Spice Up Your Life: QS Dare You to Wash Down Their Spicy Meatball Sub With a Jalapeño Mojito
People of the world! Every boy and every girl: In the lead up to our second annual Hot & Spicy Festival on Apr 20-21, we’re Spicing Up Our Lives with a few of the vendors to see what searing treats they'll be doling out at the rapidly approaching fine spring weekend. This time: QS owner Jim Wang and manager Virginie Schumacher (formerly of Hot Cat Club).
Fans of Queenie's Sandwiches and Bar, also known as QS, will be happy to see owners Jim and Queenie Wang and new manager Virginie Schumacher selling their wares at this year's Hot & Spicy Festival for a more than one reason.
Aside from seeing what this popular sandwich shop and bar comes up with for the pepper oriented event, many Queenie's devotees are just content that the hutong favorite is still in business. After all, their original Yonghegong location was bricked up last year, and their newer Chaoyangmen branch fizzled out not long after its opening. A more spacious, upbeat retro location at Jiaodaokou recently marked a fresh start for the resilient brand. That renewed vim and vigor are also evident in the Spicy Fest wares, which Schumacher and Wang tell us more about below.
READ: QS Reopens With Flashy New Jiaodaokou Digs
What are you looking forward to most about this year’s Hot & Spicy Fest?
Virginie Schumacher: Making people happy with hot food and drinks, and also meeting new people.
Tell us about the spicy food you will bring to our Hot & Spicy Festival.
Jim Wang: A spicy meatball sub sandwich, and Thai-style spicy chicken.
What drink from your menu will go best with your spicy food?
Virginie Schumacher: We'll have some spicy drinks like jalapeño mojitos and a spicy sangria. I really like it. It's spicier than the food I ate back home in France, which suits me fine!
What drink is the best antidote for spicy food?
Jim Wang: Not a jalapeño mojito for sure! [Laughs]
Virginie Schumacher: I actually think eating a baguette is the best solution. It's wholesome and eases the burn. [Ed's note: But is certainly not a drink.]
In your opinion, which country in the world has the best spicy food and why?
Virginie Schumacher: I was in Thailand a while back and had some curry. It was so spicy that I was sick for a week!
Jim Wang: Maybe India is the spiciest country.
Virginie Schumacher: Yes, that might be true. But I haven't visited India to try their food first hand. I've only had Indian food in other countries. But I want to go someday and see for myself if it is the spiciest country.
READ: Can Eating Chili Peppers Really Help You Lose Weight?
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Photos: Kyle Mullin