China Spice - Melbourne

The food was tasty and the servings were generous. The staff was attentive and willing to provide information about the menu and various ingredients.

Two of my friends approached me and asked if I enjoyed spicy food. I responded with a resounding yes, so they suggested taking me to a Chinese restaurant that you should avoid if you don't like spicy food. Intrigued, I agreed to go. Located on Lonsdale Street, very close to Melbourne Central, the first thing that hit me upon entering the restaurant was the aroma of chili in the air.

Lizzie enjoyed: The fish in oil was delicious, with both a red chili oil and a regular chili oil option. We chose the red chili oil, which had a good level of spice. The cold noodles were also tasty, with a nice balance of spice and sweetness. The Kung Pao chicken was the standout dish for me, with juicy and tender chicken bursting with flavor and spice. The string beans had a good flavor as well. Lizzie did not enjoy: The decor felt very old-fashioned, with white parlor seats and red cushion support. It had an old-school Chinese cafeteria vibe, with staff serving the food to us. If you're looking for something fancy, this may not be the place for you, as every dish seemed to be glazed with oil.

Quite a lot of my old work colleagues would also mention about this location. And I thought – you know what, I need to finally go and check it out. And you know what? It did not disappoint. Make sure you bring cash and an appetite!. Your best bet is to get here via public transport. It’s such a small venue that you could go past it. If you are doing lunch here, I would highly recommend that you go here around 11:30am to avoid the lunch time rush. And if you are conntemplating dinner, then make sure you get here before 7pm.

Good Szechuan, Mala, Chong Qing food. Big portions. Priced reasonably. Just the spicy fish we ordered was not fresh. The fish was mushy and wasn’t good.