You might usually think of Spice Temple as a place to take a gang of chilli-loving friends and go on a luxed-up exploration of the provinces of China, ordering up big with a table heaving with treats inspired by the cuisines of Sichuan, Yunnan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Guangxi and Xinjiang. And it is very much that place. But it’s also a place where you can drop in at lunch, smash a one-bowl meal of Beijing’s favourite noodles made with wagyu from one of Australia’s top producers and chase that with a glass of Victorian gamay (or a frosty beer) and spend just 25 of your Australian dollars.
That’s the lunch deal right now: from Thursday to Sunday, walk-in diners can treat themselves to the Spice Temple take on zhajiangmien, which translates to ruffled-edged flat wheat noodles generously laden with minced Blackmore beef in a sauce enriched with sweet bean paste, all topped with a scattering of salted cucumbers. Your $25 also buys your choice of a glass from three bev options, including a 2022 gamay blend from Yarra winemakers Airlie Bank. It’s a damned fine deal – get into it.
Spice Temple, Crown, 8 Whiteman St, Southbank, spicetemple.com.au