Feel the Burn: Hot and Spicy Homestyle Prawns, Squid, and More from Dongli Brewery

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.

Sometimes it feels like there aren't many options for Western dining outside of downtown Beijing, so it was a delight when Dongli Brewery opened first in Shangdi in June 2016 and then in Yizhuang in June 2017. Dongli Brewery brews their own beers on-site and serve them alongside a wide-ranging menu of western eats, from Mexican-style dishes to Bavarian sausages.

We spoke to Dongli's operations manager, Zhang Baosheng, about the spicy treats they will be bringing to this weekend's Hot & Spicy Fest.

Tell us what you’ll be bringing to our Hot & Spicy Fest, and what inspired it.
We’ll be bringing our Mexican prawn salad, spicy crispy prawns and potato fries, our German sausage platter, our secret recipe spicy roast chicken, and our spicy deep-fried squid. 

These are all dishes that I used to make at home for my wife; once we’d worked on the recipes, they also became her favorite dishes, so I wanted to share this taste of home with everybody. 

What spicy dishes do you sell in your restaurant? Which are the most popular and why? 
The dishes we are bringing to the Hot & Spicy Fest make up the majority of the spicy dishes we serve in the restaurant. The most popular is probably our Mexican prawn salad because it is healthy, colorful, and tasty. 

What drink do you like to pair with spicy food?
For the Hot & Spicy Fest, we will be bringing our own craft beer, including the Dongli IPA, Richmond Lager, and Baiyilu Wheat. 

What’s the hottest thing you’ve ever eaten? 
Mexican chilies [jalapeños].

What’s your go-to spicy comfort food?
My favorite spicy comfort food is zhōuhēiyā (周黑鸭), I love the flavor of their products!

In one word, how does eating spicy food make you feel? 
It’s more than one word but happy and content – carefree!

Dongli Brewery, 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 courtesy of Dongli Brewery