Spice I Am

Updated October 22, 2026,first published November 11, 2024A much-loved spice pioneer fires on.Always packed and trilling with the sound of workhorse woks, this hole-in-the-wall is a two-decade-old institution that doesn’t shirk on heat, flavour, ingredients or buzz. You will queue. You will squeeze onto seats. But efficient staff and short cooking times reward the wait as signature dishes such as gang som cha-om goong – a brothy tamarind-rich sour and spicy curry piled with fat, chilli-flecked prawns – arrive. Or a glistening, sweet-hot hillock of pad prik pao with wonderfully crisp deep-fried pork belly lolling in chilli jam, cherry tomatoes, spring onion and smile-wide shards of red chilli. Go harder with freshly shredded green papaya salad featuring snake beans, crunchy dried shrimp and crushed peanut which is grip-the-table hot, or cool down with tom kha gai, charged with lemongrass, galangal and makrut lime, followed by a tall glass of oliang – sweet Thai iced coffee – to get your pounding heart back to a regular rate.Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.Last visited: 2024Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.Sign upContinue this seriesEastern SuburbsUp nextReviewTakamA progressive eatery led by a new generation of Filipino chefs.PreviouslyReviewSean’sSydney’s original surf bistro and soulful stalwart of long lunching.See all storiesMore:Surry HillsSpice I AmSydneyThaiOutdoor diningBYOTakeawayFamily-friendlyGood for solo dinersBudget friendlyRestaurantReviewsGood Food GuideFrom our partners