A stroll around Hong Kong's Central district in search of fiery Mexican fare will have you spoiled for choice. Brickhouse, Socialito, Chica and Sal Curioso are recent restaurant additions offering flavors from Latin America.

Two decades ago, the scene was completely different.

From left: Parrillada is a mixed meat platter that Mexican families order and enjoy together. Fajitas are a signature dish in Mexican cuisine. Churros are Mexican dough fritters that are often enjoyed with a mug of thick, sweet hot chocolate. Provided to China Daily

"Aside from a few independent restaurants in Lan Kwai Fong, you had to go to a hotel if you wanted non-Chinese food," said Kentucky native Clayton Parker, managing director of Eclipse Management. "Since then, with the Internet, cooking shows and easy, affordable travel, taste buds in Hong Kong have exploded."

In 1997, in the same week as the Hong Kong handover ceremonies, Parker launched iCaramba Cantina, a 120-square-meter Tex Mex restaurant in the Soho dining district at a time when the neighborhood was still mostly full of department stores and houseware shops.

"There was already a traditional Mexican restaurant in town," Parker said. "We originally identified our target market as expats who were already familiar with tacos, burritos and fajitas. iCaramba has been busy since day one and is still one of our group's busiest restaurants."

The success of iCaramba has spawned another branch in Discovery Bay, and Coyote in the Wanchai entertainment district, which offers grilled meals and mixed drinks in a lively party atmosphere.

Parker said that as iCaramba matured, its menu has been tweaked to include more authentically Mexican dishes.

"Mexican and Tex Mex are about simplicity and freshness," he said. "A lot of the ingredients are served uncooked. Our guys in the kitchen chop a lot of tomatoes and squeeze a lot of limes. We age our own avocados, which are as hard as rocks when they arrive from Mexico.

"Authentic Mexican cuisine has native Central American influences as well as Spanish elements. For example, cocoa is used extensively in moles (Mexican sauces for meat or poultry). We are now using a wider variety of chili, such as chipotle, ancho and jalapeno, dried and fresh, as well as blue corn husk wrappers to steam fish."

Today, iCaramba caters mostly to locals and people who have returned to Hong Kong to work or retire. Parker has adjusted the menu to suit Hong Kong's preference for more seafood and milder heat, though his Wall of Flame with its hundreds of hot sauces remains a fun staple at iCaramba.

Maria Fernandez agrees that many people confuse Tex Mex with authentic Mexican — but that confusion isn't restricted to Hong Kong.

"It's everywhere," said the head chef of Café Iguana, no relation to restaurants with the same name in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

Fernandez comes from northern Mexico, near the border with Texas. She moved to Hong Kong three months ago after working at Mi Tierra in Shanghai as well as in the World Expo 2010 Mexican Pavilion. She is now one of a handful of native Mexican chefs heading up Mexican restaurants in China.

"There are a lot of Americans in Mexico and a lot of Mexicans in the States," she said."Tex Mex uses ingredients more traditionally associated with Western cooking. For example, we usually make our tortillas out of corn in Mexico, while Tex Mex uses flour. Our quesadillas contain only cheese, while Tex Mex includes meat as well.

"Chili con carne is very Tex Mex. But since people enjoy dishes like nachos and they're fun to share, we offer them along with our authentic Mexican ones."

Fernandez also debunks the notion that Mexican food is all being spicy.

"We do use a lot of chili in almost every dish, but they don't have to be hot," she said. "Some Mexicans can't take things too spicy either. My mole, for example, uses four kinds of chili but it is quite mild."

She will be tweaking her menu to include more vegetarian offerings and less oil after receiving feedback from customers. Fernandez doesn't believe that adjusting dishes to suit local tastes dilutes her cuisine's authenticity, as she will still be using local ingredients and flavors.

"It's like having Chinese food in Mexico," she said. "Without Chinese people to tell you if what you're eating is authentic, it can be difficult to judge. And the Chinese are very open to trying different cuisines."