This is part 2 of my experience as a judge and host of Pawty’s inaugural Vancity Foodtruck Fight. The first part was an honest look at the operations, with my post mortem feedback on how things can be improved. As to not dilute the impact of the food from the trucks, I decided to split the review and only focus on the food here.
I was asked to be one of the 5 judges and host the hot dog eating competition. The event was set up as a battle between the foodtrucks who signed up to participate in the day’s event. This was meant as a fundraiser for the Pawsitive Futures program, where approximately 5% of every purchase would go directly toward supporting this program. It is described as “uplifting at-risk youth through meaningful connections with animals in need.”
As a judge I was assigned specific trucks to try and to pick which ones would advance round after round. There was a total of 20 trucks. For the first round each judge tries 4 and moves 2 on to the semi-finals. The following round 4 judges then tries 2 trucks each with the job of moving 1 to the final. 4 trucks make it to the final, where they present their signature dish for a group judging by the four remaining judges.
For the first round I was assigned La Valentina, Just Jerkin’ Around, The Frying Irish, and Sub Wheel.
La Valentina offered authentic Mexican cuisine the likes of tacos, drinks, chips, and sweets. In order to get the best feel of their food I went with their 3 Tacos Mix & Match combo, allowing you to try any of their 7 different taco fillings. We would go for the most interesting.
The tacos were on the smaller side and only came with one corn tortilla each. You can help yourself to their homemade green tomatillo or red spicy chilli. This was a good thing, as I found them a tad bland without this option to self sauce.
The most unique one of the menu was the Chicharron en Salsa Verde. I have never seen a taco stuffed with just pork rinds before. Be warned you want to eat this one first and quick. It is smothered in a tangy and zesty green salsa meaning it gets soggy quick, and when it does it has the texture of fish maw to it.
I liked the Carne Asada which was thin-sliced beef, grilled and topped with sweet, golden onions, Colonia Condesa style. Finished with a touch of sour cream and crumbled feta for an extra punch. Best with the red chilli sauce for heat.
The Pollo a la Poblana was also nice. Roasted poblano strips in creamy sauce with shredded chicken and sweet corn. Once again the dollop of sour cream and crumbled feta was a nice pop of tang that made all the difference.
At The Frying Irish they were sadly out of their signature curry sauce. This as the one component that really set their menu apart and was hailed as their best seller. They import their sauces from Ireland, and sadly they were stuck at the border today.
Instead, we took their suggestion and got their fried chicken sandwich. Lightly battered cajun chicken breast strips in between a bun with plenty of garlic aioli. The same garlic sauce is also the star of their garlic and cheese fries.
The burger was stuffed with plenty of crispy, clean fried chicken strips. It tasted fresh with minimal grease and oil. For me a good burger is one that gets me messy, and with equal parts chicken to sauce, this one did. I just wish I had a refreshing side to avoid flavour fatigue. A slaw or a salad to refresh the palate and change the taste in between bites.
The side of fries were tasty, but not helpful in that endeavour. Even more heavy handed with cream and a great ratio to the cheese and fries. This I was happy for, as the fries under it was able to capture some cream as well. This would have been great with a beer, shame they didn’t have any.
I would push Just Jerkin’ Around to the semi finals as my first pick. I was instantly won over by their oxtail. First, there aren’t many Jamaican restaurants in Vancouver, let alone any prepared within the limited space and with the lack of conveniences of a food truck.
You can have it as is, or as a platter with either fries or rice. I liked it a full meal with rice and beans, plus slaw. Seeing plantains on the menu I also had to add those on, and recommend that you do too. At $26.27 this was the priciest dish of all the trucks I visited, but honestly well worth it. Restaurant price and quality for take out and to-go.
The oxtail meat was incredibly tender it is been a while since I have any, or any this good and this did not disappoint. The plantains added a nice sweet element, playing off the savouriness of the platter as a whole. Well balanced with the crisp of the slaw. There are also some sauces that you can use if you want more spice and zest.
If I ever see them on the street, I would not hesitate to order this combo again. It is no surprise that they ultimately won the championship, with the other judges agreeing with my assessment round after round.
For their final championship winning round they presented their jerk pork and bacon platter. Same sides as above, but with oh so fatty pork, the kind one would describe as “melting in your mouth”. It was given some needed salt from their bacon companion. I still like their oxtail more, but this was a good show of their capability for jerking.
For the first round I also put through Sub Wheel. I found the value of their mix platter amazing. $14.99 got you this hefty box full of rice, thinly sliced meats, and fresh vegetable.
We got shaved lamb and shredded chicken, with a Greek salad and a collection of briny and pickled elements, all smothered in tzatziki. This was tasty and filling for the best value. You only need one dish and walked away full for under $20, a plus when foodtruck dining.
For the semi finals I tried Mr. Arancino Balls, Sicilian Risotto Balls. This is the epitome of street food, accessible and easy to eat with hands while standing/walking. 2-3 bite balls that you dip into marinara sauce. Each stuffed with your choice your fillings, with vegan options.
Unlike the risotto balls I am familiar with. You can’t make out the individual grains of rice here. They seem to have been blended for a smooth shell to encase all the saucy filling, then deep fired crispy.
We went for a set of four, which runs for $15. The price accounts for the workmanship that goes into making each. We had the spinach, mushroom, beef, and pizza. Each its own flavour with an oozy centre then flowed out with one bite.
As tasty as these were, my decision to move the below forward to the final came down to value for amount of food. This would not be enough food for a meal and would have been searching for more, whereas the sandwich below went for $17 and was enough to feed 2.
I believe that you can tell the authenticity of some trucks by how minimalist their exterior is. They need not the bold colours and designs, but rely on their food and word of mouth to help advertise their worth.
This is Cuban Street Food offering authentic Cuban food, exactly the same way as it is being served in Cuban or by your Cuban grandma. They focus on holding tradition over being creative.
One of the most common known Cuban dish is the Cuban Sandwich. This one was almost the size of my forearm. Thick slices of bread, painstakingly sourced, as there are not many local Cuban importers. Stuffed with ham, cheese, and pork. I love a good crunchy, salty, and cheesy sandwich; and this delivered. For my tastes I just would have liked some acidity to help balance.
We ordered some of their tostones as a side. These were smashed and fried crispy plantains, served with a chipotle-like, mayo-based dipping sauce. A nice starchy sweetness to change the taste in between bites. The sauce was also nice with the sandwich above, and I wished I had ordered more to use as a dip as my acidic solution.
In the final round they presented a more local dish for us 4 judges to try. This was the “Old Man and the Sea”, humbly served to fisherman. This was shredded salted fish, congri rice (which is a blend of black beans and rice), and a salad.
I found the fish too salty as is and needed the rice to help balance it out, with some of the tomato in the salad as chase, adding some needed freshness and acidity.
They would eventually place third overall in the competition.
The final signature round was the first time that I got to try Downtown Dosa. I have only had dosa in a restaurant, so was surprised and impressed to see it presented so well as a take out option. Dosa is a thin crispy crepe made from fermented batter of rice and lentils.
Here it was stuffed full and cut in half to accommodate the smaller box. I would be interested to see if they could source a longer box to accommodate a full sized dosa as a fun marketing gimmick.
This is their butter chicken version and comes with daal, yogurt, and a butter chicken sauce to mix and match bites to your preference. Be sure to eat this one fast so that the shell remains crispy, as intended. This was incredibly tasty and filling and I would like to revisit it on an empty stomach, to get a better feel for them. But here today, this was amazing and there is no doubt why the ended tied for second place.
They tied with Ponchos Tacos, run by a group of young men who started their business venture at the wee age of 17. They specialize in birria tacos and I would say they do so most indulgently and decadently. One of the judges even declared this the best he has ever had.
They took their famed recipe and made it into a cheese sandwich with shredded and spiced, slow-cooked meat; doubling down on the cheese with a full coating surrounding it all.
This is my dream drunk food, gooey, chewy and all sorts of cheesy wonderful-ness. The dip was what put int over the top. This is another one that if I see on the streets, I will purchase. Another unanimous win form all the judges.
I only got to try 8 out of the 20 trucks so went back around to try a few of the others I was eyeing, but didn’t get to during my judging stint.
The San Juan Foodtruck caught my attention with their tropical table set up that included a straw umbrella and coconuts.
Here, we got a couple of their real fruit juices, both helpful in preventing flavour fatigue from all that we were trying at such a fast paste. Guava, mango, and a mix of both real fruit juices.
We were also interested in their prawn plate that they advertised as their “special of the year”. 7 whole prawns over rice with salad and sauces. The later is what made this one special.
I sadly was not assigned Shameless Buns, a favourite foodtruck of mine, known for the fusion Filipino street foods. I did get a taste of their famed spaghetti stuffed lumpia (spring roll), which was the size of a burrito, from my co-judge looking to share. Saucy, sweet, salty, and crispy it was everything and never disappoints.
Tokyo Katsu is another foodtruck that speaks to authenticity through its minimalist van set up. They have a few options for their fried meat sandwiches.
I went for the classic pork in between thin slices of milk bread with shredded lettuce and a tangy brown sauce.
Egg Blanket is a Korean breakfast truck focusing on egg sandwiches. I got their most popular, a ham and cheese egg sandwich with fully eggs and soft milk bread.
I especially liked their packaging with its easy to transport container and lid that kept the sandwich upright. This also made it easier to hold and eat straight out of.
I didn’t get to try any, but I did want to mention that Alohaa was the sponsor for the hot dog eating competition that I hosted. They supplied 15 hot dogs to 5 contestants and their goal was to eat as many as they could in 10 minutes. These were regular hot dogs, whereas Alohaa specializes in Hawaiian inspired ones that have wiener stuffed into bun.
During the competition I invited a regular person up to take on the challenge as a comparison for the combatants aiming to eat with speed. I also passed out a tray of dogs to the crowd wanting them to see what the experience of eating this was like and how hard the men competing actually had it.
In the end, our winner was left with only 5.5 on his tray, winning $100 for his efforts.
In short the event gave me such great exposure to many foodtrucks that I have yet to try and many more that I only just discovered today. I had hope for a better outcome over all, but appreciated the quality that each truck put out today and hoped I demonstrated that in this post.
