Spice I am is a restaurant where it’s name actually depicts the spoonful of food you are about to put in your mouth – it can be very spicy!

Located on Wentworth street and having opened 5 years ago, Spice I am was started by Padet Nagsalab and Sujet Saenkhan. Recently however, they’ve opened a spin off in Darlinghurst. That is not the restaurant that I am referring to in my below review.

The original Spice I am is not far from central station and it’s one of those fast paced restaurants where you can’t make a booking. It’s based on first come first serve and allows BYO. Be prepared for a crowded dining atmosphere as well as quick, spicy and delicious tasting food. If you feel that your stomach won’t handle a couple of sliced red chillies then I suggest you head to Phamish instead.

The food here is very tasty. I tried the first item on the starters menu – Mieng Kuay Teaw – a pork mince wrapped in flat rice noodle with a spicy dipping sauce and red chillies. It almost looks like a spring roll or a Vietnamese rice paper wrap, but it’s smooth, silky, fresh and spicy. This is a must have and I strongly recommend it.

For mains, we had the red curry duck which was their special as well as a serving of Pad Cha Chicken. My favourite of the two was the Red Curry Duck served in a coconut shell and it is perhaps one of the best tasting red curries that I’ve had. The Pad Cha on the other hand, was a little different from your standard Thai menu and probably isn’t one that I will be ordering again. It’s served with curry paste, peppercorn, basil and Thai eggplant. Majority of this dish was papaya shavings with curry paste, I really couldn’t see or taste much chicken. And most of all it was heavily spiced and didn’t give me an overly comfortable feeling.

I recommend a glass of their Young Coconut Juice – it’s sweet and also comes with shavings of coconut pulp that you can eat while your drink. This definitely cures a burning tongue.

Overall, I found it a great place to have a quick mid week dinner. The food is amazing, the service was decent and you didn’t feel like you were being pushed for the next people in the queue to take your seat. In terms of money, the entree was $8, the chicken main was $14 while the duck was $26 and the coconut juice was $4.50

If you are short of time and can’t wait – you can always get a take away.