Three-time James Beard nominee Chef Jeff Chanchaleune announced today that his new Plaza District concept will be called Bar Sen. Slated for a late fall or early winter open, the Lao noodle joint is adjacent to Ma Der Lao Kitchen, the restaurant that has provided Chanchaleune with his three nominations and two finalist nods, as well as accolades from Bon Appetit and the New York Times. 

“Sen is the Lao word for ‘noodles,’” Chanchaleune said, “and I think the name sort of implies that the vibe will be a bar with really great noodles for everyone, including vegans”

Along with the hand-cut, house-made, gluten-free rice noodles that will be the backbone of the concept, Chef said he’s also working on a vegan version of his popular khao piek sen (chicken noodle soup), because, as Chanchaleune put it, he’d like to serve the vegan community, too, and given that they have great options at Ma Der, it only makes sense that he’d continue the practice at Bar Sen. 

In addition to the menu of noodle bowls, small apps, and fried chicken – more on that below – he’s excited about one of his father’s recipes landing on the menu.

“It’s called Sukiyaki,” he said. “The name is so familiar to Japanese diners. I did a little research, and  there is an influence from Japan. The Lao soup is a light pork-based broth with clear bean thread noodles, veggies, seafood, pork, and a big dollop of this spicy, sweet, savory peanut sauce that you mix into the soup as you’re eating it. Dipping your toppings into it is also really good.”

Appearing irregularly as a feature on Ma Der’s menu, the jaew bong wings are a hit with locals, especially diners who love heat. Fried wingettes and drumettes have been on the menu since the beginning, and Chanchaleune intends to make fried chicken a specialty of Bar Sen with a slightly different recipe than Ma Der.

“I’m excited about the fried chicken,” he said. “I love fried chicken, and I want this version to be unique and  just as good as the wings at Ma Der. I like the challenge.” 

When your first solo project has received so much praise, it’s difficult to decide what’s next. Replicate with a second location? Do something completely different? Which part of the city? How do you decide on a sophomore project when the first has been so popular and so damn good? 

“I think the idea of this concept has always been around but evolved over the years,” Chanchaleune said.. “This didn’t necessarily come out of nowhere; I’ve always thought about a Lao noodle shop, but it was about timing. I’ve told myself and many people that if The Mule ever moved, I’d lease it for something like Bar Sen. This is me continuing the Lao food movement to share more of Lao food culture with our community. There’s a whole realm of noodles, and I want Oklahoma City to experience it.” 

The Mule moved to the old Maples location adjacent to Empire Slice House several months ago, and Sideline Bar & Grill got the original Mule spot for a brief few months before closing shop. Chanchaleune reached out to the landlord, and negotiated a lease. For the build-out and rendering, he hired Justin Jennings – who did the build-out for Awaji, Barkeep, and Highball Sushi + Kitchen –and Chef Jeff is designing the interior himself. There will be small, thematic tie-ins to Ma Der. 

The only other tie-in to Ma Der will be the beef jerky. It’s one of the hits  on the Ma Der menu, and Chanchaleune sees it as the perfect snack for guests waiting for a table. 

“The beef jerky is one of our most popular dishes,” he said, “ and I love snacking on them when drinking beers. You’ll be able to order a drink and snack on jerky if we are on a wait. And you can wait at the bar for Bar Sen or Ma Der.” 

The expanded bar program will be handled by beverage director Daniel Johnson, easily one of the most talented bartenders in the metro. He and Chanchaleune are working on a new bar menu rollout for October at Ma Der, and the added space allows them more wines. Chef said to expect a larger selection of fun, quirky wines, and a larger bar program overall. His sister Jeslyn Chanchaleune has been the Ma Der bar manager since opening, but she’s switching roles to be the GM at Bar Sen, and Aidan Woolum will be the new Ma Der GM.

The two restaurants operating side by side and sharing the newly remodeled patio will be distinct conceptually, but they’ll function like two rooms in the same house. It’s a big step in a plan that Chef Jeff has been working on for years, beginning with his ridiculously good soup program at Ma Der: khao poon, khao soi, khao piek sen, and duck porridge. 

“Bar Sen is a direct extension of Ma Der in some ways,” he said. “As mentioned above, I hoped that one day a noodle shop would happen. We do our daily noodle features at Ma Der, and we did that for multiple reasons. One of them was to see if Lao noodles could work in Oklahoma City, so we ran them as our built-in daily features as a proof of concept. It created different, daily regulars who are fans of a particular day. Something I learned from frequenting Ha & VL in Portland, Oregon.” (Editor’s Note: I am a Thursday – khao soi loyalist.)

The overall menu will be very focused – some would say small – and that’s by design. Chanchaleune said there will be five noodle options, three of which they’ve been making at Ma Der as part of the proof of concept. Add fried chicken, beef jerky, and the small apps, and you have a menu smaller than Ma Der’s tightly focused one-pager. 

It’s a welcome trend in an industry where hospitality can push owners to add pages to a menu to please everyone. The smaller the menu (to a point), the more attention paid to each dish, and therefore a higher likelihood of quality and consistency, to say nothing of the added benefits of easier ordering, smaller inventory, and streamlined prep.

Bar Sen will be full service, and will include a well in the bar dedicated to bar guests. In that sense, it’s not just a bar for guests waiting for a seat; it’s a neighborhood bar vibe, something Johnson excels at crafting. There will be no waitlist for the bar, but dining room seating is waitlisted, a slight difference from Ma Der, where bar seating is also included in the waitlist. 

“We will be open five  nights a week from Tuesday to Saturday, and closed Sunday and Monday just like at Ma Der,” Chanchaleune said.. “Our team loves it, and they perform well. We are thinking we’ll open until midnight or at least one hour longer than Ma Der. If there’s a demand, then midnight for sure.”