The walk through the neighborhood of Chueca always hides some pleasant surprise. This week's is again an invitation to sit at the table -Chispa Bistro, Nunuka... There have been others-, with the noodles and a 30-year-old Chinese entrepreneur as protagonists of the story. Lei Ling arrived in Spain at the age of 11. "My parents had come before because they set up a Chinese restaurant," he explains in correct Spanish. With this scenario, from a young age he thought that studying cooking would guarantee him a professional outlet. "I did the middle and upper degree of cooking at the School of Hospitality in Madrid". Always having in mind, take over from his parents.
What Oscar did not imagine, as his cousin renamed him when he arrived in Spain, is that his parents would move to the US and he would have to look for a living. "I didn't get to work in the family business," he says with some resignation. When he finished school, he entered the restaurant of Caixa Fórum, went through the kitchen of some hotel ... But in my head I already had a more or less definite idea of what I wanted to ride. "I went alone to Tokyo to learn how to make ramen and sushi. I stayed for a month." He was 21 years old.
When he returned from that trip, he opened a stall in a market in Malaga, where he stayed for a year. "I met my husband and moved to live in Germany," she sums up matter-of-factly. He then spent three years in Belgium, where he began looking for a place for his project. "It was a gastronomic proposal of Chinese 'street food'", he says, where huge -in every way- noodles reign in a brief and very appetizing menu. They did not find any space that convinced them in Brussels and put Madrid on the radar. "We opened Biáng Bián Bar in Chueca in 2019".
Lei Ling, known as Oscar, with one of his noodles.
To make the noodles as they were made at his mother's house, he traveled to the Chinese region of Xi'an to soak up the technique. "We make them by hand with only three ingredients: flour, water and sal" and are served in a bowl with a single piece measuring between 1.5 and 2 meters long. "For many years, it was a survival meal in my country." The paper bib, to avoid prying stains, is courtesy of the house. "The name of the place is due to the sound that is made when preparing the noodles," explains Óscar.
It's Tuesday and the small dining room at Biáng Biáng Bar is lively. "Our idea was to do something that was not in Madrid and we are probably the only ones who make this cuisine in Spain." A legion of regulars have already been created in the neighborhood; and word of mouth is taking them to people from other areas of Madrid, among which there are many Chinese, which is always a guarantee that what they do is authentic.
Menu in hand, you can not miss on the table their fried chicken wings with spicy sauce, crispy and tasty, and fried cauliflower with ground hazelnut and unagi sauce. The latter, one of the most surprising on the menu. Gyozas are another of their specialties; homemade and with different fillings. Pork, shrimp and Chinese leek, highly recommended. And we come to the noodles, where you can also choose the level of spiciness. The most appreciated by the public, those that have shredded pork dúroc, although perhaps the most original are those of Chinese aubergines Yuxiang style and chopped pork, a real delight. Another very good choice is the Iberian pork and truffle. Even dessert maintains the surprise effect, with a homemade almond pudding with red fruits, azuki and gingerbread cookie base.
Address: Pelayo, 8. Average ticket: 20 euros.
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