Kopi-Tiam Spice Alley - Chippendale

I have a love-hate relationship with Spice Alley, a hawkers alley paved with cobblestones and decorated with lanterns and huge wallpapers of "famous" chefs. My close proximity with the vibrant and energetic street means that most of my lazy mornings and afternoons and are spent there even though the quality of food is at best 10% of what I will get in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand or Hong Kong. HITS: Salt and Pepper Chicken wings from Old Jim Tee and Pork Belly Rice from Alex Lee OK: Ayam Goreng Nasi Padang MISSES: Probably the rest. I have tried all (almost).

The best pad see ew I've ever had and it was really quick and easy. The service was super nice and lovely. The spicy chicken tastes really good too and wasn't too oily.

Been here for lunch with my friend. We both order from Alex's. I had nasi with rendang (steamed rice with braised beef on coconut curry sauce), even it cooked in Malaysian style but rendang taste good, the beef was succulent and easy bites. For $14 rendang given generous. There so many Asian food stall here, maybe next time will explore more.

This is my go-to place for street-style food! The vibe here is amazing, I would definitely recommend this to try at least once :) The food service is reasonably fast, and there is a wide range of Asian cuisines such as Malaysian, Thai and Korean. My favorites are the malaysian food at decent prices and filling servings. I just love the hanging lanterns, as it reminds me of more westernised Asian streetfood!

Great reviews on TripAdvisor brought me here. I liked the decorations & that it's hidden in an alley but quickly learned that it's all clever marketing. The food was average and expensive for Asian fast food sloppily made without care for the consumer. Service was poor at all stalls, quick to charge your card & impatient when you ask any questions. None of the staff were smiling nor friendly. One drink stall by Korean ladies made cordial/jelly drinks which cost $7 (not even real fruit) tried to shortchange me. When I told her the amount I paid she said 'really?' & handed me the change but had a dishonest look on her face. Did not even say sorry. This stall also takes cash only which Is confusing as it's a different system from the rest of Spice Alley which is card only. The only positive was the teh terik from Malaysian stall which was not overly sweet & you can taste the tea flavor. In conclusion Spice Alley is a gimmick for people who don't know where to go for good Asian food.