Local food truck is a fusion of Asian noodles and Texas-style barbecue

EDITOR’S NOTE: This East Idaho Eats Encore was originally published on April 26, 2024.

POCATELLO — For nearly a year, an orange food truck has traveled the Pocatello area, offering a unique blend of flavors.

Tyler Despain told EastIdahoNews.com that he was “raised on YouTube.” After working in the restaurant industry for years, he combined the knowledge he gained from watching cooking videos and working in kitchens. The result is a fusion you may have never tasted — Texas-style barbecue with Asian-style sauces in noodle and rice bowls.

“We’re just excited to add some variety to the community,” Despain said.

Wild Noodle Barbeque was launched last May. This year, it is part of the weekly roster at the Pocatello Food Truck Roundup — and one of the favorites of roundup founder Brian Zenger.

The meat in Despain’s bowls, he said, is classic southern barbecue — using salt and pepper combined with the natural flavors from the smoking process. Wild Noodle’s food really shines, though, in the sauces he puts over the top.

For our visit, Despain had EastIdahoNews.com try the creamy pork rice bowl — a bowl of jasmine rice topped with pulled pork, green onions, bonito flakes, crispy nori, sesame seeds and two sauces: umami noodle and creamy almond.

The bowl was unlike anything I have ever tried. The pork would have been delicious on its own, but the addition of the plethora of toppings and sauces created something indescribable.

And like most of his bowls, the creamy pork bowl comes with what Despain calls a “Jammy Egg” — a bowled egg with a runny yolk.

Along with his food truck, Despain runs a catering company offering a classy dining experience called Black Bison Dining Club.

For more information about these businesses, visit the combined website here.

Despain posts a weekly calendar of events where his truck can be found on the company Facebook page here.

If you would like to make a recommendation for the next destination to be included on East Idaho Eats, email Kalama@EastIdahoNews.com and include “EATS” in the subject line.

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