street food Archives

In Food Carts

The Halal Guys: Street Food in New York

February 24, 2018

The Halal Guys is a food cart on the south-east corner of 53rd Street and Sixth Avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York. When we were in New York, we made sure to go to the right place to get some authentic Halal Guys. There are a lot of other copycat carts in the area, so make sure you’re at the right one.

We saw so many on the same street that we were confused. But we did end up at the correct place. The line moves pretty quickly as the staff are super efficient. Make sure you have cash on you as it’s cash only.

You can eat your meal on some benches close to the carts or you can take it back to the office.

Beef Platter

There is your choice of meat, salad, rice and bread. Initially we wanted the lamb but they apparently stopped serving it, so beef it was. It’s a pretty large meal for lunch, but it’s worth the price. The beef was deliciously spiced.

All meals come with your choice of red of white sauce. The white sauce is delicious like a mild ranch sauce, while the red sauce is really spicy hot sauce. Use the hot sauce sparingly as it’s like an inferno and we can usually handle out spices.

All that sauce!

Chicken Platter

The platter is the same but the meat is different as I chose chicken.The chicken was ok, but I would have liked it to be a bit more moist and hot.

To get best of both worlds, you can get a platter with both beef and chicken.

We Rate The Halal Guys:

Address:
South West corner of 53rd Street and Sixth Avenue

Website:
https://thehalalguys.com

In Busan

Eating Ssiat Hotteok (seed-stuffed pancake) in Busan

November 5, 2013

In Busan, they say you can’t leave without trying Ssiat Hotteok (seed-stuffed pancake). Apparently it’s their specialty and all the locals say you gotta try it.

M’s aunt took us to The Street of Film near Jagalchi Market. It has a plethora of street food vendors.

You can probably find a lot of different korean food. Your taste buds will be salivating after walking through this area.

There is one cart that has a very crazy unusual lineup. It zigzags and there is a lady making sure people are lining up correctly and not in a mod fashion.

Ssiat hotteok (1,000 WON = $1 CDN) is filled with sunflower and pumpkin seeds. The seeds are stuffed after the dough is cooked in the hot oil so it has more flavour and tastes less greasy.

The seeds and sugar are mixed together between the dough to give it an amazing crunch sound when you bite into it. It was so good! I could eat a few of these! It’s not too sweet and just so addictive.

If you are even in Busan, go to center area of The Street of Film and find this cart. You won’t be able to miss it as its right in the intersection.

In Busan

Woojindogi: Busan Oden in Gukje Market

November 3, 2013

We took a weekend trip to Busan with M’s family to see some relatives. Busan is South Korea’s second largest city after Seoul and is located on the southeastern area of Korea.

We were taken to Gukje Market in Downtown Busan. It is the largest outdoor market in Busan and you can find anything from fabrics, to household goods. The prices are pretty good and tons of shops to see. It is also next to a large underground shopping center and the Jagalchi Fish Market.

As we were walking through the market, we stopped at Woojindogi as we heard that had some of the best oden in Busan. Odeng or oden originated from Japan, but Koreans have made their own unique versions.

Korean fish-cakes are called Eomuk and they are pretty darn good.

Woojindogi only serves oden and there was a huge line around lunch time. There were no seats inside, but there were a few counter seats outside.

On the left is the fish cake and tofu skin stuffed with noodles. It smells amazing when you’re waiting to get your order.

Busan Odeng has the tofu skin with noodles on the bottom and the fish cake on top. The broth is delicious and we ate it all so fast.

If you get a chance to go to Korea, definitely get some oden that looks like this. It’s SO good! I don’t exactly know the address since the market is a bit confusing, but you can ask around.

While you’re at Gukje Market, go find some Korean socks. They’re really cheap and have lots of cute styles.

In Canadian

Emelle’s Westside Wheels: Caterer turned Food Truck

July 12, 2013

Emelle’s Westside Wheels was at EPIC, the sustainable living festival last weekend. Looking at the 12 or so food carts, I gravitated towards this food truck. I’ve heard much of Emelle’s amazing catering services, but was curious how they would fare as a food truck.

There was a long line up and the speed of service was quite slow during the noon hour. There were about 8 people in front of me, so imagine the wait.

Looking at their menu, they mostly have sandwiches. I thought they would have something more intricate beside sandwiches, tacos and soup. It was really hard deciding what to order.

On the left we have Mike’s Breakfast and in the back there is a bacon bomb.

Bacon Bombs ($4) is a slider with a slice of herb ground turkey wrapped in bacon and some vegetables. The turkey was nice and lean and had great flavour with the bacon wrapped around it. On the other hand, it was a bit expensive for a slider, which you’d finish in a few bites.

Mike’s Breakfast ($5) has a large egg, 2 slices of thick cut bacon, melted Canadian cheddar cheese, slices of tomato, and mayo on a toasted ciabatta bun. The bun was soft, but a bit thick. It tasted alright.

Overall, the food cart was ok. Simple sandwiches.

We Rate Emelle’s Westside Wheels:

Location (sometimes changes):
586 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.emelles.com/

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In Downtown

Feastro the Rolling Bistro: Rolling Around Downtown Vancouver

October 23, 2012

Feastro the Rolling Bistro has rolled its way over to the Art Gallery. They serve up local fresh seafood with their menu items. I was excited about this place since I heard much about it when they were near the Convention Centre.

Everything looked good, so I really have no idea what to choose. The fish and chips seemed good, so I ordered that.

I also splattered some vinegar onto my fish before digging in.

Fish and Chips ($13) has Red Snapper coated in a light panko breading, served with fresh-cut fries,our tangy red wine vinaigrette coleslaw and truck made tartar sauce. You definitely get a lot of food for the price. The taste of the snapper was ok, but nothing too impressive.

On the bottom, you have fries that are really awesome and crunchy! Then the coleslaw was OK too.

Overall, I found the items on the menu to be a bit pricey compared to other food carts that are around. It’s nothing out of the ordinary, except for their super crunchy crispy fries.

We Rate Feastro the Rolling Bistro:

Location:
Howe St x Robson near Art Gallery

Website:
http://www.feastro.ca/

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In Food Tour

The Juice Truck: Juice On the Go

October 21, 2012

The Juice Truck is located in Gastown and serves up delicious cups of juices, smoothies and other drinks. M and I were passing by and decided to have a post-lunch snack.

The juices are quite expensive, but are very filling. I was quite surprised I couldn’t finish it all.

The Almost Chocolate has a banana blended with medjool dates, almond butter, raw cacao, raw maca & soy milk. M liked the combination of the chocolate and bananas!

The Avocado Pineapple ($7) has avocado blended with pineapple, coconut water, lime, vanilla & agave. It was a good combination of ingredients! Healthy too. My only complaint is that it wasn’t cold enough.

Overall, the flavour combinations are pretty cool. The drink will really fill you up for lunch, so you don’t need to worry too much about getting hungry after.

We Rate The Juice Truck:

Address:
200 Abbott Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.thejuicetruck.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=200+Abbott+Street+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=200+Abbott+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+2K8&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Sheung Wan

Fat Boy Fruits: Fresh Juice From Street Vendors in Hong Kong

September 9, 2012

We were walking along the street markets and we all got very thirsty because the weather was about 35 degrees. There were even warnings about how hot it was outside.

On the corner of Wing Kut Street, there is a man who sells juice. The juice is made fresh right in front of you, so there are no preservatives or an other ingredients. Pure 100% juice!

He offers a wide variety of juices and you can even request your own combination. You may even want to try juices that aren’t available in North America. A small drink is $7 HKD, large is $12 HKD and extra Large is $17 HKD. Very cheap and affordable.

There were lots of people ordering especially business men that were passing by. He wait wasn’t too long as he works really fast to make the juice.

Depending on the item you order, it can be made from a juice extractor…

or if its a orange..it will be from a juicer.

You can also purchase fruit as well if you don’t want juice.

Pineapple Pear Lemon (Large-$12) and it was so good. It was a surprising combination of flavours. Unfortunately, since he doesn’t use ice, the drink isn’t cold enough. Nonetheless, the flavours were great.

You can continue doing a bit of more shopping after you get your drink! There are other places all around Hong Kong that sell juice on the street. I don’t think this particular stand is famous or anything, but it has a convenient location in the business district in Hong Kong.

Words of Wisdom:

There is an english menu
Use cash
Short lines

We Rate Fat Boy Fruits:

Address:
153 Queen’s Road
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

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In Food for Thought

32cm Twist Ice Cream Cone in Myeong-Dong, Seoul

August 10, 2012

Wandering around Myeong-Dong in the middle of a monsoon was not a smart idea, you get really soaked from the rain even if you have an umbrella. It’s a great area to find face masks, dirt cheap jewelry and awesome food. In the middle of Myeong-Dong, there is an area with a small ice cream stand under the Matching Mole pub. They have a tall 32 cm ice cream for 2,000 won ($2 CDN).

I passed by it with Kirsty and I had to go back later in the evening to have a snack.

Chocolate and Strawberry Twist Cone was definitely cool! It wasn’t too sweet and the flavours blended well together. What sucked about it was that the cone was kinda stale. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed it because I’ve never had anything like it!

Overall, if I was to get a 32cm ice cream cone, I would still do it even if the cone is stale. I get excited by new things too easily. There are various locations in Seoul where you can find this. The price can also differ too.

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In Dessert

Wafels and Dinges: Throwdown Wafel by Bobby Flay in New York

June 26, 2012

Wafels and Dinges has been featured on Eat St. and even Throwdown with Bobby Flay. I was at Columbus Square and this cart caught my eye. I saw them a few months ago being featured on Food Network and I just had to see what all the buzz is about. They have won several awards and were well publicized by various publications in New York.

If you were wondering what dinges are…don’t get it confused with dingus. Dinges = toppings.

You can watch the video below from the episode from Throwdown with Bobby Flay.

Looking at the menu, it makes for a nice snack and it’s all under $10. The line wasn’t too long and the staff at the cart were friendly.

de throwdown wafel ($6) was the wafel that beat Bobby Flay. It’s crunch on the outside and light on the inside. The wafel is topped with spekuloos spread and then a load of whipped cream. Spekuloos is like a spread that tastes like gingerbread cookies. It’s simple , but I did have to use a fork and knife to eat it. There was way too much whipped cream to eat it with my hands. I didn’t want to get any on my face or my clothes.

Overall, it was a great experience and I can see why they have won so many awards. Definitely check it out when you’re in New York.

We Rate Wafels and Dinges: