little jealous. Although you can have that numbing sauce with the prawn wontons – I just can’t do anything that hot & spicy.
I wanted to hear more about the ‘spice dusted body parts’ Lorraine!
It looks like a lovely place to have a break, and the food certainly is a real draw card indeed.
My hubby is not a vegetable fan, so that can cause problems when he tries to steal all the meat out of stir fry dishes
I suffer when I haven’t eaten Asian for a week, which is a very rare occurrence indeed!
The restaurant is really tastefully designed. There is a restaurant cum club here which sort of has similar design. Pleasure to visit.
I once had a partner, we had very similar tastes, not just in food. That didn’t last long, similarities weren’t good in that instance!
That tamarillo looks so good! I’d like to be lost in tamarillo “forest”
I love century egg congee, haven’t had a good one since I went overseas. This place looks really nice.
Oooh, all of this food looks superb – I want yum cha now!
I stayed in Crown Towers last time I was in Melbourne. I was rather shocked by the room service prices. The cheapest thing I could find was a bowl of tomato past for about $25!!
We’re pretty similare when it comes to taste although I’m much bigger on cakes and baked goodies.
Thanks so much for this fantastic, detailed review, especially of Spice Temple as I’ve been planning to go for some time now!
Brilliant!
Fiona
Looks like a lovely place to stay
The egg noodles with xo is calling to me 
Despite having no Asian heritage whatsoever, I too crave Chinese food and need a regular hit. Me and J are like you and Mr NQN when it comes to breakfast, he has the fruit and muesli while I go for the heavier stuff. Noodles and sliders for breakfast? For sure!
Wow Lorraine, first thing in the morning and my mouth is watering! Too good! Well, obviously I HAVE to eat Italian several times a week!
BTW the cake was a dense, almond cake – too much for after a big Calabrian meal but just right with coffee the next morning. And uva fragola is more strawberry – very sweet luscious strawberry!
Yes – you did need to clarify about the rat because my sister loves Chinese food but she worked on the movie, The Painted Veil and it was shot in rural (as in extremely remote, never seen Westerners) part of China and she and the crew went strictly vegetarian during that time because it was hard to determine what type of ‘meat’ was on offer. How lovely to have dinner with Sam and Neil (and there’s to be no confusion with Sam Neil!) xx
Your stay seems to have been one long food fest
! Did love the trip thru’ the ‘Spice Temple’: quite curious as to the taste of the particular congee! Looks so moreish. I occasionally quite crave the dish, but have never eaten the century egg one. Oh, and tho’ I am no fan of ginger beer as a rule, shall make yours – methinks the taste of fresh ginger would add quite a different dimension to the store bought one. Partners and food: hmm, ALL have been ardent foodies with basically similar tastes. Don’t think I would fall for someone who just ate to live 
!
You must have grown up with wonderful, authentic Chinese food. How lovely. Of course, this food looks pretty amazing as well. My taste is so different from my husband’s, except we both share a love of Mediterranean flavors. I love Middle Eastern best, perhaps, but also that wide swath of Mediterranean food that covers so many places.
I do love my Chinese food! We eat it every day at home but I could never tire of it and I think I would definitely miss it if it were no longer there every day! What a fancy yum cha (: I do have just a little bit of an obssession with yum cha haha. Great selection of cakes as well!
What an amazing selection of food!!! Just gorgeous, I am craving the pork bun and dumplings, along with the delectable desserts.
I am craving ALL of the above now, TRUE!
And am eating brekkie as we speak too!
As you know, I love all world cuisine recipes, cravings hit my in waves…thought it was JUST me!
Am on a macaron kick at the moment…LOVE the unending flavor possibilities and fillings recipe!
That cocktail makes me want to be a rat!
My most-wanted thing in this post is definitely the congee 
I love Spice Temple…and my first time there I also had the “Rat” cocktail as I’m one too
My favourite dish I’ve had though has to be the shredded chicken salad…so simple but so moreish!!
I have shamefully have not yet made my way to Spice Temple yet! Although the yum cha has intrigued me, really great and detailed round up! Although the Xiao Long Bao really doesn’t look so impressive…but the other steamed items look pretty good!
Now I want hummus!
Oh as well due to Asian heritage I crave Chinese food.Luckily partner could eat yum cha every day!The food here looks very yummy..
Wow! Dining with Neil Perry, what a treat
You are living the life! Haha. Makes me hungry too, mmmm.
My partner and I generally agree on food although he is definitely more a meat person than I, whereas I love my vegetables. I also like to eat quite healthy and he couldn’t care less.
I’m overcome by food love and luxuriousness
Great photos!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Hmm, well I’m single, so I get to eat with my kids. I’m lucky they have good palates, but we still disagree since I love seafood and vegetables and they tend to go for meat. Luckily, cuisine like Asian food means we can compromise!
I love how you compare every xia long bao you eat now to those at Din Tai Fung. I do exactly the same thing! So far, I’ve yet to find any that are on that same ethereal level. After all, once you’ve had the best, it’s hard to settle for second best.
My kind of Chinese food. Not the slop they pass off as Chinese here…
Thankfully hubby and I agree on our food as well as family, by agree we mean good food and lots of it! It can be trickier with friends so sometimes it’s all about compromise
Growing up I always wanted to eat something different to the Chinese food we always ate at home but as soon as I moved out of home it’s what I missed most,I crave it whenever I haven’t had it for a while. The part about your second plate, it’s exactly what I do at a buffet when there is something I love!
Even if they are meaty and I cannot eat them I like the look of the miniature buns
. And of course the sweet plate is my cup of tea!
Ciao
Alessandra
OMG i know exactly what you MEAN about not eating Chinese Food! I’ve lived with eating Chinese food for 22 years every day of my life! Now I don’t really have urges for Chinese food but I always like yum cha hehe ~
So glad you enjoyed Crown plaza
I d love to stay there over night ~ might hint to Mr Bao for our anniversary 
I love spicy food and none of my family and/or friends like it. So I sometimes carry my own chili sauce or chili powder with me to add the food served.
I would miss eating Turkish food if I didn’t have it for more than a week.
What a lovely stay you had, Lorraine. And all the food looks awesome. If I had to eat only one type of cuisine it would have to be Thai or French!
ha! I just reviewed this, too.
We didn’t find anything spicy, though, unfortunately
I think I liked the BBQ Pork Buns and Lamb Pot Stickers the best and definitely the Black Sesame Pannacotta.
Hi Lorraine, been meaning to respond to this for a while – got busy planning a few things
I LOVE how the ST in Melbourne does yum cha! That’s our favourite lunch spot at the complex. The lamb dumplings are amazing and I like how they do their cocktails. To be honest, having dined countless times at Rockpool B&G here and in Melbourne, I much prefer the Mel version – much smoother. Mmm I think a trip south is due.
We tend to agree, luckily!! Adore most foods, but Italian in particular. Have been wanting to go here!
Heidi xo
This post makes me laugh and I do understand needing to eat Chinese. My daughter-in-law is Chinese and one night she said, “If I don’t have something Chinese with rice within the next two hours my eyeball will fall out.” (yes, yes, she left the s off eyeballs but that’s our Ming)
Everything looks divine and I would love to duplicate this exact weekend to the last detail, Lorraine! The food, the Crown Towers, The Crystal Club Lounge, everything!
Then he looks across at my plate and asks why I didn’t order for him and why does my plate look and taste better? hehe Our tastes are at opposite poles of the culinary world and as I ‘study’ the menu before ordering , I always pick a dish to suit my palate.
I have dined at Spice Temple Sydney but found the dishes we ordered overly spicy and in the end tasting the same,whether it was chicken,beef, game or seafood and our taste buds only tasting the overpowering amount of spices! I’m eager to try it’s Melbourne counterpart as the dishes on offer look more varied and appealing to me and nowhere near as spicy.
When hubby & I dine out, invariably he will order a dish that he either doesn’t end up liking or doesn’t appeal, in other words he rarely gets it right!
At home I cook a varied menu and ‘travel’ the world with different cuisines but if I haven’t eaten a plate of pasta for a week, I have to immediately remedy that!
Mmmm I do want to stay a weekend at Crown Towers!
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