Spice Market

Disappointing. I started coming here in 2003 and this was one of my favourites for a while. After a couple of years overseas I finally had a chance to come back and was shocked.
The vegetarian Pad Thai and Cashew Nut Stir Fry were bland and uninspiring. So were the spring rolls. The entrée, 2 mains and 1 x rice cost $ 38.
I guess I should have picked up on the cues: the place was practically empty when the other couple of Thais down the road were full and the articles and reviews raving about the place that used to be on the walls were gone. Rightly so too… :(

Had takeaway from here tonight. Prawns were pretty good, service efficient, nothing spesh though.

Hmmmm, i’m a little torn how to rate this, so I’ll summarise why I was debating between 2 and 3 stars (as usual for me, I’ve rounded up to 3).
Pros:
Decently priced lunch menu
The food was quite tasty
Service was quick
Cons:
I think the serving size was quite small compared to other Thai lunch specials in Sydney… more rice then anything, and my basil chicken was more vegetable then chicken

If you’re after some authentic Thai food that doesn’t run too far into the standard chicken satay/​pad thai/​beef salad terrain, Spice Market is your best bet. While they do offer these favoured items on the on the menu, there is also a good range of lesser known and perhaps extra authentic dishes.
Take the banana flower salad, for instance. The crunchy edible petals taste kind of like a really mild onion, tossed with a sweet lemon-​chilli jam dressing, crushed peanuts and plenty of fresh mint and Thai basil leaves. Meanwhile, the rich roast duck red curry is full of soft, meaty flesh and curry soaked lychees that add a nice sweetness alongside the meat.
The restaurant itself is pretty basic and pretty small — just the kitchen at one end and timber benches inside, but the food is always executed well along with friendly service from the often one-​man-​band waitress.

Good Thai in a tiny restaurant. The curries and noodles I’ve eaten have all been quite good. It’s got all the usual suspects: pad thai, beef salad, massaman curry, duck, laksa and various basil– or ginger stir fries.
Service was very good, fast and attentive. I didn’t have to ask for my BYO beers (which they allow, yay!) to be put in the fridge, they saw me coming and whisked them away to be kept cool almost before I knew it.
The outdoor seating is on stools, and while it’s great to catch the buzz of pedestrians in Kirribilli I didn’t find it particularly comfortable.