I know, I still haven’t finished my Singapore and Bangkok entries, but I’m updating as I go along, shorter easier entries first. It’s also a little difficult to type as Smudge the cat lies on half the keyboard every night as I try to do some work.
It’s been a productive weekend working on hobby projects apart from working on the multiple twitter accounts and facebook for work. The never ending story of working 24/7, no one appreciates it except myself, but that’s okay it’s good work ethics, commitment and passion for what I do.. and someday the hard work will pay off. (I hope)
So, here’s a really nice Thai restaurant on Sanlitun South street, behind the Bookworm, beside D-lounge (run by the same owner and management) and up a flight of stairs. It’s not easy to find, but definitely worth a visit. If you live in Beijing and still don’t know where the Bookworm or D-lounge, Kro’s nest is, then shame on you, if you do, it’s all within a stone’s throw of each other.
Spice Factory is an old bauhaus factory converted into a restaurant. A large part of it’s structure stays exactly the same, except for a little refurbishment work. Throw in some rustic lanterns and a huge mirror by the bar counter to give the illusion of more space, and there you have a beautiful restaurant.
At the helm of the kitchen is a Thai chef alongside a team of Chinese chefs, expect authentic Thai recipes and a side of Chinese influence dishes on the menu, but from just two dishes I tasted, it’s pretty damn good.
The chicken Massaman curry here is a hit and I’d definitely recommend ordering this. With its muslim origins, the gravy is deliciously thick with peanut sauce (in some cases crushed cashew), star anais, cinnamon (watch out for those) as you ladle generous scoops over your steaming bowl of white rice. Different from the Nonya or Chinese style curries, they do a great Massaman curry here, packing in all the flavourful spices in the deliciously thick nuts based gravy.
The limitations of dining alone is that you can’t order a range of dishes to try out, for the lunch set, I ordered an additional portion of tofu, which is more Chinese than Thai, but delicious nonetheless. I’m definitely coming back with a larger party to try more dishes.
Spice Factory
Second Floor, 4 Sanlitun Lu, (south side)
Chaoyang district,
Beijing
Tel: +8610 6585 2386
