Feel the Burn: Spice Spirit's Addictive Crayfish and Sichuanese Eats
If you crave spicy crayfish, you can’t go wrong with a trip to Spice Spirit (麻辣诱惑 Mala Youhuo). A time-honored favorite among Chinese clientele and one of Beijing's premier seafood chains, Spice Spirit specializes in cooking up these morsels of tender and bouncy crayfish to perfection.
Aside from chomping down on that delectable seafood, feast your eyes on the swaths of live crayfish swimming in the restaurant's tanks or you might even find one chilling next to you in a display box. Yes, there is no escaping the crayfish in this restaurant.
The low-key earthy setting is backed up with a Sichuan menu that will leave you numb in the tongue, teary-eyed, and ready for more. The most popular dish is, of course, the spicy crayfish, but the sweat-inducing shuizhuyu (fish cooked in an oily, peppercorn-laden soup) is also a must-order dish. The Chili Loves Chicken makes for a slightly lighter option for its pairing of browned cubed of chicken with flavorsome bamboo in – you guessed it – chili oil.
Below we catch up with Spice Spirit’s management to see what they brought to our Hot & Spicy Fest as well as what are their favorite dishes on the menu are.
Tell us what you brought to our Hot & Spicy Fest. Where did the inspiration come from to make your dish?
The Hot & Spicy Festival is a place for spice lovers to unite and rejoice over their love of all things spicy. So of course, we had to bring our most popular dish – the spicy crayfish. In 2014, Spice Spirit closed to do market and produce research. Two years later, we returned with an upgraded version of the spicy crayfish. We want more people to try our 2.0 version.
What spicy dishes do you sell in your restaurant? Which is the most popular and why?
The majority of our menu focuses crayfish. We also sell Sichuan cuisine as well. Out of all our crayfish dishes, the spicy crayfish is the most popular. Spicy is not just a popular flavor; it is also trendy taste with the youngsters. Crayfish dishes appeal to a lot of people and have a huge market as well.
At Spice Spirit, we can tell these crimson beauties coated in an addictive spicy sauce is a winner with our customers. It makes their mouths water, and they find it hard to stop once they try this delicious dish.
What drink do you like to pair with spicy food?
We recommend pairing Liuye craft beer with the spicy dishes. This 4.5 percent ABV craft beer is made from 100 percent Australian wheat and is the ideal pairing with any dish.
What’s the hottest thing you’ve ever eaten?
The hottest thing I have ever eaten is a dish from our restaurant called Heyspicy crayfish. This is the spiciest crayfish on offer at our restaurant.
What’s your go-to spicy comfort food?
I usually eat at our restaurant. I like to eat spicy crayfish, duck’s blood, and beef tripe in spicy soup, as well as sliced fish boiled in chili oil, and spicy golden chicken.
In one word, how does eating spicy food make you feel?
Addictive.
With numerous Spice Spirit stores scattered around Beijing and more stores across China, it easy to satisfy that crayfish craving anytime. For more information on their locations and contact info, click here.
Photos courtesy of Spice Spirit
