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Spice Market

New York, New York, United States

Spice Market is a Jean George restaurant located in the Meatpacking District, NYC. The food at Spice Market is somewhat Asian inspired, and a little spicier than Jean George's other restaurants. They had the signature homemade sodas, but otherwise the food was all different from other Jean-George restaurants. The restaurant is really nicely decorated with a modern up-scale interior. The food was served family style, and it was all pretty good and typical for the area.

Dress

Somewhat upscale - smart casual is appropriate.

Cost

Appetizers range from $9 - $17, and entrees from $16 - $37. Sides are between $8-$22.

Reservations

Reservations are strongly recommended on popular nights (fridays/weekends).

Items Ordered

Spiced Chicken Samosas

Cilantro Yogurt

The chicken samosas were pretty disappointing. The 'dough' was made from a fried filo pastry, so it was very crispy, but not typical for samosas. The interior was sort of like a chicken meatball, and only very lightly spiced.

Spicy Thai Slaw

Asian Pear, Crispy Shallots, Mint

The salad was both quite large and fairly spicy. It was 98% cabbage with some crispy pieces of onion on top and a couple small pieces of pear on the bottom. The dressing was quite spicy, but also pretty sweet. It went very well with the mint, which made it feel both spicy and cool at the same time.

Charred Chili Rubbed Beef Skewer

Thai Basil Dipping Sauce

The beef skewers looked like they were just hot dogs or meat balls, but after biting into them it looked like they were chunks of beef. The basil dipping sauce was like a creamy yogurt, with only a slight basil flavor. The beef was flavorful enough on its own that you didn't need a strong sauce to complement it.

Char Grilled Chicken

Kumquat Lemongrass Dressing

The chicken was both tender and flavorful. The charred coating on top was crispy and did not taste burnt at all. The kumquat on top tasted very sweet - almost as if they had been candied. The sauce was also sweet and went quite well with the chicken and the ginger fried rice that we ordered on the side.

Broccoli and Baby Corn

Lemongrass, Chili

The broccoli and baby corn was definitely the best dish we had at Spice Market. The sauce was incredibly flavorful, and so was the corn. The corn tasted like it had been grilled and was quite sweet. The broccoli was a bit on the crunchy side, but the sauce was so good it didn't matter.

Vegetables in Green Curry

The vegetables in green curry came in a surprisingly large bowl. There were quite a few vegetables in it, but the curry itself was weak. It tasted like it was just coconut milk with a bit of green color from boiling the broccoli. It had hardly any flavor on its own.

Ginger Fried Rice

The ginger fried rice wasn't what I was expecting. It was served with an egg (sunny side up) on top, which was a bit of a novelty, but it didn't have much flavor on its own. The rice had a lot of oil in it and was quite greasy. It looked very pretty when it came out, but the first thing we did was mix it all together to spread out the egg.