When two hotspot heavyweights like Charles Khabouth (Guvernment, Ultra) and Nick Di Donato (C Lounge, Liberty Grand, Rosewater) get together to open a restaurant, you just know it’s going to spice up your life.

And that’s exactly what the duo did with Spice Route, a 300-seat-plus den of hedonism that may well be the snazziest resto lounge this side of the Himalayas. The Asian-inspired oasis, replete with waterfall and privacy nooks for cavorting VIPs, is already a must-go-to in the King West area. Al fresco, cocktails are enjoyed in comfort on one of Toronto’s plushest new patios, done with divans, paparazzi-thwarting shrubbery and a koi pond.

The spectacular design comes as no surprise since the style guru responsible is none other than Nadia Di Donato, who also gave us the Miami-inspired C Lounge. The bathrooms alone are reason enough to visit. (Note: If you are pee shy, you might want to hold it in.)

Thankfully, a talent for taste also extends into the kitchen with a brigade of 20 that includes executive chef Winlai Wong (Monsoon); her husband, Sam Chao (also of Monsoon); and her now-legendary father, Manfred Wong (The Great Wall), who was brought in to ensure the kitchen woks the line with authenticity. And from the results, this appears a brilliant move.
Pork potstickers ($7) are perfect, their gummy dumpling wrapper and vibrant pink stuffing great for sopping up the mild sesame-chili oil. A steaming bowl of spicy stir-fried eggplant ($7) is masterful, with a chunky, tender consistency and just the right heat punch. And you won’t get any more authentic than Mr. Wong’s Kung Pao chicken ($18), with moist cubes of chicken, loads of softened peanuts and a spicy garlic-chili sauce that pows with flavour.

But a few cracks start to appear in Ms. Wong’s great culinary wall as we move into the fusion section of the menu: vegetable pakoras ($7) are limp and bland, helped only slightly by a dip into a coriander-yogurt sauce. And Thai crab cakes ($10) sided with a purple basil aioli, though crisp and void of filler, are over-salted. The delicate creaminess of the Kobe carpaccio ($15), served on a Shaquille O’Neal–sized plate, is overwhelmed with soy. And a surf ’n’ turf mini-burger combo ($18) is a case of one step forward, one step back: with a pair of flawless Kobe rounds comes soggy tempura battered soft-shell crab, the delicate little-pinchers getting no extra bonus points for being stuffed in a bun.

An Indian-spiced roast chicken ($20) gets us back on track with four juicy drumsticks crackling with crispy dry-rubbed skin, ideally matched with warmed naan and an onion-mango chutney.

Desserts are not only stylish, but tasty, too. A lemongrass and ginger crème brûlée ($7) comes topped with chopsticks made of chocolate. And though the exotic sorbets ($6) aren’t made in-house, flavours such as lemongrass delight, especially when you use the giant, freshly made fortune cookie riding atop it for scooping.

“We haven’t got the fortunes in them yet,” says Nick D, before we order, “but we’re going to have them soon.” If they had gotten them in though, ours would’ve read: “You will find fun and good food on the Spice Route that is King West.”