I am a big fan of Sichuan food, and find myself going to Chili Fagara regularly. Here my take:
Food:
The food is nice, varied, and spicy (surprise). One finds both standard fare (Dan Dan Mian, Mapo Dofu, Kung Pao chicken), and some more unusual dishes, such as the Pearl of the Orient - deep fried chicken/lychee balls served covered in chillies (how else).
Now, I am an avid eater of Sichuan food, but by no means an expert (though I have tried a couple of other Sichuan restaurants, both in HK (San Xi Lou, Mama Chau/Manchurian Candidate, the place on 393 Lockhard Road, etc), Shenzhen, and Chengdu itself).
So, in my opinion Chili Fagara does get the flavor right, and if you ask them, they can turn up the heat. But: I would not call it the most authentic place, though in a good way (for me): If you get e. g. the spicy deep fried chicken in chili (1000 Chili Chicken, La Zi Ji) in a real Sichuan place, the chicken tends to be with bones, skin, dark meat, etc., as apparently preferred by the Chinese palate. At Chili Fagara, it will be somewhat westernized (i.e. white breast meat only), while still maintaining the flavor (as much as possible with that substitution).
My favorite dishes are (I should say that I don't eat fish/seafood):
- the shredded chicken with peanut sauce
- the crispy ginger beef
- the Pearl of the Orient (chicken/lychee)
- the chili dumplings, but the vegetarian version
- the eggplant (forgot the name/description...)
- Dan Dan Mian & Mapo Dofu
- the beef with cumin
They have sufficient vegetarian selection, too (they used to have a separate vegetarian menu, not sure that's still available)
Ambience:
The place is very small and cramped, it must be said. It is fairly dark and intimate (by virtue of the crampedness), and can get loud (because you're so close to everyone else). The chairs are somewhat small and inconvenient - you're there to eat, not to lounge. The decoration is dark and woody and chili-y - there are chilies and peppers hanging from the walls everywhere.
The Qingdao beer is served in a little ceramic "Chinese" pot/cup instead of a glass - super authentic. (I'm kidding - I've never seen that in China, but it does make for a nice (if kitschy) touch.)
The menu is nicely designed, though the dark red on black makes it a bit hard to read in the dim light. It explains three main flavors in some detail: má 麻 numbing, là 辣 spicy hot, and táng 糖/醣 sweet; and the dishes are mostly categorized by that.
Service:
As usual in China, dishes come in random order. As frequent in HK, service can be a bit brisk. Because the place is so small (I guess), they try to have at least two seatings per table (if one makes a dinner reservation, normally one is offered 7 or 9 pm). In my experience the staff is fairly good at pointing this out, but I have occasionally seen people for the late reservation waiting outside, while people long finished with their food were still blocking the table, putting the staff in a bit of a quandary. So, be prepared to finish within reasonable time.
This "need for speed" aside, I found the staff quick and helpful. They have occasionally forgotten a rice order, but nothing major. They're generally happy to advise on dishes, or bring some Sichuan pepper from the kitchen (to try for newbies).
One thing to note is that they will serve an hors d'oeuvre of three very small veggie dishes showcasing the three flavors mentioned above, without mentioning that there will actually a small charge for them. Could be annoying, but ok, if you know it, it's no big deal.
Summary:
I think it is very suitable for tourists as an introduction to Sichuanese food - because of the informative menu, the nice decoration, the varying spice levels, and the somewhat "sanitized" versions of traditional Sichuan dishes with fairly authentic flavor.
But even as an "old Sichuan hand" (???) I like the food a lot, despite the steep price, and go frequently - so, all in all: recommended.
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