When I was younger, the only food I would expect to receive on wheels was a cone of soft serve ice-cream from the sweet but toothless ‘Gino’. Safe to say that the food truck movement in L.A. has left poor old Gino with big boots to fill…
Food trucks are not a new thing to Los Angeles. Taco trucks serving traditional Mexican food (I’m talking simple carne asada without the American fusion frills) have been travelling round construction sites fuelling the workers for a long time. However in 2008, Chef Roy Choi created the Kogi BBQ truck, serving Mexican Korean fusion food with the mantra that exciting food should be on wheels and as cheap as $2. Just like that, a symbol of rebellion was born. Following the success of Kogi BBQ, hundreds of food trucks have popped up in its wake, nevertheless chef Roy Choi is widely acknowledged as the daddy of the food truck movement. To see if it was worth the frankly religious following, (137K followers) I checked out one of their trucks, unsurprisingly the food was great.
Food trucks are not a new thing to Los Angeles. Taco trucks serving traditional Mexican food (I’m talking simple carne asada without the American fusion frills) have been travelling round construction sites fuelling the workers for a long time. However in 2008, Chef Roy Choi created the Kogi BBQ truck, serving Mexican Korean fusion food with the mantra that exciting food should be on wheels and as cheap as $2. Just like that, a symbol of rebellion was born. Following the success of Kogi BBQ, hundreds of food trucks have popped up in its wake, nevertheless chef Roy Choi is widely acknowledged as the daddy of the food truck movement. To see if it was worth the frankly religious following, (137K followers) I checked out one of their trucks, unsurprisingly the food was great.
Out of the extensive menu I tried the short rib tacos, the kimchi quesadilla and the spicy pork burrito. Each of these dishes uses Mexican framework (i.e taco, quesadilla or burrito) and then surprises you with unexpected Asian flavors like the sweet, savory and spice flavors of Korean BBQ meat or the chilli soy Kogi slaw. One that really stood out for me was the Kimchi quesadilla. It consisted of kimchi (Korean fermented cabbage) and melted jack and cheddar cheeses in a crispy fried flour tortilla topped with salsa roja and sesame seeds. I think the genius is in this dish’s simplicity as it really showcases the amazing kimchi resulting in an amazing tangy spicy flavor profile.
After being sufficiently wowed by Kogi BBQ, I was obviously dying to try out more of its kind. I am very happy to report that in L.A food trucks are EVERYWHERE. They are at festivals, museums, open air movie showings even weddings (?!?!?). I decided to throw myself in the deep end and visit First Fridays on Abbot Kinney street (aka Hipsterville) in Venice Beach. On the first Friday of every month Abbotkinney is lined with food trucks. Any number from 20 to 50 trucks can turn up each one competing for your taste buds and let me tell you, the competition is fierce!
After being sufficiently wowed by Kogi BBQ, I was obviously dying to try out more of its kind. I am very happy to report that in L.A food trucks are EVERYWHERE. They are at festivals, museums, open air movie showings even weddings (?!?!?). I decided to throw myself in the deep end and visit First Fridays on Abbot Kinney street (aka Hipsterville) in Venice Beach. On the first Friday of every month Abbotkinney is lined with food trucks. Any number from 20 to 50 trucks can turn up each one competing for your taste buds and let me tell you, the competition is fierce!
All the good and great turn up to first Friday, most notably for me, my favorite food truck: The Grilled Cheese truck. This truck obeys the rule of success, pick one specific thing and do it really, really well. If dieting isn’t that high on your priority list you need to try the ‘Fully loaded Cheesy Mac’: a molten mix of mac n cheese with sharp cheddar and sweet BBQ pork with soft onions all encased in crisp buttery grilled brioche. It’s a heart stopper for physical and amorous reasons. Another stand out truck for me was the Piroshki truck. Not only did the Air Streamer look badass but the cheesy piroshki was delicious, think cheese filled donut and you’ll be along the right lines flavor wise.
I think First Fridays is a local favorite for a lot of reasons. The food is great…after all, if you want to be a food truck in LA the expectations are high! More generally, First Friday is also quite reflective of LA’s food culture; you can find any cuisine that you can think of here from Vietnamese to Russian, to French or Korean. Something new that you have never thought of trying is always on the menu and it is really an evening of discovery for your taste buds, whilst the edgy food trucks and characters you find in Venice Beach offer a feast for your eyes. LA food trucks…a true foodie rebellion.
Piece by Lucy Gorman, new FoodGoblin Correspondant!
