first up, i feel like mentioning something else which i perhaps call "the background" for chichilli, as this business has gone thru different stages for expansion which i witnessed as one of their customers: owners of this restaurant had another location nearby for selling their yummy food - it was much smaller located in the basement on grenfell street next to a guitar/music instrument shop. I used to go there regularly, it was a hidden gem without any eye-catching frontage or sign to attract new customers, inside it was just a no-frills place like a small eatery you normally get to see on a side street in a china city. most of people who went there were chinese students or office workers. it was always packed during peak hours and lots of dishes were (near) authentic just like the ones you got from sichuan or chongqin.
now on to this one called chichilli which was officially opened early last year if memory is correct. chichilli had a lot more class in the interior, . nicely decked out in a bid to look more like fine-dining / a proper a-la-carte place. it is located in the arcade where the entrance is (walk slowly and keep ur eyes searching in case u walk past). same with the other one, it is in the basement but quite spacious with a lot more tables and chairs. waiting staff were equipped with walkie talkie and dressed in uniforms - a bonus point for good standard and professionalism. the background music was nice and soft, the waitress was attentive. Since most of dishes were familiar, i didnt take long to decide. I had garlic cucumber with chilli oil (an everyday simple salad commonly made in many chinese households, with beautiful flavours and resfreshing taste), the other two dishes were gong bao ji ding (chicken stirfry with peanuts and veggies in special slightly sweet soy flavoured sauce), and a spicy beef or something (sorry i cant remember exactly what it was since it was a year ago!). Also, i had ice tea in bottle which was served chilled. nice! all dishes came to our table fairly quick. as i said, the food was yum and very authentic, quite big portion wise. end of the night, it was slightly more than $50 for 2 people, well worth it. the girl at the counter said there was discount if the bill was paid by cash which we didnt know beforehand. Last but not least, some customers had hotpot on that night, it looked amazing! definately added onto my to-try list.
i have been spending less and less time in city area, so i havent been there for a while. if you're keen to visit, it's worth giving them a call to get all ur questions asked. they normally promotes among chinese customers via wechat phone app, not sure how active they are on fb tho and i havent found their website on google page. if you have a mandarin speaking friend or colleague, i guess it may be easier to communicate with them if your questions have a bit of depth ;) read more