Feel the Burn: Q&A With Wang "Jim" Zheng Owner of QS About His Hot & Spicy Festival Wares, Apr 14-15

In the lead up to our inaugural Hot & Spicy Festival on Apr 14-15 at Galaxy Soho, we'll Feel the Burn with a few of the vendors to see what fiery wares they'll be slinging come that rapidly approaching fine spring weekend.

Wang "Jim" Zheng (pictured above left) has made a name for himself slinging sandwiches and bottled beer at his Yonghegong bar and restaurant QS. And while that may be his bread and butter, as it were, he is by no means a stranger to spicier side of restaurateuring. Below, he details what enticingly spicy eats he plans to bring to our Hot & Spicy Festival, along with dishing on his favorite memories of chowing down on fiery treats.

Tell us what you’ll be bringing to our Hot & Spicy Fest.                    
I will bring the Thai spicy chicken and our Sichuan-style pork chops to the festival.                 

Where did the inspiration come from to make your dish?                       
I wanted to make Thai spicy chicken because I travel a lot in Thailand. I really do like their food so much – it's sour and sweet and hot. It fills my mouth with fresh feelings, so I wanted to bring our customers this feeling.  

For the Sichuan-style pork chops, I lived in Sichuan for nine years, from the age of three to 11. So for me, Sichuan is the taste of many of my fondest memories.

What drink do you like to pair with spicy food?                                  
I mostly pair spicy food with beer. Cider and mixed drinks are also good, like gin tonic and vodka and Red Bull.

What’s the hottest thing you’ve ever eaten?       
Some kind of Indian pepper. It totally burned me, from my lips to my stomach!

What’s your go-to spicy comfort food?                                      
McDonald's spicy chicken wings, because I can find them anytime anywhere.

In one word, how does eating spicy food make you feel?                   
Shuang (爽) [laughs].

QS, along with 40 more of Beijing’s top purveyors of chili-infused grub, will be in attendance at our inaugural Hot & Spicy Festival at Galaxy Soho on Apr 14-15. If you have yet to grab your RMB 20 presale ticket, do so by scanning the QR code in the poster above or read more on what to expect here.

Photo: Kyle Mullin