Biang Reykjavík opens its doors
Western Chinese food has soared in popularity in recent years. From the numbing heat of Sichuan pepper and fiery Dan Dan noodles, to wide, hand-stretched biangbiang noodles and steaming hot pot, interest has never been higher. It’s part of a larger shift away from the mass cultural understanding of Chinese food — often a Westernised take on the mild, sweet flavours of Cantonese cooking — towards a growing appreciation of the country’s diverse regional cuisines.
My first experience of the broader spectrum of Chinese food was at Xi’an Famous Foods in New York City, a small restaurant serving classics from the Shaanxi region. It was already in the process of going viral at the time, with a long lunchtime queue snaking out of the door and down the street. When we finally got a table my companion gave a cursory glance at the menu, having memorised it already, and ordered for both of us. As I clumsily wrestled a thick, oily, footlong noodle into my mouth, my eyes popped wide open. It was a new flavour to me, and it was love at first bite. (The world agreed — Xi’an Famous Foods now has 18 locations.)
A bit modern
It’s a high I’ve been chasing ever since — usually overseas, out of necessity. So I was overjoyed to see the arrival of Biang Reykjavík, a new downtown restaurant that opened on Tryggvagata in mid-July. It’s run by a young couple called Mateusz and Magdalena, in partnership with local chef and restaurateur Jón Arnar Guðbrandsson.
“We tried to find the balance between respecting the traditions, and being a bit modern.”
“I’ve worked quite a lot in fine dining restaurants here in Reykjavik,” says Mateusz, “but I came to a moment in my life where I wanted to do something that can make everyone happy, not just a few special customers. Somewhere people can come any time, and eat for an affordable price.”
The process of creating Biang Reykjavík involved a lot of travelling around Europe, the US, and Asia. They first tried biangbiang noodles on one of these journeys, somewhere in the middle of Europe — and the idea stuck. “We couldn’t stop thinking about it,” says Mateusz. “We went to Paris, Germany, London, and New York to try this concept.” In fact, Xi’an Famous Foods was one such site of research. “I liked it, but I think their food is a bit too oily for the Icelandic market,” he says. “So we tried to find the balance between respecting the traditions, and being a bit modern.”
Photo by Art Bicnick.
Striking oil
The traditional aspects include hand-stretching the biangbiang noodles every day — a process that includes slapping them down repeatedly to create the “biangbiang” sound after which they’re named. There’s a window from the street into the kitchen so passers-by can watch it happen.
Mateusz is also still tuning the flavour of the all-important chilli oil. Dishes can be ordered at three spice levels, from mild to “Asian spicy”, which comes with extra oil on the side. “I think people are more open to spicy food now,” says Mateusz. “Because it isn’t only about the heat, it’s also the flavour. You need to get all of the heat, and all of the taste. So the chili oil was a challenge. People love it as it is — they already want to buy it, and we plan to sell it in our little deli — but I’m still working on it.”
Photo by Art Bicnick.
Back to school
Some of the more modern touches come via the restaurant experience — which is, so far, less appealing than the food. The interior has a mall-restaurant feel, complete with a playlist of distractingly bad pop covers; the “fast casual” style — a halfway point between fast food self-service and casual dining — is yet to click. But it’s early days, and Mateusz says these aspects are works in progress — as is the option to have food delivered.
“We already do takeaway, and we’re working on getting delivery set up,” he says. “That’ll happen soon. We’ve had some companies asking for lunches, so this could be a good next step for us. And we’re thinking about doing a noodle school to show people how to make the noodles.”
Photo by Art Bicnick.
Feline bloodbath
One good reason to eat on-site is Biang’s signature dessert — the Instagram-friendly Jiggly Cat Jelly. Served in a pool of strawberry sauce, these milky white concoctions come in the shape of a cartoon cat, wobbling dramatically at any slight touch to the table. They’re fun, and cause giggles and coos of delight around the restaurant.
“They’ve been popular with everyone,” smiles Magdalena, joining us from the bar. “We’ve had even older people shoving their table to make them jiggle.” When the spoon goes into the dessert, fragments of white cat drop into the bright red sauce, which suddenly takes on a genuinely funny splattercore look. “I was putting the sauce directly onto the cat at first,” says Mateusz, “and not around the edges. Magda said ‘please stop murdering these cats.’ It’s a simple dessert, but I think it fits after a spicy meal. And there’s the deep-fried bao, if people want something else.”
So come for the biangbiang, and stay for the jiggly cats — because you won’t find either of them anywhere else in Reykjavík.