2011-08-19 Cart-Hopping @ Downtown

Seeing that the Vancouver street food scene is in full gear, Buddha Girl took the train downtown and joined me for a lunch date.

TACOFINO CANTINA

Howe Street (between West Georgia Street & Robson Street)

Buddha Girl and I started with some tacos.  Even before noon, there was a line-up for this place.  This truck was a great start to our tour.

We ordered two different tacos and both were $4.50 each.  The wait was not too bad, just under ten minutes.

The Fish Taco featured a tempura style battered ling cod in a flour tortilla with shredded cabbage and salsa.  We both loved this.  Subtle flavors and crispy fish all worked well together.  The flour tortilla was nicely charred, yet soft and pliable.  I could eat four of these for lunch...unfortunately, the price was a bit steep for me to have that many.

The Pork Gringa featured shredded seasoned pork with cheese, sour cream and salsa.  This was like a quesadilla and it was a hit as well.  The flavour was good, the tortilla was crisp and the meat had a nice texture.  Everything balanced well together.  The only downside was the grease/juice that leaked out.  Be careful when eating this, it can be messy.

BUN ME BAGUETTE

Robson Street (& Hornby Street)

Next, Buddha Girl and I walked over to the corner of Robson & Hornby for a Vietnamese sandwich.  This was the old site of Poke'm.

 

With only two choices of chicken or tofu, each at $5.50 (tax included), Bun Me's menu was simple.

The BBQ Lemongrass Chicken Banh Mi was simple, but good.  The chicken had good flavour and had a good portion in the bun.  We both enjoyed this, but in a way, as a street food, it was nothing special to us.

FINEST AT SEA FISH CART

Robson Street (& Hornby Street)

Located at the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery, we spotted a new addition located next to Re-Up 2.  We made a little change of plans and added this cart to our tour.

I ordered a Seared BC Ling Cod Fillet.  Although the menu mentioned that the fillet was lightly battered, it was actually polenta-crusted.  The sandwich had chipotle mayo, slaw, parsley and roasted red pepper.  I give them credit for trying something different, but this didn't work for me.

The fish was under-seasoned and its texture was lost because the bun was way too chewy and crusty.  The soft texture of roasted red pepper was also lost in the world of chewy and crusty bun.  The chiptole mayo was not too strong, and again, was lost in the bun.  Unfortunately, this didn't appeal to us.

LA BRASSERIE STREET

West Georgia Street (& Granville Street)

As much as my carb count was going way overboard, I felt Buddha Girl must try the popular chicken sandwich on West Georgia and Granville.

  The "Pick Up" line was all the way into the entrance of the Skytrain station.  For $7 (tax included), this was a good sandwich and a good deal for downtown.

 
I added some dijon to this Brass Chicken Sandwich (beer brined rotisserie chicken in gravy, topped with onion straws in a bun).  The tender chicken was kept in a gravy that wasn't too salty.  The deep-fried onion straws added sweetness and texture.  I've had this before and it's still as good as the first time.  Buddha Girl enjoyed it, but she thought it was a bit messy to eat.

NU GREEK STREET

Granville Street (& West Georgia Street)

We ended our tour with some Greek street food by redeeming our "Free Souvlaki" vouchers.  Buddha Girl opted for lamb and I chose chicken.  We also ordered a chicken skewer for good measure.

 Most of the time, the cart's looked after by Mike from PanDa brothers (Derek & Mike), who owned and operated PanDa Fresh Bakery by David Lam Park in Yaletown.  When we visited at about 12:50pm, this cart was still quite busy with a line-up.  Food delivery was quick.  Approximately forty minutes later, there was still a line-up when Buddha Girl met up with Mr. & Mrs. Crispy Lechon, and by that time, lamb was sold out.

Starting with the Grilled Chicken Souvlaki Pita, using the same pita as they use at the restaurant Nu, Buddha Girl and I have always claimed it's the best pita we've ever had.  The pita was light, thin and nicely crisped.  The tzatziki and vegetables were fresh and worked well.  The chicken was tender and had good seasoning.

The Grilled Lamb Souvlaki Pita mirrored the chicken pita.  While Buddha Girl enjoyed this, I thought the lamb was a bit tough.  We both agreed that chicken was better.

The Naked Chicken was basically a grilled chicken skewer.  At $4.00 (tax included), it's a bit expensive, but nonetheless, it was good.  This was the same chicken used in the souvlaki pita.