Alex Lee Kitchen: Your First Stop on Sydney’s Spice Alley

By Greencliff Realty | November 4th, 2016

One of the best things about living in the inner city is that you have an endless array of exciting eateries on your doorstep. Sydney has long been a beacon of acceptance, and people from different walks of life all over the world call it home. As a result of this, we tend to be spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing a cuisine for dinner. In Sydney, you could enjoy a different cuisine every night of the week and you still wouldn’t scratch the surface of all that’s available.

Every person has their own ideals when it comes to comfort food. For some, it’s the piping hot bowls of Japanese ramen or a classic Neapolitan pizza. For others, only a Lebanese charcoal chicken, baked moussaka or steak and chips will sate their hunger. And then there are those that love nothing better than to tuck into something spicy.

If this is you, then you can’t go past a trip to Central Park’s Kensington Street – a.k.a. Spice Alley.

A brief intro to Spice Alley

Spice Alley has a charismatic atmosphere formed through tantalising smells and delighted customers. Chefs swing roti, chicken soup is served with sides of chilli, ginger and dark soy, and crowds pack into small kopi tiams (little coffee shops). The scene can only be described as something out of George Town, Penang or one of Singapore’s hawker centres.

As you enter Spice Alley, you’ll notice red lanterns, East Asian street-inspired murals, tons of bare brick, and an electric atmosphere. The brainchild of Greencliff, it’s forged from the innovative vision of Executive Chairman Dr Stanley Quek, who saw the opportunity to create something spectacular in what was essentially a disused area. Industrial structures that were once vacant and hollow are now filled with laughter, excitement and curious visitors, making clever use of this inner-city alley.

Spice Alley is home to four hawker-style diners bordered by two small restaurants. You’ll find Singaporean delights in Alex Lee Kitchen, Thai delectables in Bang Luck Thai Street Food, Malaysian spices at Old Jim Kee’s and Cantonese eats at Hong Kong Diner. Bookmarking the ends of the alley are KYO-TO (serving up exquisite Japanese food) and Mekong, a Vietnamese favourite.

Almost all the food found here can be purchased for $15 and under, and every so often you’ll be treated to a pop up stall serving equally low-priced food.

Is Alex Lee Kitchen worth a visit?

Absolutely. Aside from the fact that you can dine on a tenner, the food really is good. You don’t have to be a lover of spice to enjoy it either, there are plenty of milder options available. Take Alex Lee Kitchen for example.

Alex Lee is the man spinning the roti dough and, before he became one of the four regulars at Spice Alley, he was making some of Sydney’s best laksa and satay at Singaporean favourites Ginger & Spice and Temasek.

Lee specialises in nyonya cuisine, a Chinese-Malay fusion cuisine which developed due to the extensive Chinese immigration to the Malacca Straits. Of the four hawker-style restaurants, Lee’s menu is the longest and there’s no shortage of things to try. Favourites include wanton mee noodles with minced pork and prawn dumplings; barbecued pork with choy sum in chef’s kon loh sauce and Padang Satay Skewers of beef or chicken marinated in lemongrass and turmeric and served with cucumber, onion and special sauce.

And the rotis? Well, let’s just say that you’ll be in Asian foodie heaven whichever roti you choose. From the original puffed goodness with two curry dips and spicy sambal sauce, to roti served with lashings of sweet red onions, you’ll be licking your lips before Alex has even started his spin. You can sample three cheese roti, Vegemite roti, tuna roti and even sweet rotis like nutella and banana. Alex Lee Kitchen is the nirvana of roti land!!

If none of these take your fancy, there’s always Lee’s rice dishes, which include tender chunks of beef simmered long and slow in a spiced coconut broth, a fragrant coconut rice with ikan bilis, sambal, achar, peanuts, cucumber and boiled egg, or the very tasty barbecue roast duck with chicken flavoured rice, served with with a bowl of fresh chicken soup, cucumber, chilli and plum sauce.

(Are you still with us, or have you already given into your hunger pangs and headed to Alex Lee’s?)

In short, Alex Lee’s, and the whole of Spice Alley for that matter, is the number one place to go for cheap, authentic Asian food in inner city Sydney. Complete with lanterns and interesting artwork it’s a fun place to be and will always put a smile on your face while putting food in your belly.

We recommend you try the Chatterbox Chicken. It’s a mountain of rice cooked in authentic chicken stock, topped with tender poached chicken, rich chicken broth, crunchy cucumber and tomatoes, and a heap of coriander to boot. Add to that a spicy ginger sauce for dipping, and you won’t believe it’s only $11!!! Trust us, you’ll be hooked, and before long you’ll be back to try the other hawker stalls.

Where to find Alex Lee Kitchen

Alex Lee Kitchen can be found just behind Kensington Street, which is quickly emerging to be one of Sydney’s most exciting hubs. Tucked away on the city side of Central Park, just off Broadway on the eastern fringe of Chippendale, you’ll be amazed by what a gem it is. Once you’ve enjoyed a bite at Alex Lee Kitchen, why not join a Historical Walking Tour of the area, or share a teapot cocktail at Bar Chinois?

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