Co-founder Tracy Wong tells the story of 18 years operating Hong Kong’s famous Sichuanese restaurant and their new celebratory menu
To operate a restaurant in Hong Kong, or globally, one must confront reality on the grit required to venture on in an industry facing many obstacles preventing success. On average, 60 percent of newly opened restaurants fail within the first year; that shoots up to nearly 80 percent before the fifth year.
Soho-based Sichuanese restaurant Chilli Fagara bucks this trend and has subverted almost any prediction for a venue to survive this long – and thrive – in the city. Born in 2005, the restaurant has persisted through two pandemics, protests, and a financial crash.
In its 18 years of operation, predictably longer than many restaurants born this side of the millennium can achieve, mother-and-daughter ensemble Chan Kai Ying and Tracy Wong have delivered a true touch of Sichuan flavours, by way of their Chongqing ancestry.
“Food is our passion,” Tracy shares. The Canadian-born-Chinese restaurateur is the third generation of the Chan family to work in the restaurant business. “My grandparents came from restaurants in China, my parents owned a Chongqing restaurant in Winnipeg and Vancouver.”
Her mother emigrated to Canada from Chongqing with a wealth of family recipes and chilli know-how. At their family restaurant in Canada, “we cooked dishes that I grew up with during my childhood. My mum collected the dishes that she loved in China and reinvented them.”
In 2005, Kai Ying and Tracy ventured east to Hong Kong and opened Chilli Fagara, one of the city’s first Chongqing-specialty Sichuanese restaurants. Unlike today, and prior to a mid-2010s boom in Sichuan cooking across the world, the flavours of China’s fiery province were a rarity in Hong Kong. “I wanted to share what Sichuan food was to me.”
For the budding dining entrepreneurs, Chilli Fagara’s original malatang (麻辣燙) concept suited the local scene. The ma (numbing), la (spicy), and tang (neutral) categories defining dish heat “dared” Hong Kong’s adventurous dining crowd to “to try these flavours.”
“The malatang concept gave way to introducing [Chongqing] spice to Hong Kong. We showed how you can experiment with the ma and la flavours, the Sichuan peppercorn and the burning of the chilli peppers. I always tell [my customers] our food is like an orgasm on the tongue the way spices and flavours are exploding on your tongue.”
Their mouth-watering chicken and homestyle ma po tofu are both signature ma dishes, whilst the twice-cooked pork, Sichuan-style string beans, and emperor prawns represent fierce la flavours. “The tang dishes,” like hearty vegetarian medley and moo shu wrap, “help calm you down and create balance.”
Spice bred success at the Soho restaurant, earning Chilli Fagara one Michelin star from 2011 to 2013 and 11 straight Michelin Guide restaurant recommendations till 2021. The beginning of 2024 marked 18 years since Kai Ying and Tracy’s restaurant cemented itself on Old Bailey Street.
Chilli Fagara launched the Retro Eighteen Menu to mark this celebration, reviving 18 dishes central to the restaurant’s legacy over 18 long and precious years. The new menu and existing favourites are a summation of her favourite dishes from China imported to their restaurants in Canada.
“I always go back to my childhood favourite,” Tracy cites when asked what dishes stand out to her on the new menu. “For me, it’s the home-style stir-fried egg, a big childhood comfort food.”
For la flavours, her long jin jumbo prawns is a hit, coming in the form of “massive popcorn prawns.” Their dungeness crab dish, as Tracy tells, bursting with flavours with sweet and meaty crab meat. “We used to have this dish at our restaurant in Canada, but now we brought it back to Chilli Fagara to enjoy.”
During the first month of the promotion, the 18 Dynasty Delights was available, showcasing 18 different appetisers exploring each ma, la, and tang flavour profiles.
Tracy enjoys a brief moment of pause amidst the summer heat during an interview with Foodie to reflect on these momentous 18 years. She admits local fanfare and many Michelin victories cannot be taken for granted. “You need to understand who your clients are, who you are serving to, what their needs are, and what they enjoy constantly. We listen to our customers, follow trends, and have a lot of trial and error.”
Since the turn of the decade, Hong Kong was plagued by the perpetual lack of nothingness, owing to the pandemic. Its restaurant scene became obsessed with new and quirky. A restaurant 18 years in operation and serving generational recipes is neither novel nor eccentric.
“Newness is key to the business, innovating and refreshing on who we are,” Tracy says. “We need to know what is happening with the trends in Hong Kong and China, what kind of ingredients are in season right now locally and in Sichuan, whether it’s lamb dishes during Chinese New Year, Yunnan mushrooms during harvest season, or employing Hong Kong produce.”
Innovation has come in the form of adapting for Chilli Fagara’s new wave of vegetarian diners, making up 50% of their customer base, Tracy estimates. “In Sichuan cooking, we have a lot of spicy vegetarian dishes, yet our diners are calling for more bold flavours.” Over the past four years, new menus at Chilli Fagara have reflected a greener change in accommodating a new wave of spicy dining.
Tracy chuckles when asked of her hopes for the next 18 years of operating Chilli Fagara, “I don’t think if I could do another 18 years.” At least for now, the memo is “thinking differently.”
To capture the newness and virality of Hong Kong dining, “we want to keep in with Chinese tradition and celebrate holidays that are central to the culture and festivities, like Chinese Valentine’s Day.”
“As a Chinese restaurant, we ought to celebrate our Sichuan culture, to expose and share that with our diners.”
To explore Chill Fagara’s Retro Eighteen Menu, book your table today at the restaurant here.
