Spice Market
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Spice Market was a fun experience, the atmosphere is beautiful if you can look past the obvious Disney-esque orchestration of it, the service is friendly and professional, and the food, overall, is interesting and exciting. At night I can imagine the place full, noisy, buzzing but I don't know if I would enjoy it more or less then because it was pleasant when quiet. Perhaps the best way to enjoy is to go on a slower night, bring several friends, order lots of dishes, and sit in one of the very cool private dining alcoves downstairs. Oh, and sipping cocktails probably wouldn't be bad either. Try the Bento Box for lunch.
Atmosphere
Looking as if Walt Disney and Jean-Georges gave birth to a Thai-Balinese love child (but in a good way) Spice Market happily transports you to a world of dark wood, glowing lights, and casual breeziness, that makes you feel like you are miles away from NYC, perhaps about to take a dip in warm sea waters or indulge in a coconut oil massage. Darkly cloistered and expertly lit, the rooms are awash in floor-to-ceiling teak wood, from the ornately carved bar to the elaborate clothe-adorned stairway. Tables are nicely spaced, also all wood, with wood chairs or plantation-white leather benches. High ceilings and large French doors that open onto patios in good weather don't so much to add light, but give the space an open airy feel. Flanking them are lush silk drapes in colors of ochre and maroon. Tall palms and framed Balinese-style art add to the tropical feel. Overall, the effect is highly-orchestrated perfection. I half expected to hear taped crickets chirping in the background, ala Disneyland's French Bayou cafe. Still, I can't say it was unpleasant, no, actually, it was beautiful. Downstairs there are 3 private dining alcoves with lush couches surrounding long communal tables, and a large second bar area where a DJ was setting up.
Service
Service is friendly and attentive. The busboys wear casual pajama-type pants and long-sleeved white t-shirts that looked stained and dirty in daylight. White is an unfortunate color for anyone clearing plates. Male servers wear the same pajama-type pants with bright orange long-sleeved shirts. Female servers wear pants and very backless Asian-style dresses that show a lot of skin. Supposedly, these are the 'sexiest server uniforms in NYC', though looking at them made me feel uncomfortable, mostly for the servers. Sorry to say, but not all servers look good with that much skin exposed. (and, apparently, no women requiring a bra can work at Spice Market) One thing for sure, I'm sure they are a constant source of conversation among diners. I guess even bad attention is good attention.
Food
Food at Spice market is supposed to mirror Asian street food. Though it was not specified which part of Asia, I saw dishes from Thailand to India to Japan and the menu was interesting and varied. We were told when ordering the food would come out at varied times throughout the meal, which seems like a great idea for a communal dinner with many courses, but was awkward and clumsy for a simple lunch order. One of us was almost finished by the time the other's dish came out.
Our first dish was Chicken Pad Thai ($10) that looked gorgeous but tasted very sour and pungent. Not my favorite. The second item was a lunch Bento Box ($24.07) with small portions of papaya salad, pork satay, soy-glazed cod, jasmine rice, and butternut squash soup. Coming on a tray, the meal was colorful and beautifully-presented. The soup was very hot and was nicely spicy and slightly sweet. Crunchy pepitas added a welcomed saltiness. The papaya salad, which also had apple, cabbage and dried cherries was fresh, crunchy, sweet, and spicy, a wonderful combination and nicely-sized portion. Pork satay skewers were miniature but had a pleasant charred flavor. Not served with a traditional peanut sauce, they came with a small cup of vinegar-marinated vegetables. The small piece of cod had a nice crisp exterior and delicate, moist interior. The soy-chili reduction was both salty and a tiny bit sweet. The jasmine rice was undercooked and almost crunchy. Al dente rice? I'd rather not! Rounding off the Bento Box lunch was a choice of ice cream or Spice Market's well-acclaimed Ovaltine kulfi, a dense type of ice cream, with caramelized banana and spiced milk chocolate. We chose the Kulfi which was very dense, rich, and delicious. My only complaint was that the 'caramelized' bananas did not taste caramelized at all. Coffee was unexceptional.
Our first dish was Chicken Pad Thai ($10) that looked gorgeous but tasted very sour and pungent. Not my favorite. The second item was a lunch Bento Box ($24.07) with small portions of papaya salad, pork satay, soy-glazed cod, jasmine rice, and butternut squash soup. Coming on a tray, the meal was colorful and beautifully-presented. The soup was very hot and was nicely spicy and slightly sweet. Crunchy pepitas added a welcomed saltiness. The papaya salad, which also had apple, cabbage and dried cherries was fresh, crunchy, sweet, and spicy, a wonderful combination and nicely-sized portion. Pork satay skewers were miniature but had a pleasant charred flavor. Not served with a traditional peanut sauce, they came with a small cup of vinegar-marinated vegetables. The small piece of cod had a nice crisp exterior and delicate, moist interior. The soy-chili reduction was both salty and a tiny bit sweet. The jasmine rice was undercooked and almost crunchy. Al dente rice? I'd rather not! Rounding off the Bento Box lunch was a choice of ice cream or Spice Market's well-acclaimed Ovaltine kulfi, a dense type of ice cream, with caramelized banana and spiced milk chocolate. We chose the Kulfi which was very dense, rich, and delicious. My only complaint was that the 'caramelized' bananas did not taste caramelized at all. Coffee was unexceptional.
CleanlinessImmaculate. And the red, sexily-lit bathrooms are amazing.
ProsVery nice, relaxing atmosphere, especially for late lunch. Friendly service. Mostly great food.
ConsFood at lunch came out separately, creating an awkward meal. Pad Thai disappointing. Rice was undercooked.
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