Date night and we found ourselves at Novotel after work for a quick mid week dinner. I had tried to do some research on what options were available at Spice Central, but it would appear that there were no menus available online, so we went in without knowing what to expect, something I often tend to avoid, but he finds exhilarating. After a leisurely walk along Victoria Bridge, it was situated along Cordelia Street, just behind the Entertainment Centre. I can't believe I had never noticed it before. 
My curiosity was satisfied before long, the menu was concise with starters, mains and sides with a focus on meaty butchers cuts. Can't complain with that.
Drinks wise we had sparkling water and two glasses of sparkling to begin with, because bubbles always makes everything better.
Second round drinks consisted of the sweet cosmo and the sour pina colada. Initially I had gone for the cosmo, and he the pina colada, but upon trying each other's we decided that swapping was the win win situation for all. Fruity and tangy, the pina colada was also very strong.
Kicking off, we had a surprise dish of complimentary salsa. Spicy and tomato-y, it really whet our appetites. I wish it came with bread or biscuit on which to eat it off.
First of our entrees, the black angus eye fillet tartare, which was served with crackers. The tartare was fresh and well seasoned with pepper and capers, but I miss the usual egg that usually comes with it. Crackers were also a less doughy option, but these left a chewy residue in my mouth after eating.
Balancing out our carnivorous diets, our second entree was the charred leek with potato cream, pickled shimeji, funghi and mascarpone. Without the heaviness of meat, the delicate flavours of shimeji and funghi were both accentuated by the creamy potato and mascarpone. It provided a good contrast to our tartare dish.
Eyeing the butchers cuts, we both wanted the Rib Eye, but at 400g it was a bit large for two portions, so we had one to share with added combination of both prawn and squid toppings. It came with creamy sauce, chimmichurri and a spicy hot sauce, served atop a bed of chips.The steak was cooked a little more than rare for a medium rare finish. It was unfortunately quite chewy for my liking, but the cut wasn't overly fatty and had a nice charred exterior. I liked the chips which soaked up considerable amounts of steak juice. Prawn and squid were also deliciously tender.
Balancing out with a side of salad, the leaves were fresh and the vinegarette was light.
Always one for desserts, we shared two. By sharing, I mean I had one bite of each and he finished off the rest. We had the chocolate tart, and the saffron creme brulee. The tart had a firm biscuit base which was hard to break into. It had a light vanilla ice cream, where I would have preferred a thicker richer one, but the dark chocolate filling was definitely strong and dense. Saffron creme brulee had a relatively thicker sugar coating but was rich with an earthy grassy flavour which made it quite unusual.
Espresso and Matcha got to enjoy this complimentary meal by freeloading off FoodieAdam's invite. But as always, my opinions are solely my own.
Price Range: $50 - $70pp
Taste: 6/10
Value: 6/10
Service: 8/10
Environment: 8/10
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