A meal at Sydney’s oddball Sichuan restaurant will stay with you, one way or another
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If you choose to eat at Spice World hotpot restaurant in Haymarket, the most important thing is not to go up one level too far on the plaza escalator and walk into the upstairs massage parlour by mistake. The confused security guard holding a list of women’s names will usher you through the sealed glass door into a suspiciously lavish reception area, only to mutter into his earpiece and summon a superior who will politely but firmly tell you to leave.
Spice World’s Sydney restaurant, which opened in February, is one of more than 600 the Sichuan hotpot chain has opened worldwide since launching in 2003. Gimmicky, Instagram-friendly servings such as metre-long lamb, yin-yang soup and winter melon bowls have contributed to the restaurant’s success and attracted diners to try the south-west Chinese cuisine.
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