Vancouver’s streets are richly filled with carefully crafted culinary creations
By Sarah Bohuch
Photos by Rick Chung
Food carts haven’t always had the best reputation. Fast food chains, restaurants, pubs, and in dire enough circumstances even the grocery store have all seemed the better choice over the greasy options offered at these mobile street units. But that image has changed drastically in recent years. Food carts and the culture of street food have become respectable culinary opponents to the traditional restaurant. They have become quest objects in and of themselves, particularly in Vancouver, where people keep track of their locations in order to quickly sate their fervent appetites.
I know this, for I myself have spent time hunting and tracking down Vancouver’s best and brightest options in the food truck race. The downtown core is the chosen hunting ground, for the sheer number of trucks huddled along Howe on any given day is well known and internet-proven. Grabbing a hapless friend, I began my journey at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Rumoured to lurk nearby was the legendary Pig on the Street truck, a vehicle known for its delicious and creative crafting of bacon treats. I arrived at the stone steps of the gallery only to find that I had a problem: the food truck was not there.
How to learn from my mistake: know that different food trucks occupy different spaces on different days. A truck on Robson and Howe on Tuesday can declare its territory in Gastown on Thursdays and alternate Mondays. Before you track down a specific truck, make sure you know where it is.
Alas, I had to drown my sorrows in grilled cheese. Down the street was Mom’s Grilled Cheese Truck, a pale green steel-plated food receptacle with some of the friendliest staff I’ve ever met. More diner than truck, it specializes in customizable grilled cheese (you choose the bread, cheese, and any extra fixings) as well as daily specialities. The sandwiches are then fried up and served in bright red paper cones on a bed of chips and dill pickles.
The sandwiches are crispy and melty, and will satisfy even the most hearty of appetites. Mom’s also offers a dessert option in the form of candied apples, walnuts and cinnamon mascarpone cheese served on brioche for those desiring more dairy.
With appetites merely whetted, my companion and I trundled down the street in search of more food. Two blocks away we stop by a cart covered in a painted mural of Godzilla stomping a burger-wielding samurai. Mogu Japanese Street Eats specializes in Japanese style sandwiches, and I chose to opt for the Chicken Karrage, a sweet and spicy option.
The proprietor, seeing us shiver in the cold as we waited, offered us free hot green tea with a smile. The sauce was sweet, gingery, delicious, and just spicy enough to warm the lips and throat. The frying process was an intriguing cross between tempura and Kentucky- fried. The meat itself, however, was much too greasy, and I did not finish it.
Next we find Feastro, the Rolling Beastro getting ready to shut down (most food trucks are only in business from around 11–3 p.m.) and place our order. This particular venue is famous for its penchant for local ingredients and fresh toppings, and has one of the best fish soft tacos in town.
I ordered the local red snapper, which is fried in chickpea batter and served with tomato chutney, cabbage, tikka masala yogurt, and hand-cut salsa. It was extremely light and crisp, and utterly delicious. I’m not a fan of star anise (which was in the chutney) but it was not overpowering and worked well with the other ingredients.
Mission accomplished sans bacon, we stumble to the Skytrain pondering the simple joy of a full stomach. Food trucks have indeed become a big player in the food scene, bringing not only delicious food and friendly service to the street but also a sense of novelty. As there is more effort involved in locating them, there is a sense of pride that comes with having successfully found and eaten at a mobile food cart. And that right there is what will keep the trucks rolling.
