Owner Bang Bui and his fiancée Quyen Le, both originally from Vietnam, opened the restaurant just over a month ago, and the secret word is out — this is a great fusion find.
The previous owners of Foodies Asian-American Diner in Midtown, they closed that restaurant and moved to a more affordable space in south OKC.
The owners have backgrounds in both science and restaurants. Bui has a degree in microbiology, and Le has a degree in chemistry. But restaurants run in both families, and the two worked to meld Asian and American cuisine when creating their menu.
“We liked American flavors but felt we were missing Asian flavors, “ Le said. “We started to listen to what the customers wanted and created fusion from Vietnam, Korea, Japan and America.”
How did they come up with the name OMG? August Moon was the restaurant previously at the southside location, and the owners left their neon sign, along with restaurant equipment, Bui said. Ever thrifty, they selected the letters O M G from the August Moon sign and repurposed them.
Their creativity and thrift didn’t stop there. They made all of the wall decorations and art by hand. There are whimsical wreaths made with red plastic spoons, white festive ceiling decorations made with paper and kebob skewers and modern art paintings.
Many of the menu items from Foodies were signature dishes that were transferred to OMG! Fusion.
“The bulgogi gyro and kimchi fries are our most popular items on the menu,” Le said. “You can’t get them anywhere in Oklahoma but here.”
With the bulgogi gyro, it’s Greece meets Korea. Bulgogi means “fire meat” in Korean, and it refers to the grilled cooking method. Thinly sliced marinated beef is stuffed in pita bread gyro-style with a crisp Asian slaw and fried shallots — simply celestial.
One specialty of the house is OMG!’s kimchi fries, which are eaten with chopsticks. Seasoned french fries are topped with bulgogi beef, spicy kimchi, cilantro, a white sauce, sriracha sauce and toasted sesame seeds.
The owners also pride themselves on perfectly cooked rice, as is found in the Hawaiian fried rice. This mildly spicy stir-fry includes peas, carrots, a touch of pineapple, bits of fried egg, cilantro and crispy fried shallots, and the result is lovely.
If you want a big-boy burger, the Monster Burger has your name on it. The beef is prepared in a bulgogi marinade of pear juice, soy sauce, garlic and spices. It’s served with a fried egg, caramelized onions, cheese and Korean barbecue sauce on top.
