Spice Market – New York, NY: Located in the Meat Packing District is Spice Market Restaurant, one of the biggest surprises I’ve had in a very long time. Once again I was reminded to not judge a book by its cover. I was fully expecting it to be a tourist trap type restaurants serving standard food court-like fare but I was pleasantly surprised by its authentic flavors. It seemed like the beautiful ambiance with expensive trimmings was created as a garb to cover up for the tame food. Perceptions can be seriously wrong though as I discovered at this impressive Asian eatery.

The atmosphere was soothing, relaxed and very cool, with a lot of tables occupied by the 20-something crowd and some even by patrons in their late 50’s and 60’s. Most tables were seized by groups of diners sharing noisy conversations and a few couples occupied the corner tables for a more intimate experience in the middle of all the chaos. Though the noise level was slightly on the higher side, it didn’t do much to take away from the experience of dining at Spice Market. The decor of Spice Market NYC was distinctively oriental with a lot of dark wood furniture and Asian symbols. It was surely one cool restaurant in New York!

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We set the pace for the evening cocktails; a Yuzo Lemon Drop cocktail, which turned out to be quite disappointing; the Ginger Margarita turned out to be bracing and deliciously tangy, though.

We proceeded to order a tasting menu that would give us a well-rounded taste of everything that the market restaurant had to offer. Among the items we got to sample were lovely shaved tuna with tapioca and generously flavored coconut broth along with some tasty shrimp cake with spicy peanut and an inspiring creation called cucumber relish. We also dug into some super fresh avocado and radish salad and spiced chicken samosas with cilantro yogurt. The fiery chili rubbed beef skewers and red snapper with Shitake and Makati mushrooms were nice and so was the char grilled mushroom chicken. The ginger fried rice, though a regular on Asian menus was spiced to perfection here. A gorgeous bottle of Cloudy Bay Chardonnay acted as a great fire fighter for the piquant oriental fare. There are a good range of rolls served with fiery sauces and a bunch of different preparations in hot red and green curries, which team up brilliantly with coconut rice.

Jammar, our server, did an outstanding job throughout the evening. The service was timely, prompt and extremely attentive without appearing rushed. He gave us an overview of each course and his explanations were absolutely immaculate and well-informed.

Overall, my pre-conceived notions were proved delightfully wrong with the seamlessly flavored fare and the stirring permutation of ingredients to create thoroughbred Asian items. The setting, though a tad too noisy can also double up as vibrant for patrons who crave for a more energetic dining experience. The service was flawless. If you are looking for a somewhat off-beat dining experience in a restaurant-food market sort of environment, Spice Market NYC is a great choice. Our rating for Spice Market is a resounding bombastic!

What I liked: The scrumptious food and the considerate service

What I didn’t like: My Yuzo Lemon Drop cocktail

Rating: Bombastic

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