Biang Biang Fresh Noodle has reopened in a bigger Fortitude Valley home
Brisbane’s favourite belt-width noodles have a new home. Biang Biang Fresh Noodle has relocated to spacious new digs, bringing its bowls of hand-pulled noodles and signature thwap to a bigger space on Wickham Street in The Valley. It’s the same biang for your buck, just with a little more elbow room.
The first time Kieran Zou saw diners truly appreciating his biang biang noodle dishes, it was through a subtle gesture.
“Chinese people, they hold the bowl when they eat,” says Kieran, lifting an invisible bowl to his mouth by way of demonstration. “Western people always use a fork and knife, just like with pasta – they never lift the bowl.
“One day, I finally saw some people sipping the dan dan noodle sauce from the bowl. You don’t do that if you don’t love it.”
That experience just about sums up the journey of Biang Biang Fresh Noodle, the pioneering noodle spot Kieran opened in 2018.
Originally based in Toowong, Biang Biang was one of the first outlets to specialise in belt-wide noodles – a regional specialty of Shaanxi, a province in northwestern China. Kieran stood behind the counter, pulling and stretching lengths of noodle dough by hand before thwapping the heavy strands on the countertop (a percussive sound from which the chewy noodles are said to draw their name).
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Kieran has cultivated a cult following since Biang Biang’s debut stint in Toowong and subsequent relocation to Brunswick Street in Fortitude Valley in 2022, earning praise for his bowls of chewy biang biang noodles – some bathing in sizzling chilli oil, others served with cumin-laced lamb or yellow curry sauce.
The operator estimates it has taken him eight years to achieve the right mix of flavours in his menu, but credits his willingness to tweak his recipes and experiment with flavours as a key reason behind his enduring success.
“When I first opened the restaurant, I had no idea – I just made it traditionally,” says Kieran. “I adjusted things little by little, bringing Western and Eastern styles together.”
Earlier this year, Biang Biang Fresh Noodle announced it was moving from its Brunswick Street location, with looming development forcing Kieran to relocate once more. In good news for Fortitude Valley foodies, Kieran has secured a new space on Wickham Street, across the road from Les Bubbles Steakhouse.
Subscribe for updatesCompared to its previous home, the digs seem palatial – there’s ample seating inside and out, while a larger back-of-house area affords Kieran extra elbow room to work.
“The other kitchen was so small, I couldn’t do everything,” says Kieran. “Now we’ve got a whole other room and a dishwasher – everything is perfect.”
Longtime fans of Biang Biang will be stoked to hear that the eatery’s existing menu has been brought to Wickham Street unchanged.
Ten noodle dishes lead the offering, including the signature Biang Biang Fresh Noodle (served with pork mince, soy sauce, scrambled egg, tomato, corn, shallots and garlic), tom yum beef noodle, spicy Sichuan dan dan noodle, Xinjiang chilli chicken noodle and the Old Beijing Style noodle.
Sides include pickled vegetables, vegetable spring rolls, pork wontons with chilli oil and roujiamo – a Shaanxi street food often described as a Chinese hamburger.
Looking ahead, Kieran is eager to expand the menu, either with new permanent additions or limited-edition specials.
“For the next menu I want to try things like black bean beef, satay chicken, black pepper chicken, black pepper beef, and slow-cooked lamb with Biang Biang noodle,” Kieran tells us. For now, he’s content to settle into a new rhythm on Wickham Street – one still set to the beat of noodles hitting the counter.
For operating hours and other details, find Biang Biang Fresh Noodle in The Directory.
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