Greatly Terrific Food Outing: Spice Theory, Turramurra

 

SETTING AND ATMOSPHERE

Stepping inside Spice Theory, the first thing I noticed is how incredibly modern and chic it is – very sleek and minimalist in style.  The restaurant is relaxed, cosy and not too loud, making it perfect for an intimate dinner for two and some good conversation!

To add to the cultural experience I would have loved to see a little more culture in the decor!

 

FOOD

Spice Theory’s menu is extensive and exotic filled with traditional dishes I’d never heard of, to fan favourites (like butter chicken mmm!) all with notes of modern twists. Not knowing where to start, Kailash happily suggested some of the restaurants signature dishes.  I had brought my boyfriend with me – who is vegetarian – and we were very impressed with the variety of vegetarian options on offer.

To start we were served the Dahi Poori Chaat, the Mini Masala Dosa and the Mini Keema Dosa.  Living up to ‘providing a sensory experience’ the dishes were a treat to the eye as much as they were to the tastebuds.  The presentation of dishes at Spice Theory is one of the best I’ve seen amongst the Indian restaurants I’ve been to and all three dishes were flavoursome.  The Dosa’s were perfectly crisp with a flavoursome filling and the accompanying chutney’s really made the flavours sing.

The Dahi Poori Chaat was definitely a highlight.  It was a really unique dish and reminded me of a traditional Indian streetfood I’ve had.  It was great to see how Spice Theory transformed this traditional Indian streetfood into a modern, restaurant-worthy dish.

For main, the vegetarian curry Paneer Saag was definitely a highlight and I absolutely loved Kailash’s suggestion to pair it with a Peshwari Naan – something I wouldn’t have tried otherwise.  The sweetness of the Naan worked with the vegetarian curry beautifully and I am a definite fan of this combo!  We were also served the Chicken Tikka Masala, which was missing the ‘wow’ factor for me in terms of taste, but I appreciated that Spice Theory did not hold back on the heat for this curry! (And for non chilli fans, don’t worry, you can ask for your curries to be non spicy).

Too cool the palette we finished with two deserts; the Rose Panna Cotta and the Payasam.  These deserts were the perfect way to finish the meal being tasty and light for our already full bellies.  The Panna Cotta was perfectly creamy with a light rose fragrance and the Payasam was subtly spiced. Both beautifully presented and delicious!

I would also like to make a special note about the house wine – I’m not a huge wine fan and I loved this one!!

Service

The staff at Spice Theory were extremely welcoming.  The floor manager in particular (I’m sorry his name has escaped me! ), was wonderful, if not one of the best floor managers I’ve come across.  He instinctively knew the delicate balance between being attentive without being too attentive.  He was extremely friendly, polite and provided excellent service.  He knew who I was straight away when he welcomed me in to the restaurant and was really passionate about educating me on the menu and the restaurant.  For this alone I would have rated the service 5/5 stars!

However…

One thing that made the night a little uncomfortable for me was that one member of staff asked multiple times about whether I would be writing a review, where I would post the review and if it would be published in the Newspaper as well. Asking multiple times throughout my dinner left me feeling like the experience became less about showcasing what the restaurant had to offer and more about what I would be writing in my review.

When invited as a guest, the best experiences are when the chefs and staff can’t wait to talk about how they came up with the idea for a particular dish and their mind is on their food and service so much that they completely forget about me writing a review.

As a suggestion, the PR agency should inform the restaurant who is coming, the style of reviews they write – for example I’ve never written for a newspaper – and also what they can expect from the blogger prior to their arrival.  This will mean the restaurant can focus on their service and the passion behind their menu, which is what I really want to see!

 

VALUE FOR MONEY

Spice Theory is excellent value for money.  The prices are really reasonable and the food is delicious overall.  I would visit again!

THE DETAILS

Where: 

1-3/1259 Pacific Highway, Turramurra NSW 2074

Contact:

(02) 99884242

Opening Hours:

Open 7 days: 5PM til late

Find Them Here:

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