Chilli Fagara — Restaurant in Hong Kong Island

Meh. They have these Michelin recognitions in their window and on closer inspection they are from like 2011, 2012 and 3013. Clearly a lot has changes since then. The food was mediocre. It's supposed to be Szechuan food but wasn't quite.

We decided to order a al carte instead of from the set lunch because the set lunch offerings seemed boring and uninviting, especially when compared with the regular menu. We ordered the bang bang chicken (棒棒鸡) for an appetizer - it was good but the portion was so small it wasn't adequate for two adults.

We ordered General Cho's chicken - why not, we were curious (even though it is a staple on menus at Chinese restaurants in the west it is actually a Chinese dish invented by a Hunanese chef in Taiwan). It was nothing to rave about but the portion was reasonable.

We ordered hui guo ruo (回锅肉) and told the waiter (in Chinese) that we wanted Szechuan style and not Cantonese style. We were still served the Cantonese style full of cabbage and maybe 3 pieces or pork belly. I told another woman (a manager maybe) and she took it away and asked us if we would like to replace it. She was nice and responsive. We did and ordered what I think was supposed to be yu xiang qiezi (鱼香茄) - the eggplant was undercooked and it was generally very bland - not a winner. Perhaps it was because they rushed to replaced the other dish?

A note on the hui guo rou. This seems to be common in Hong Kong - you often get a "yes, yes" to everything even if there is little comprehension. It's always best to confirm comprehension. Good intentions maybe but the result is what matters.

The service actually was a bit annoying. My lunch partner and I were having a business lunch and hadn't seen each other for 7 years. We were chatting and they approached us to order far too many times in a short space of time. It's not like this restaurant was busy and needed to turn over the table - it wasn't (that should have been an indication for a restaurant in Central at 12:30).

Tea. They kept coming to pour tea even when our cups were 3/4 full. They filled our cups with a rare vigour and then reached over me and across the table to vigourously pour tea for my lunch companion. Please walk around the small table.

The ambiance was generally pleasant if dated but that's okay. The service was friendly. The wrong dish and then a replacement with something that just wasn't very good leaves a bad impression. I won't say this place is horrible because it's not but I'm not sure I would go back. I may give it another try sometime...

I entered Chilli Fagara slightly disoriented as the Hong Kong heat was just sapping my energy.

But the moment I sat down and this lady, Tracy, came to ask us what we would like, she immediately sensed our fatigue and expertly guided our choices. When I requested her for a cocktail with specific ingredients (gin based with ginger and chilli) without batting an eyelid she said she will request the bartender to come up with something special. As someone also working in the service industry, I truly appreciated this 'can-do' attitude.

And the cocktail, which I later named "Trickle" at the behest of the talented bartender Issac, was absolutely perfect! It achieved a delightful balance of flavors that gently unfolded on the palate

The food that my friend Arijit ordered was apt. From the time the first dish of the Mouth watering chicken in chilli sauce came, I realized I am in for a treat. The drink had already perked me up and the food just was the icing on the cake. And the hits just went on coming. The succulent Emperor's Prawns, the rub on the lamb skewers were just prime. And the Vegetarian black truffle spicy fried rice as well as the dessert - Dark chocolate infused with chilli were just sublime

This was my first introduction to Sichuan food with the Chongqing twist. While there was complexity and depth and fiery but it was well balanced. My taste buds were thanking me for treating them to this myriad of colors, flavors and Trickle.

The evening was lit up with the company of my effervescent friends Sangitha and Arijit. I think all of us were in the foodgasmic world of 'Ma', 'La' & 'Tang'. But it wasn't just the food but also with the impeccable service and the beautiful smiling face of the...

Spicy Snobbery: Chilli Fagara's Walk-In Welcome Was a Walk-Out Offence

My sibling and I, spontaneous decision for a 'Walk-In' at Chilli Fagara quickly devolved into an exercise in frustration and blatant disrespect. The initial hurdle of a hostess with limited English communication only foreshadowed the truly appalling treatment that awaited. After being passed off to a colleague, my sibling and I were made to feel like unwelcome intruders, mere peasants daring to occupy their esteemed space without the proper pedigree of a reservation.

The blatant declaration that our proposed table was required back by 21:00 felt less like a standard policy and more like a pointed dismissal, a clear indication that our presence was tolerated, not valued. This experience sadly reinforced the pervasive reality of Hong Kong, where currency and social standing often dictate one's worth and the level of respect received.

Adding insult to injury, the venue itself proved to be far from easily accessible. This physical barrier, coupled with the complete lack of professionalism and basic decency displayed by the staff, paints a damning picture of Chilli Fagara.

It's a restaurant where the heat of the chilli is overshadowed by the icy disdain shown to those perceived as less than their ideal clientele.

Be wary of this venue and if you want to become like Indiana Jones, to exhaust yourself if you dare. The stairs and tilt are not for the...