I’ve been curious about Se7en Spice for a bit, particularly its side-sign completely in Chinese. A joint catering directly to Chinese people is probably on the right side of the chopstick for stir-fried deliciousness. And then Se7en showed up on one of those lists as being a top Chinese restaurant in Austin. That settled it!
Located in the median of Spicewood Springs not too far from MoPac, Se7en Spice occupies a bright and cheery corner of a Hill Country strip mall. The spicers appear to do a lot of take out (what Chinese place doesn’t?) but also have a utilitarian dining room appointed in black, red, and wood. I’ve been there for lunch a few times. The first time, they forgot to bring the lunch menu to the table, so I ordered a dinner portion of black bean chicken. The second time, they remembered the lunch menu just in time. The lunch menu is what you want: an egg roll, a bowl of soup (egg drop or hot and sour), and an entree of choice, albeit from a limited listing.
Both dishes were good. I love black bean sauce (not on the lunch menu). It brought back pleasant memories of Jia Duo, a visiting scientist from China who made 15-course meals for The Bride’s family back in the 1980s. The veggies are large and fresh as are the proportions. The dishes I ordered had peppers next to them on the menu indicating spicy. Perhaps spicy for a Texan, but I detected no heat. Next time I’ll inquire about upping the heat level; after all, I like to writhe in pain when eating Chinese.
All in all, for non-chef’d stir-fry, this is my new fave place.
web&where: interwebs; 3901 spicewood springs road, suite B, (512)291-7885
what’s the deal? Chinese; table service
overall: *** (food***; atmosphere**; service**; instagrammability***)
cost: $$
our scale:
– meh [think twice]
* OK [it’ll get the job done]
** good [solid neighborhood joint]
*** damn good [we’ll definitely be back]
**** yippity-yikes that was amazeballs [fantastic; one of the best]
***** holy sh!t [transcendental; best of the best]
each $ = $10; cost is based on a typical dinner entrée and appetizer (no drinks)
I wrote this review for the Allandale Neighbor.
austin wanderlist 