Spice Den is a sleek and sexy sibling to the acclaimed pan-Asian eatery of the same name at Casuarina, just over the NSW border. The owners have created an intimate, industrial-edged space – with moody lighting, beaded curtains and dazzling tile work – that effortlessly blends soft and hard, curved and straight. It’s the type of venue that caters to everyone from the solitary diner to the raucous group, but is best enjoyed with friends or family – purely to sample more of the seductive menu.

The offering is the same as it is in the NSW parent, with street-style favourites such as pad Thai, chicken satay and duck fried rice, as well as a feast of different Thai curries and more. Malaysian murtabak is an easy starting point, the weighty roti bread filled with a coriander and curry-spiked minced lamb served alongside sensational lightly pickled vegetables that bring equilibrium to the dish.

Wagyu pat see yeuw  is an ideal follow-up – the hand-cut, thick rice noodles permeating with salty, sweet oyster sauce, while hunks of beef surrender to the touch of a fork, all garnished with a flutter of coriander, spring onions, and crispy garlic and shallots for vibrancy.

Sticky beef ribs arrive uncut, the generous serve braised into submission, with the meat collapsing off the bone into mouthfuls of stringy, saccharine pleasure. A prawn green curry ($29) features the sweetest of seafood and brings a mouth-numbing heat that builds with each bite.

Putting the fire out are complimentary scoops of intense coconut gelato and an effortless, but addictive, dessert of raspberry-infused mascarpone layered over frozen cubes of mango and sprinkled with a shortbread-style biscuit crumble.

Must-eat dish: Sticky beef ribs