Hot chips with Chinese food? The unexpected fast-food phenomenon sweeping Sydney

Irish Chinese food, particularly its hero dish the spice bag, has become a breakout fast-food hit in Sydney after last year’s record-breaking influx of young Irish migrants.

The fried, starchy and (mostly) beige-coloured cuisine originates from Chinese takeaway shops in Ireland, where fried rice and battered chicken meatballs are served alongside hot chips and curry sauce.

“It’s definitely not an incredible culinary experience, or authentic Chinese food, but it’s something you crave when you’re miles away from home,” says social media influencer Riona Magee (@belfastfoodiegirl), who moved to Sydney from Belfast last November.

Demand for Irish Chinese food has soared since 2023, when more than 21,000 working holiday permits were granted to Irish residents aged under 35, the highest number in 16 years. Its most popular dish, the spice bag, has become the best-selling item at pubs such as The Taphouse in Darlinghurst and Shea’s in Clovelly.

In late March, Sydney’s first dedicated Irish Chinese restaurant, Paddy Chans, opened in Kensington to two-hour-long queues. Magee was among those lining up, and her TikTok review went viral, amassing more than 200,000 views.

“Irish Chinese is absolutely firing at the minute,” says Irish-born chef and My Kitchen Rules host Colin Fassnidge, who remembers it as the go-to for a greasy, comforting post-pub feed. In Sydney, Big Dave’s Chipper in Maroubra has become Fassnidge’s Irish takeaway of choice.

“The reason it does so well is nostalgia. We eat it and we smile because it reminds us of being back in Ireland.”

Fassnidge says a spice bag (also known as a spice box) typically consists of hot chips, fried chicken, chopped onions and capsicum shaken with mild spices and smothered in sweet brown curry sauce (usually McDonnells or Mayflower brands). Think of it as Ireland’s answer to the halal snack pack.

Since first appearing in Dublin takeaway shops in the 2010s, the spice bag has become a national sensation, voted Ireland’s favourite takeaway dish in 2020 and the subject of a petition for the Irish government to declare a National Spice Bag Day.

Scouring Sydney for the “most authentic” spice bag has become a trend among food influencers like Magee, and Shea’s co-owner Patrick McTigue says the pressure’s on.

“We’ve been tweaking our recipe for about a year to make it the best,” he says. “We make our own spice blend, we make our own sauce, and marinate our chicken breast in buttermilk for two hours before putting it into the fryer.”

Magee says Australians not used to seeing hot chips with Chinese food “get a wee bit angry” in the comments section of her TikTok videos, but McTigue says his customer base has grown beyond the expat community.

“It sounds so s---,” says Patrick Friesen, culinary director of hospitality group Applejack, who took some convincing to add it to the menu at The Taphouse, where Cantonese chef Sam Ng leads the kitchen.

Ng, who recently moved to Australia from Hong Kong, says he had never seen a spice bag before that conversation with Friesen: “Chips in a Chinese restaurant? For me, it’s unheard of.”

In researching the cuisine’s origins, Friesen and Ng learned that the first Irish Chinese restaurant opened in Belfast in 1962. But it took off when the first wave of migrants left Hong Kong for Ireland ahead of Chinese economic reform in 1979. Many came from rural areas and sought jobs in the hospitality industry.

As in Australia, Chinese restaurateurs adapted their dishes to suit local tastes.

“Irish people weren’t used to Cantonese flavours, so the migrants began opening fish and chip shops, or serving chips in their Chinese restaurants,” Ng says. “I think Irish Chinese food evolved out of necessity and survival.”

Despite initial misgivings, Friesen and Ng introduced their version of a spice bag as a St Patrick’s Day special in March.

Ng reimagined the dish as if it had migrated back to Hong Kong, with wok-fried vegetables, house-made curry sauce and marinated chicken, silky and blanched. It’s remained on the menu since.

“It’s surprisingly addictive and delicious … and people came out in droves,” Friesen says. “It’s still the best-selling item every single day.”