Spice World. The name says it all. If you ask for spice, you’ll get it in spades. But don’t fret, plenty of things don’t have spice at all.
Spice World Haymarket is certainly an experience. Make your name known to a staff member on the ground floor if you’ve booked – which we recommend you do since the restaurant is super popular. We dine in early and had a booking which we are grateful for, because the lines were insane. If you’re dining around 7:30 or later, we’d say it’s about a 30 minute wait. Apparently you can book via We Chat as well. Head up the escalators and you’re led to your table. Expect also to be greeted by a robotic who hands out mints at the door as you make your way to Spice World.
Once you enter in the restaurant you’ll see the place is huge – it has arcade games, massage chairs and cool wallpaper and art to decorate the space. There’s also private dining spaces.
Spice world is all about the hot pot. Select a soup base – Tom Yum, mushroom, tomato or their traditional spicy soup broth of pork, beef and chicken bones seasoned with spices. You can get two flavours if you prefer. If you want a puppy or Hello Kitty shaped stock cubes which will dissolve as the hot water is poured in, you need to order the large pot / perfect for sharing. Be warned this is spicy!
You then order whatever you’d live to put in the hot pot. There’s plenty of cuts of meat, an array of seafoods, veggies, soy bean varieties and noodles. If you’re unsure, there’s plenty of combos and also a picture menu to highlight the menu items. You then tick the items you want on the menu to be collected and ordered by staff.
We order a vegetable plate, scallops, prawns and basa fish – the absolute must order, for it was incredible.
Meat wise, they have plenty from wagyu, to oyster bland and tongue to name a few. It’s even the home of the famous Wagyu Barbie!
We order two types of beef and it cooks super fast, gaining a nice flavour from the soup.
We also like the fried bean curd, fresh tofu and sweet potato noodles.
There’s also a sauce bar to make up your own sauces, salads and fruit bar. They have beer, wines and Chinese spirits as well as soft drinks to accompany your meal.
Some gimmicks too – your refresher towelette looks like a condom packet. You also get a bib/apron to protect your clothes, featuring some funny phrases.
Staff here were amazing, constantly watching us and monitoring the heat of our hot pot, filling our water and taking empty plates. They were extremely helpful and efficient.
Spice World
405 Sussex St Haymarket
Thank you to Get Social PR for the invitation to dine.