Spice Alley: The hidden gem in the centre of Sydney

Through an alleyway decorated with red lanterns and white lights, there lies a hidden gem found through a “journey of discovery.”

Through an alleyway decorated with red lanterns and white lights, there lies a hidden gem found through a “journey of discovery.”

Tucked right behind the picturesque dining precinct Kensington St in Chippendale is Spice Alley, an outside food venue that serves mostly Asian cuisine.

Having debuted in September 2015, Spice Alley took about 18 months of planning to officially open. It now consists of 12 small restaurants — Alex Lee Kitchen, Bang Luck, Viet, Kyo-To and Blossom Bar, to name a few, and is open every day from 11am.

According to Marcus Chang, the CEO of Kensington St, Spice Alley merely started as a part of land that was owned by the Central Park precinct — the largest urban regeneration project in Sydney. But it evolved into something more with time.

Spice Alley. Picture: Jenifer Jagielski

“We could find businesses to take over the property, but they wouldn’t pay what we wanted to pay,” Mr Chang said. “So we ended up starting our own businesses, which happened to be food businesses.”

However, what makes Spice Alley special is the “journey of discovery,” according to Mr Chang. He said that while they are present on social media, Spice Alley does not rely much on advertisements — many of their customers have stumbled upon the outside venue accidentally and brought their friends along next time.

TIW RAKARIN — OWNER OF VIET, BANG LUCK AND MEKONG

Owner of Spice Alley venues Viet, Bang Luck and a restaurant on Kensington St called Mekong, Tiw Rakarin said Spice Alley and its burgeoning influence “chang[ed] the whole world” for him.

Mr Rakarin said his previous jobs were overwhelming but working in the foodie strip has changed that, giving him stability.

“I worked in too many restaurants, too many countries, and it wasn’t a stable life,” he said.

Ever since he started in September 2015, Mr Rakarin has been able to provide enough to have a family and send his kids to school. And not only that, Spice Alley has provided him with connections and lessons from the other chefs that work alongside him.

“I learned a lot about the organisation of business,” Mr Rakarin said. “Since, normally, chefs just work in the kitchen.”

The choices are plentiful. Picture: Jenifer Jagielski

JASON MA — HEAD CHEF OF ALEX LEE KITCHEN

Jason Ma, head chef of Singaporean restaurant Alex Lee Kitchen, has been working as a chef since he was 17. The Malaysian-born chef says that while his job can get very busy, working at the outside food venue was a fresh, new start.

“I wanted to build up so I started to work here,” Mr Ma said. “And the business was getting better and better.”

When talking about the other employees that work alongside him, he sees everyone as a part of his “family.”

“Every restaurant — we know each other quite good [and have] very, very good relationships,” Mr Ma said.

He is happy with how his business is doing now but is always looking for ways to improve.

MARLON KIGONYA — FOOD AND BEVERAGE DIRECTOR AT KENSINGTON ST

Marlon Kigonya, the food and beverage director for Kensington St, spoke of how the outside eateries were still able to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic and how “resilient” they’ve been.

“The key thing to point out is it hasn’t been ideal, but we’re still here,” Mr Kigonya said. “We’re still employing people, we’re still growing.”

Mr Kigonya’s vision is “just to keep being better.” He constantly works with Mr Chang to make Spice Alley the best environment for customers because for him, “it’s about continuing to be good every day.”

For more information on Spice Alley, click here.