Feel the Burn: Q&A With Hatsune's Alan Wong Ahead of the Hot & Spicy Festival, 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.

California may not be known as a hub for spicy cuisine. But that isn't stopping the Hatsune team from bringing the heat with Sunny State-takes on Japanese fare. Among the handful of piping-hot treats that owner Alan Wong and his Hatsune cohorts plan to bring to our inaugural Spicy Fest are spicy tuna hand rolls (RMB 30), spicy edamame (RMB 20), roasted ginkgo (RMB 20), along with a few cooling refreshments like Long Island iced teas (RMB 40) and gin and tonics (RMB 40). Ahead of the event, Wong hops into the hot seat for a grilling round of hot and spicy questions.

Tell us one of the dishes you’ll be bringing to our Hot & Spicy Fest, and what inspired it.
Spicy tuna hand rolls were an obvious choice because they are a signature of California style sushi, and it took dozens of tries to recreate this recipe in China.

What drink do you like to pair with spicy food?
I'm an alcoholic so anything works with spicy food as long as it's over 6 percent.

What’s your go-to spicy comfort food?
Hunan cuisine is my go-to. Century eggs mixed with peppers, stir-fried pork with pressed tofu, and Liling noodles are my favorites.

Describe how eating spicy food makes you feel.
Eating spicy is an addiction. Once you start you can't stop, and you just keep eating until you're 2kg heavier.

Hatsune, 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.

Photos: Zeus, courtesy of Hatsune