Last Updated on January 7, 2024, 1:12 PM | Published: January 7, 2024
Food is so weird.
Take tacos. Lots of countries make tacos. Lots of countries make food that might as well be tacos, but they call them something else. And people fight about who is allowed to make tacos and if making tacos when you’re not from one of the places where tacos originated is cultural appropriation or if they’re “authentic,” which is loaded with all kinds of connotations.
All of that is to say that, if you’ve enjoyed the hand-pulled Chinese-style noodles from the Big Biang Theory food truck or the newly opened brick-and-mortar location on Sheridan, you can thank YouTube and not some family recipe passed down throughout the ages.
“I saw it on YouTube and I tried it myself and it was delicious,” said Big Biang Theory owner Davy Sangouanesy. “So I thought that might be a cool niche to fill in Oklahoma.”
Sangouanesy, born in Fort Worth, Texas, is of Laotian descent. The noodles, born in the Shaanxi Province of China, are not of Laotian descent. But they are delicious and chewy and something to look forward to, if you’ve yet to try them.
Biangbiang noodles are named for the sound of the dough hitting the counter as they’re stretched, pulled, and slapped, over and over again. The restaurant name? Just a pun on a popular television program to make the business more memorable. (So far as I can tell, there’s nothing in the place that says “Bazinga!”, if that was worrying you.)
The concept was born when Sangouanesy’s business partners got together in 2019 and said, “We need to start a business!” That’s right—the focus wasn’t even on starting a restaurant, but creating some kind of entrepreneurial endeavor. But the stars aligned just right and over the next four years, Big Biang Theory built up a solid food truck following that led to its new spot in Film Row.
One key to BBT’s success so far is novelty. Those enormous noodles are very different from anything else you’ll find in Oklahoma City. They’re not delicate or precise. They twist and turn, and the texture is just rough enough that it draws in and holds on to sauces and other in-bowl ephemera. Slurping them up is a feat, but once diners get a mouthful, it’s a heavenly experience.
Another reason for its rabid fan base? Simplicity. The menu is shockingly small. Even the noodles come in only three varieties—Traditional, Spicy Chicken Curry, and Cumin Braised Beef.
The rest of the dishes are appetizers meant to be shared (or hoarded, if you’re like me).
One of the biggest sellers on the truck remains a big seller in the restaurant and, again, there’s nothing traditional about them. The Jalapeño Chicken Eggrolls are wonton wrappers stuffed with chicken, cheese, and peppers, rolled and deep-fried to a golden, crispy perfection.
Like most of the menu, Sangouanesy is going for a pan-Asian fusion taste here that seems specifically targeted at the Oklahoman palate. The rolls are creamy and spicy on the inside, with tender chicken throughout, and an oily, shatter-ready skin on the outside that is so irresistible, legions of fans continue to burn their mouths by not waiting a second for them to cool down.
A new addition is the fried enoki mushrooms, which are a nigh-perfect bar food. A light tempura batter on the thin and tangled enoki mushrooms creates an appetizer that will have you reaching for more, and more, and more, until suddenly you’re waving down the server for another order. The only thing that kept me from devouring the entire plate was my friend across the table, who was also reaching for them.
The One Way Fried Chicken are lovely chicken thigh strips fried in a tender batter and doused in their house-made One Way sauce before being covered in thin jalapeño slices, sesame seeds, and a bit of lemon zest. They might look spicy, but they’re actually slightly sweet with just a tingle of heat. Those who are entirely spice averse should take off the jalapeños entirely.
But the appetizer I’m going to struggle with every time is the Goku Steak. It’s a Denver cut, aka a boneless short rib, marinated in spicy sauce before it is quickly seared and sliced. It comes rare only and once you get a taste, you’ll understand why. It’s a very thin steak, so any more cooking would turn it from tender to chewy. The whole fried garlic cloves and scallions add an addictive crunch to every bite. It’s meant to share, but feel free to lie to the server about the friends you don’t have who are definitely on the way. It’s not like they can take it away from you if you don’t share.
But let’s talk noodles. The Traditional is vegan, though you can add steak or shrimp or chicken for an added fee. Personally, I think it’s solid without any additions. The sauce is a blend of black vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, spices, and chili crisp and it gets an extra splash of heat from chili oil. All of this enrobes the tangle of noodles and the lightly blanched bok choy leaves for a bite that will leave your taste buds in a tizzy as they try to parse out all the various tastes and textures. There’s definitely some spice here, but it’s not overwhelming.
The Spicy Chicken Curry packs in more heat, but with the cooling addition of coconut milk to keep it from going overboard. While the sauce in the Traditional is thinner, this uses a Thai curry sauce with big pieces of chicken and veggies like cabbage, peppers, and marinated bamboo. It’s extremely filling, so beware when you take home leftovers—the spices will only intensify as they sit.
The Cumin Braised Beef noodles come in more of a soup than a sauce with big chunks of braised beef, bok choy leaves, cilantro, vinegar, and chili crisp. It might look intimidating, but the heat is very manageable. That said, it packs a ton of flavor into every bite, so if you’re looking for an option that light on the palate, look elsewhere.
Davy is also rolling out a few specials from the truck, including pork belly egg rolls, but those are still in the works as he perfects the recipe. I got to sample a test run, however, and this is definitely one to look forward to. The pork belly is decadently fatty and falls apart on the tongue with every bite.
- Big Biang Theory
- 704 West Sheridan Avenue in Oklahoma City
- (405) 404-3111
- bigbiangtheory.com
- Open Tues-Thurs, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
- Fri-Sat, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
- Sunday, noon-8 p.m.
Long-time food enjoyer Greg Elwell writes about food, restaurants, and trends. He has his own blog "I Ate Oklahoma" and has written for The Oklahoman, The Oklahoma Gazette, and others.
