Food • December 2013
Meals on wheels
The Club asked food bloggers and journalists from far and wide to give us the lowdown on a favourite food truck in their home city
New York, USA
Andrew Knowlton (@AndrewOKnowlton), restaurant editor, Bon Appétit magazine
Food truck: Luke’s Lobster, @nautimobile for locations
In the five boroughs there’s plenty of down and dirty street food: dirty water dogs, pretzels as big as your face, and more interesting choices like grilled cheese, Korean tacos, and schnitzel. My favourite mobile restaurant is Luke’s Lobster. The Maine-inspired truck serves, you guessed it, lots and lots of lobster rolls – a buttered and toasted split-top hot dog bun stuffed with lobster, mayonnaise, a squeeze of lemon, and, in Luke’s case, some secret spices. Here’s the thing though, I actually prefer their crab roll as I find the crabmeat a bit sweeter – and it’s a couple of dollars less to boot.
London, UK
Rebecca Seal (@RebeccaSeal), food editor at the Evening Standard’s ES magazine
Food truck: Rainbo
Run by a lovely couple, Ben and Shrimpy, the Rainbo food van dishes out wonderful hot gyoza dumplings with a delicious Asian slaw. Although their food is inspired by far-off lands, the ingredients are as local and ethical as possible, plus 20p from every dish they sell goes to a charity helping to rescue and rehabilitate kids who are trapped by child labour in Nepal. Find their lovingly restored 1948 Ford pickup at events run by the KERB street food collective across London, especially at Kings Cross.
Berlin, Germany
Per Meurling, blogger, Berlin Food Stories
Food truck: Heisser Hobel
Swing by Heisser Hobel for a €4 portion of their famous allgäuer käsespätzle, the German answer to mac and cheese and the ultimate comfort food: thick short egg noodles, freshly made, combined with a secret mix of cheeses (I’ve heard it’s two kinds of their own mountain cheese and Emmental) topped off with roasted onions and chives. Nothing less than a delicious burst of flavour in the mouth. No wonder they won the award for Best Overseas Trader at the British Street Food Awards 2013 in London.
Geneva, Switzerland
Claire Hobden, blogger, The Green Gourmande
Food truck: The Hamburger Foundation
This truck leaves the image of food in Geneva being bland in the dust. The Hamburger Foundation serves gourmet American roadside burgers for 12-14 CHF (£8.30-£9.70) – an incredible bargain in this city – with Geneva’s classic thin and crispy fries, and a taste bombshell of a New York-style cheesecake to finish. The food comes with a good vibes soundtrack that will make you feel as if you’ve been transported to California.
Vancouver, Canada
Rosie Birkett, food writer and blogger, A Lot on her Plate
Food truck: Mom’s Grilled Cheese
Started by a single mother who wanted to dictate her working hours so she could spend more time with her daughter, Mom’s Grilled Cheese is the place to pick up delicious home-style gourmet grilled cheese on artisan breads, soups and other comfort foods such as meatloaf with marinara sauce. You can even craft your own sandwich – but I highly recommend the white cheddar and double smoked bacon on sourdough ($6.75). Find it at the corner of Howe Street and Robson Street by the Robson Square skating rink.
Paris, France
Clotilde Dusoulier, food writer and blogger, Chocolate & Zucchini
Food truck: Le Camion à Tartes
Created by the owner of Paris’ trendy Tartes Kluger café, Le Camion à Tartes truck sells freshly made quiches and tarts with a crisp crust and lots of seasonal vegetables. There are new and creative recipes everyday – think carrot quiche with coriander and preserved lemon, or pumpkin, chestnut and mushrooms – served with delicious side salads.
Sydney, Australia
Sneh Roy, blogger, Cook Republic
Food truck: Veggie Patch Van
Think of the Veggie Patch Van as a beautiful, rustic, organic garden and tuck shop on wheels. With inventive vegetarian menus that often include a brilliant chickpea burger with beetroot relish, baked polenta or sweet potato fries, this clever van is made from recycled and reusable materials and powered by vegetable oil. Talk about loving the earth and loving your food.
This article has been tagged Food + Drink, Travel Tips