Food Truck Archives | Foodgressing

NaMì Vermicelli Bowls Food Cart at Burrard and Davie

July 23, 2019 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Vietnamese food cart, NaMì, has just launched a second food cart but this time specializing in vermicelli bowls.

NaMì Vermicelli Bowls Food Cart at Burrard and Davie Vancouver

NaMì 2.0 can be found at the corner of Burrard and Davie Streets in the West End neighbourhood. The original NaMì is operating at the corner of West Georgia and Granville Streets and serves báhn mì sandwiches.

Grand Opening Special

As part of the grand opening, the cart is featuring a $7 vermicelli-bowl special throughout the first week of service until July 24.

NaMì 2.0 Menu

NaMì 2.0’s menu offers visitors and locals alike a taste of authentic Vietnamese home-cooking fused with modern techniques and fresh ingredients in a variety of bowls including:

Classic Bowl: vermicelli topped with pork or vegan spring roll, shredded cabbage, bean sprouts, pickled carrots and daikon, cucumber and mixed herbs with a choice of protein and dressing
Banana Blossom Salad Bowl: banana blossom, kale and spinach topped with cabbage, bean sprouts, carrots, cucumber, mung bean and mixed herbs with a choice of protein and dressing
Garlic Beef Vermicelli Bowl: vermicelli topped with sautéed garlic beef in a garlic, lemongrass and onion sauce with shredded cabbage, cucumber, mixed herbs and spicy chili lime dressing.

The NaMì 2.0 cart also features an array of sides:

Grilled Skewers: lemongrass chicken, beef, beef in betel leaf, prawns, tofu, eggplant or okra
Deep-Fried Spring Rolls: pork, shrimp, carrots, taro, mung bean vermicelli, mushroom
Salad Rolls: shrimp/lemongrass tofu, lettuce, bean sprouts, carrots, vermicelli, cucumbers, peanut dip
Vietnamese coffee made with condensed milk or sweetened coconut milk

The cart also has a number of monthly rotating features and vegan-friendly fare.

What I Tried

I enjoyed a media tasting at Nami 2.0 and had the following:

Banana Blossom Salad Bowl was loaded with veggies, grilled prawns (your choice of protein) and an absolutely delicious deep-fried spring rolls (with carrots, taro, mung bean vermicelli, mushrooms).

The grilled skewers (chicken, beef and prawns) had wonderful smoky, charred flavours.

To wash it all down, I had a delicious Vietnamese Coffee with coconut milk.

NaMì was founded by foodie and entrepreneur Kevin Thach, who got his first-hand knowledge of the industry at his parents’ award-winning Pho Thai Hoa 1 Vietnamese restaurant in Vancouver.

I’d definitely revisit NaMì for their freshly prepared and tasty vermicelli bowls and would recommend others to give them a try.

For more information, go to namivietnamese.com, become a fan of /namivietnamese on Facebook and follow @namivietnamese on Instagram and Twitter.

New Vancouver Food Cart: NaMì [April 2019]

April 22, 2019 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

There’s a new food cart in town! NaMì, offering a variety of grab-and-go Vietnamese fare, will be parked at 700 Granville Street (corner of West Georgia and Granville) in Downtown Vancouver beginning Tuesday, April 23. NaMì will be open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

NaMì Vietnamese Food Cart Vancouver — Credit: NaMì

NaMì is the brainchild of foodie, entrepreneur and recent UBC graduate Kevin Thach — who grew up learning the ins and outs of the restaurant industry at his parents’ award-winning Phở Thai Hoa 1Vietnamese restaurant at 1625 Kingsway.

NaMì Menu

The NaMì bánh mì menu features a variety of fresh baguette sandwiches (in half- and full-size). These include Breakfast (scrambled eggs, crisp cured pork belly, paté, lemongrass and chili aioli, soy sauce, cucumber, pickled daikon and carrot, chopped chives), ‘Xiu Mai’ meatball (Vietnamese style meatballs, tomato and chili sauce, chopped cilantro), and Grilled Lemongrass Chicken (sous vide and grilled lemongrass chicken, lemongrass and chili aioli, soy sauce, cucumber, pickled daikon and carrot, spring onions), with add-ons such as fried egg, extra meat, paté, and carrots, daikon or cucumber also available.

NaMì also offers a variety of sides such as deep-fried spring rolls (pork, shrimp, carrots, taro, mung bean vermicelli, mushroom) and salad rolls (shrimp/lemongrass tofu, lettuce, bean sprouts, carrots, vermicelli, cucumbers, peanut dip), as well as iced Vietnamese coffee made with condensed milk or sweetened condensed coconut milk.

Monthly rotating features and vegan-friendly fare such as a lemongrass tofu bánh mì and papaya salad will also be available.

Grand Opening Deals

To celebrate its launch, the first 50 customers on April 23 will receive a free bánh mì. The cart will also be serving up a special $5 bánh mì throughout the first week of service, April 23 to 28.

For more information, go to namivietnamese.com, become a fan of /namivietnamese on Facebook and follow @namivietnamese on Instagram and Twitter.

Visit to the Parliament Hill – Ottawa, Ontario

April 10, 2017 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

About a year and half ago, my family and I did an road trip around Ontario and Quebec. One of our stops was Ottawa and the defacto must-see attraction is certainly the Parliament Hill. A symbol of Canadian democracy and heritage, Parliament Hill is breathtaking and beautiful. While we didn’t embark on the free public tour inside, we enjoyed exploring the grounds of the hill. Here are some highlights:

The grand, neo-Gothic architecture of the Parliament Hill is stunning. It was a particularly sunny day with clear blue skies which provided a perfect backdrop to an already awe-inspiring setting. The Peace Tower is the focal point and clock tower sitting in the centre of the parliament building. Aside from the main building, there are also adjacent parliament buildings with the same gothic design.

On our visit to Parliament Hill, we got a bit hungry and noticed a food truck parked across the street. It was Tommy’s Chip Wagon with a casual menu of poutine, burgers, sausages, cold drinks and more. It seemed to be popular with the officers in the area as I saw a few ordering from Tommy’s.

Sausages seemed to be a popular item and they come in “mild polish” or “hot spicy Italian.”

We picked up a hot dog ($3.00) which was simple, delicious and comforting. It came loaded with relish, mustard and ketchup.

We also had a small poutine ($5.50) which has St. Albert cheese curds. It was a solid poutine that hit all the right spots. Lots of gravy on crispy, golden fries with soft, chewy cheese curds. The gravy was tasty and not overly salty. A solid rendition of this Canadian classic.

Overall Impression

Parliament Hill is a place every Canadian should visit if he or she has the chance. It’s a friendly, welcoming place that is inspiring and reminds of the amazing, beautiful country that we live in. And while you’re there, check out Tommy’s Chip Wagon for some comforting eats. Nothing like enjoying the breathtaking sights in our nation’s capital while enjoying a delicious bowl of classic poutine.

Food Truck: Whistler Wood Fired Pizza Company

July 24, 2016 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Whistler Wood Fired Pizza Company is a food truck that I have regularly seen at festivals around Vancouver. They specialize in thin-crust Neapolitan style pizza made with non-GMO flour imported directly from Italy and toppings sourced locally wherever possible. Furthermore, they have a unique state-of-the-art food truck that has a 360-degree rotating wood-fired copper oven that can bake a full pizza in less than 90 seconds. The appeal of the rotating oven is that it allow customers to see the baking process.

Whistler Farmer’s Market

It wasn’t until me, my friend, her daughter and my son were visiting the Whistler Farmer’s Market a few Sundays ago that I finally got around to trying their pizza. The two kids pointed at the food truck and expressed their desire for some pizza. So, we decided to get a pizza to share.

On the menu are 9 pizza flavours including standards like cheese, pepperoni and Hawaiian. More bold varieties are “The Works” and Rosemary Rock Salt. The pizzas come as large or small. A large pizza is 16″ and cuts into 8 slices that feeds 3-4 people. A small personal one is 8″ and cuts into 4 small slices that feeds 1 or snack for 2. The menu is available online.

What We Tried

We ordered the kid-friendly which had mozzarella, black forest ham, and pineapple. I know that food truck food is generally priced higher but I was kind of surprised by the prices at Whistler Wood Fired Pizza. The small size pizza was 8″ and cost $13 already. A 16″ one would be $32.

In terms of taste, I thought that the pizza could have used more toppings. The topping-to-crust ratio wasn’t as optimal as I would like. The crust was thin but not really all that crispy. The kids were fine with the pizza but I personally wasn’t all that excited.

Overall Impression of Whistler Wood Fired Pizza Company

In terms of price and quality, Whistler Wood Fired Pizza didn’t really impress me. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t be a food truck I would return to. Rating: 2.5/5

Mr Shawarma Food Truck

March 9, 2016 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Mr. Shawarma is a Vancouver food truck that has been around for several years. For the food service industry, that is a quite a long time! After regularly seeing people come away from their food truck with delicious looking wraps in their hands, I finally decided to give them a try. I’ve heard of Shawarma before, and did some research online and discovered that there was a Shawarma franchise – shawarmapressfranchise.com – it seemed pretty amazing for anyone who wanted to open their own restaurant. In front of me was our local shawarma truck, and it was time to give them a try.

Mr. Shawarma Menu

Mr Shawarma serves Middle Eastern food from their food truck. Their main items are pita wraps, large platters, spicy boxes on the go, fresh fried falafels and even poutine. You can choose either falafel, chicken, beef and lamb for your protein. All of their items are under $10 including tax. Cheap and cheerful!

Location

Mr Shawarma does not seem to be listed with the Street Food app but their main location is conveniently next to the Burrard Skytrain station. I have visited them at their other location in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery at Robson and Hornby.

Their Burrard food truck also stays open a lot later than most of the food trucks out there. According to their Facebook page, they are open till 10 pm Monday – Thursday and 12 am on Friday and Saturday.

What I Tried

On my first visit, I ordered a falafel pita wrap ($6). It also had garlic sauce, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, parsley, hummus, tahini sauce and potatoes. For the falafels, I thought the spices and flavours were well-balanced with a nice crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I liked the garlic sauce added a great flavour but was not overwhelmingly.

Recently, I tried a lamb platter ($9.50). It came with a seasoned rice with carrots, peas, garlic sauce, Tahini sauce. There was also a house salad with cucumbers, parsley, tomatoes, lettuce and a slice of pita. The seasoned rice was actually really good and the lamb pieces were pretty tender. The pita was not too hard which was nice.

Overall Impression of Mr Shawarma

Food truck food, as we know it, tends to be quite expensive. After speaking to him more, it turns out that he spent a lot of time originally finding one of the best generators to power his truck from a site such as the Top 10 Quietest Portable Generators (Under 65dB) – Reviews to ensure his customer have the best experience ever. There is no loud noise coming from the generator, and it powers the truck for plenty of time. Mr Shawarma offers some cheap, cheerful and filling eats and I would recommend giving them a try. Rating: 4/5

Dine Out Vancouver | Yolk’s Food Truck

January 25, 2016 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Disclaimer: The beignets in this review were complimentary. Opinions are my own.

The last food truck I tried at Dine Out Vancouver’s Street Food City this year is Yolk’s Breakfast. Located usually near Bentall 1 at Burrard and West Pender, Yolk’s offers breakfast, lunch and brunch eats from their light blue food truck.

Yolk’s Food Truck Menu

Yolk’s food truck primarily serves poached free-range egg sandwiches ($10.75). Some of their scrumptious sides include truffle-lemon hashbrown skewer ($3.50) and beignets ($8.25). They also have honey toasted granola ($4.50), organic oatmeal ($4.75) and a wide selection of beverages including freshly daily squeezed orange juice. Their food truck menu is available online.

What I Tried

I first tried out Yolk’s delicious eats at the Meet the Maker Expo preview. One of the highlights of the preview included sampling Yolk’s tasty beignets with dusted icing sugar and salted caramel dip. Deep-fried and delicious, these beignets were divine. I also tried their orange juice which was absolutely refreshing.

Lucky for me, when I visited Yolk’s at Street Food City, the daily special was chicken and waffles ($11.75). And when I received it, it looked absolutely mouth-watering: deep-fried organic chicken pieces sandwiched between two Belgian waffles and drizzled with chicken gravy. They give you real Canadian maple syrup on the side so you can douse the waffle sandwich in sugar to your liking.

The chicken pieces had deliciously crunchy breading while the chicken meat was moist and tender. The waffles were crispy on the outside and fluffy but seemed pretty average. I would have to say that I like waffles from Nero Belgian Bar and Cafe Medina better. All in all, I really liked the mix of the flavours from the sweet waffles with the savoury chicken and gravy.

Overall Impression of Yolk’s Food Truck

Having tried some of Yolk’s offerings, I would have to say that their food is delicious. Some of the ingredients they use are organic (eg, free-range eggs, organic chicken) so price-wise they are a bit higher. Furthermore, their food is not calorie-light but satisfying for those cheat days. Rating: 3.5/5

For more information on Yolk’s, visit them on their website and social media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).

Dine Out Vancouver | Le Tigre Food Truck

January 23, 2016 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Le Tigre is a Vancouver food truck that serves up contemporary Asian street food with a West Coast flair. It is also the brain child of Clement Chan and Steve Kuan, who are the Executive Chef and General Manager of Torafuku. Le Tigre has been around for a few years now, and has favourable reviews on Yelp and Zomato. When the rain eased off in the late afternoon today, I headed to Street Food City to try out Le Tigre.

Le Tigre Menu

Le Tigre’s innovative menu come with some very interesting names for their offerings. There is the Kick-Ass Rice ($10), “Crack” salad ($8), Po Pork Bun ($6), Angry Kitty Sqaure ($6), Don’t Order This Chicken ($9), “FAMOUS” beet fries ($6), Big Bang Beans ($6), and Best Damn Chowder ($6). I have quoted the prices here because many menu items are about $1 higher than what is reported on Zomato as Le Tigre’s menu.

What I Tried

When I arrived at the truck, I noticed that the staff donned chic aprons and colorful Hello Kitty plastic eyeglasses. The staff seemed relaxed and looked like they were having fun.

I ordered the Don’t Order This Chicken ($9), which was fried chicken with chillies, garlic and shallots with namjin sauce. The pieces of fried chicken were sizable and not at all like popcorn chicken. The chicken had a delicious crunchy texture with a moist tender meat. The namjin sauce was reminiscent of chipotle mayo. The downside of the chicken was that it was too oily and just too heavy. I had a few pieces for some greasy pleasure and packed away the rest.

The second item I had was the “Crack” salad ($8) with so many veggies included that your mom would be proud. It had brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, cabbage, capers, cracked chillies, lemon juice and parmesan cheese. It was a mouthful of flavour explosion with the caramelized vegetables and parmesan cheese. The fried kale was notably crispy and the olive oil used seemed of higher quality. The salad is great for the first several bites, but it becomes too much after a while. It too was heavy and I couldn’t finish it either.

Overall Impression of Le Tigre

I enjoyed the upbeat attitude of the staff at Le Tigre. They offer an innovative, contemporary Asian menu and the items I tried today (chicken and “Crack” salad) had undoubtedly bold flavours. Unfortunately, they were too greasy and heavy for my liking. Rating: 3/5

For more information on Le Tigre, visit them at their website an social media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).

Dine Out Vancouver｜Aussie Pie Guy

January 20, 2016 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

About three years ago, my husband and I spent three weeks travelling down the west coast of Australia. One thing I miss about Australia are the meat pies with delicious fillings, flavoursome gravy in a flaky buttery crust. I get to relive a bit of the Australian pie experience through Aussie Pie Guy in Vancouver and Peaked Pies in Whistler. I have ordered from Aussie Pie Guy a few times over the last two years and have been a fan of their pies.

Aussie Pie Guy Menu

The Australian meat pie is characterized as a hand-sized meat pie containing largely diced or minced meat and gravy, sometimes with onion, mushrooms, or cheese and often consumed as a takeaway food snack. In Vancouver, Aussie Pie Guy offers a selection of Australian-inspired meat pies with a West Coast flair. Many of their ingredients are locally sourced and are higher quality including free range BC beef, free run chicken, organic roasted vegetables and BC apples. For ginger beer lovers, Aussie Pie Guy carries Australia’s Bundaberg Ginger Beer.

Their selection of pies includes the Aussie Pie, The Trifecta, Shane’s Pie, Chook Pie, Veggie Pie, and Sweetie Pie. They also have rotating specials.

What I Tried

The first time I ordered from Aussie Pie Guy, I had the traditional Aussie Pie ($8 including tax). It had chunks of free range BC beef and onion in a pepper gravy made with Howe Sound Rail Ale from Squamish, B.C; I was instantly hooked. The pie was hot, hearty and oh-so-good. The crust was thin but still held together well. It was not the most buttery and flaky pie crust I have had but still delicious.

After this, I decided to buy their frozen pies and bake them at home. I ordered them through Spud.ca where they come in a 4 pack for $26.99; they were perfect for a busy weekday. After trying all their frozen varieties, my favourite would have to be The Trifecta. It is crazy good with B.C minced beef, chunks of BC double smoked bacon and layers of vintage cheddar all in a rich gravy.

Street Food City

Yesterday, I visited Aussie Pie Guy as they were part of Dine Out Vancouver’s Street Food City. Their Dine Out Special was a Kanga Pie and an Anaz cookie for $9 including tax.

The Kanga pie had kangaroo meat and was delicious as expected. It is also made with Australian pepperberry spice with sweet potato and double smoked BC bacon in a red wine gravy. The taste was on the sweeter side from the potato. I loved how the pie hold together so well. You can eat it with your bare hands and it doesn’t turn into a sloppy mess.

The Anaz cookie came prepackaged in a plastic bag and had rolled oats, coconut and golden syrup. It was very fragile as it had crumbled after I put it in my bag. The cookie was a nice add-on though nothing really to write home about.

Pricing

Because Aussie Pie guy uses higher quality ingredients , there is a premium to the pies. I really wished they had a budget pie, for say $5. I personally would buy their frozen pies and bake them yourself; each pie comes out to be under $7 versus $8 at the food truck.

Overall Impression of Aussie Pie Guy

Aussie Pie Guys serves up some delicious and hearty pies made with free range meat and organic produce. When I am missing Australian meat pies, Aussie Pie Guy fills the void. The frozen packs that they sell at their food truck or on Spud.ca are convenient and are slightly cheaper than when you buy ready-to-eat ones at the food truck. Rating: 4.5/5

For more information on, visit Aussie Pie Guy at their website and social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)

It’s All About Grill – Food Truck

July 26, 2015 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

On Saturday, we headed to Sunset Beach Festival held as part of the Honda Celebration of Light. There was live music, giant board games, and various booths with giveaways and contests. There were just a few food trucks at the festival. The tempting smell of the skewers from It’s All About Grill drew me and my husband in, so we decided to give it a try.

It’s All About Grill offers 4 skewers and a piece of pita bread for $10.50. You can mix and match among the four different flavours: garlic chicken, AAA ribeye steak, 7 spices pork and bacon sausage.

What We Tried

We ordered four skewers in different flavours, which were presented in a cup with pita bread and a piece of cucumber. It was not very busy at the time, so we got our food fairly quickly.

Had some meat skewers before the fireworks last night ? #celeboflight #sunsetbeach

A photo posted by Foodgressing ? (@foodgressing) on Jul 26, 2015 at 1:04pm PDT

My favorite was the 7 spices pork because it had a nice amount of seasoning and the meat was tender and juicy. I liked the presentation of the bacon sausage skewer, and the flavour was just okay. The AAA ribeye steak was unfortunately very tough. The garlic pork was tender but did not have much garlic flavour.

Overall Impression

There were some hits and misses with the skewers we tried, but the 7 spices pork was definitely my favourite. The least favourite was the AAA ribeye steak because the meat was tough. Rating: 3/5

Twitter: https://twitter.com/allaboutgrill (not recently updated)

Disco Cheetah – Food Truck

July 20, 2015 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

A Korean taco is what happens when you give a Korean twist to a Mexican taco. The Korean taco originated in Los Angeles where it became a popular street food dish. The concept is to have Korean BBQ ingredients, like bulgogi and kimchi, on top of Mexican flour tortillas. Disco Cheetah is a food truck that has been serving this Korean-Mexican fusion dish on the streets of Vancouver.

Disco Cheetah @ Food Cart Fest

I first tried Disco Cheetah at the media event for the Food Cart Festival. I was instantly drawn to Disco Cheetah’s bright yellow food truck and I was intrigued by the idea of Korean-Mexican fusion. They also had a table set up in front of their food truck for taking orders and payments.

Disco Cheetah has three signature tacos for $5: bulgogi beef, chili chicken and soy tofu (vegetarian/vegan option) which are served on soft gluten-free tortillas. You can also get two tacos for $9.

Using a food voucher I was provided as part of the media event, I tried the chili chicken Korean taco from Disco Cheetah. It had chipotle cabbage slaw, pickled red cabbage, verde sauce and a lemon wedge. The chicken was local from the Fraser Valley. The filling was on the sweeter side and flavourful. It had bold and vibrant colours, which gave it a great presentation. The taco tasted pretty good but I felt that it was on the smaller side for $5. I would have liked it to be more juicy for added flavour.

West End Farmer’s Market

While I was shopping at the West End Farmer’s Market, I noticed that Disco Cheetah was there. I decided to try out their two other taco flavours for $9.

I tried the bulgogi (Korean BBQ style) taco made of Alberta beef, kimchi slaw, house chili sauce with sesame leaves. The taco tasted sweet overall due to the sweet chili sauce. It did not feel juicy enough for me.

The other taco I had was the soy tofu (bean curd) taco with spinach slaw, Korean chili mayo, and sesame seeds. This is the vegetarian/vegan option. The bean curd offered an interesting texture to the taco. It also had a similar sweet taste like the other tacos.

Overall Impression

I thought the Korean tacos from Disco Cheetah tasted good but I wasn’t blown away. The three signature tacos seemed to have similar taste profiles since they all had sweet chili sauce and mayo. A Mexican taco in Vancouver is typically around $2.50 – $3, so paying $5 for a taco at Disco Cheetah is a bit of a premium. I would consider their tacos more like snacks. I would recommend other food trucks that will leave you full and satisfied at a lower price. Rating: 3/5

Website: http://discocheetah.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/yvrDCtaco

Twitter: http://twitter.com/yvrdctaco

Instagram: http://instagram.com/yvrdctaco/

Location schedule: http://streetfoodapp.com/vancouver/disco-cheetah