Truck 9 - Soho Road Naan Kebab

Truck: Soho Road Naan Kebab - Warning Messy and Delicious!

Location: Smithe Street between Howe and Hornby (In front of the courthouses)

Type of Food: Indian

Sidekicks: K and Kristina (Secret sidekick also came but just to enjoy the sunshine)

Food Ordered: 

K and Kristina

• Butter Chicken

Tara

• 1/2 Lamb and 1/2 Hariali Chicken

The Verdict: 
There is a reason why this truck was voted number 1 by Global TV, Top Chef Canada Dale MacKay and MattBites.com.  As we searched for the truck we smelled it before we reached it - it smelled delicious and we could only hope that our taste buds were equally delighted.  Soho Road naan Kebab did not disappoint!


All of the staff seemed really knowledgeable about every dish.  Their descriptions were mouth-watering and made me want to try everything!  I finally decided on 1/2 Lamb and 1/2 Hariali.  They just started half orders and may I say - stroke of genius!


If you like cilantro then the Hariali Chicken is for you.  Originally put onto the menu as part of St. Patrick's day, this dish is cilantro chicken with cilantro yogurt wrapped in Naan packs a mean punch when it comes to taste.  So rich in flavours that I wish I had 4 stomachs to enjoy at least a full one of these!


The Lamb Kebab was made with yogurt and tamarind wrapped in Naan.  Something sweeter to complement the tastes in my Hariali. I also loved the flavour combinations in the lamb.  I love lamb and will definitely be making a repeat trip to have another one of these delicious wraps. 


The reviews on the Butter Chicken, enjoyed by K and Kristina, was that it was great, but would have been better with a little bit more spice.  Also served in a Naan wrap I definitely want to try this and the Tandoori sometime soon!  


Favourite Thing(s) About This Truck: 
The flavour combinations that awakened my taste buds was a thrill that I will not soon forget!  Also the service was incredible!  


The staff was super friendly, knowledgeable and make me want to come back for more!  I think that they were arguably the most knowledgeable that I have met on my journey to date. The other customers also seemed really friendly!


Accessibility: Handy if you are looking for something by the court house.  A bit of a jaunt for us from the skytrain but not too bad on a sunny day!  This location is also great for finding a nice quite place to eat lunch close to nature!


Green Rating: Nothing worthy of note here.  Unfortunately, there wasn't any recycling for the food scraps (but I don't see there being any) or the napkins/paper bags they served the food in.


Warning: These were all so juicy we had to lean and eat by the bottom of our wraps- but it is definitely worth the effort!  Enjoy!


Rumour has it that they will have a second truck or maybe they already do - it's not on the list yet though...I can't wait to try it!


Rating: 4.5/5 
Value:  5/5

I want to try the Vegetarian Option next time

Charming owner and Friendly staff help Kristina

Service with a smile

Wow look at that Tandoori Chicken! Yum! You can smell it down the block!

Hariali Chicken

Lamb Kebab

I can't wait to try it!

Butter Chicken

Movie Stars Enjoying Butter Chicken

Truck 4 - Vij's Railway Express

Cool Cart design!

Truck: Vij's Railway Express

Location: Georgia St between Burrard and Thurlow 
Type of Food: "Curry Art in Motion" - Indian
Sidekicks: Melissa aka "Secret Sidekick" and Kristina 
Food Ordered: 

• Tara - Kale and Potatoes and a Blueberry lassi - in a bag!
• Secret Sidekick - Punjabi Dhal with Rice and Naan
• Kristina - Lucknow Lamb Kebabs and a Kashmiri Chai with Almond and Pistachio Slivers 

The Story: This cart is the newest expansion in the Vij's Restaurant empire.  With the infamous restaurant, take-out and take-home, cook yourself cuisine , and cookbooks already this is a great way to get even more exposure of the delicious food!


The Verdict: YUM!  I loved the atmosphere - we got to meet Vij himself who will be there for a couple of weeks and the variety of food available.  I loved the portion sizes (it kept me full right through my ball game last night). 


Kristina had the Lucknow Lamb Kebabs and they were so good it made her want more even though she was full!  She says they were delicious.  I have heard from others that the lamb at the restaurant is one of the best dishes so I wouldn't be surprised if these were equally as scrumptious!  The only warning about this that I would have is that it was definitely spicy.  I like that and so does Kristina so it was well enjoyed.  For those of you who don't like spice - Erica - I wouldn't recommend this dish for you but with so many choices you will still be able to find something that you like on the menu.  The  Kashmiri Chai with Almond and Pistachio Slivers smelled great, but in regards to Chai tea seemed pretty much the standard.  I love Chai tea so I would even stop by just to get one of these.


Secret sidekick had the Punjabi Dhal and she let me try some.  The spice combination made my taste buds dance for joy!  So delicious and definitely the best dish that I tried.  A great sized portion as well and a completely vegetarian option.


I also had a completely vegetarian option of Kale and Potatoes.  Lots of starch as it came with basmati rice (yum!) and naan bread as well as the potatoes.  I liked the spice combination and I love the super food kale.  I often find a lot of Indian food salty, but I didn't find this with my meal yesterday. The spice combination wasn't as exciting for me as the Dhal, but it was still delicious and worth the wait!


I had the coolest drink ever from the cart to accompany my meal - a Blueberry Lassi in a bag!  I was so impressed by the bag Secret Sidekick and Kristina kept saying I was acting like a little kid!  I would definitely recommend trying this especially if you have the lamb to quench your thirst and put out the fire!

Favourite Thing About This Truck: This food truck will be changing its menu every 2 weeks to reflect moving on the Indian railway across the country.  Read more about the inspiration here.  We will definitely have to try fitting in a few stops to this wonderful cart along the way!


Accessibility: Great location and right across the street from one of my other favourite places The Urban Tea Merchant!   Georgia street between Burrard and Thurlow
Green Rating: It seemed that all of the food packaging, the napkins and the forks could all be recycled.  No food scrap recycling (but frankly I wouldn't have any food scraps as I think I basically licked the container once I was finished). 4/5
Rating: 5/5
Value:  5/5

Vij himself passing out the food to the long line of hungry customers

Vij in action!

Credit goes to http://twitpic.com/9ti70l for this pic - I was having issues taking a picture of the menu on my phone.  The only difference yesterday was the Kale and Potatoes.

My Blueberry Lassi being prepared

Yum! Drink in a bag!

Kristina enjoys her Chai

The view from the street - are those solar panels on top or vents?

Tara and Vij!

Secret sidekick shows us her food

 Punjabi Dhal with Rice and Naan

Lucknow Lamb Kebabs

Kale and Potatoes

Look at the crowd!