Inspired by the bustling Sichuan “fly restaurants” – so named because their food is so delicious that diners flock to them like flies – the exclusive tasting menu pays homage to this unpretentious yet soulful culinary culture. Known for their honest, home-style cooking and spontaneous service, these eateries are the beating heart of everyday Sichuan life.
During a 2023 trip to Chengdu, Fuchsia and Chef Theign visited the iconic 30+ year old fly restaurant Dongziko Chenshi LiangFen, drawing inspiration from its lively energy and flavourful simplicity. In true fly restaurant style, the kitchen operates at a thrilling pace: cooks prepare and plate each dish immediately as it’s finished, setting them out on long communal tables just outside the kitchen doors. Diners then crowd around to collect their chosen dishes, stacking small plates and bowls on their trays to bring back to their tables – no menus, no ordering. Guests tally their meal at the end, simply declaring what they’ve eaten.
Together on the night, Fuchsia and Chef Theign have reimagined this spontaneous and democratic dining ritual into a heartfelt ten-course menu that captures its essence – warming, vibrant, and deeply personal. Guests can expect a flavour-packed journey through Sichuan’s diverse taste spectrum, with all-new dishes including Mapo Tofu with Abalone, Fish Fragrant Eggplant and Prawn Fritters, Home-style Mussels with Pickled Chilli and Celery, and Toothpick Lamb, alongside refreshing cold appetisers like Silken Beancurd with Avocado and Century Egg and Husband and Wife Mushroom Slices. True to tradition, the experience concludes not with dessert but with a comforting Pickled Mustard Greens Soup with Shredded Duck and Vermicelli.
About Sichuan Food Expert, Fuchsia Dunlop
London-based food writer and chef Fuchsia Dunlop is internationally recognised as the leading expert on Chinese gastronomy in the English-speaking world. A four-time James Beard Award winner, she is celebrated for demystifying Chinese regional cuisines through seminal works such as The Food of Sichuan (2019) – considered the definitive English-language text on Sichuan cooking – and her acclaimed memoir Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper, a bestseller in China.
Her writing has appeared in The Financial Times, The New Yorker, and The Observer, and she has been featured on Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown and David Chang’s Ugly Delicious.
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