LE TIGRE IS ROARING AGAIN
`Kick ass' food truck alive with taste
When I hear the word tiger, I flash back to a trip to Kerala in southern India where tigers roamed the forests near our ecolodge; of going on a hot hike with an old tribal guide in dhoti and sandals whose only words were “Tiger, tiger” pointing to the valley below.
I flash to a guide on a forest walk pointing to a mud hole with paw prints, saying: “Tiger was here not long ago.” And to the high-pitched barking sounds of deer near our cabin, sounding a tiger alarm in the night.
Curdling fear is my response to “tiger.” But in Vancouver, I run toward a tiger, or at least Le Tigre, as the French would say.
Le Tigre is one of my favourite food trucks and I was really sad when it went extinct last year after a seven-year life. Owner Steve Kuan bought Le Tigre and Torafuku restaurant from his partner, and while both were “kickass,” to quote the name of one of Le Tigre's popular rice bowl dishes, Kuan said, “I couldn't manage both at the same time.”
Then, in April as the pandemic ramped up, a food truck became available and Kuan bought it,
dressed it up and put Torafuku sous chef Jace Yun in charge.
The truck was broken into and vandalized twice, but it's up and roaming four days a week over the lunch period at various locations. And I say welcome back!
Tip: At 33 Acres, 15 West Eighth Ave., you can order off the truck and eat it inside with a beer if you wish.
Dishes are influenced by Japan, Taiwan, Korea and Vietnam, capturing the boldness and the vibrancy of their cuisines. Kuan brought back the hits on the menu like the kickass rice bowls with three toppings and the popular brussels sprout salad. Having trained at Cioppino's and La Belle Auberge, he knows
the drill in using local seasonal ingredients where possible. Yun is from South Korea, and he added in some of his delicious personal favourites.
The kickass bowls ($13) start with rice, infused with ginger, garlic, sake, butter. It's crowned with a perfect poached egg and choice of toppings. The beef brisket topping is braised in apple and pear purée, daikon, orange peel, soy sauce and sake and served with seven spice mayo and Thai chili. Crispy chicken is brined with cumin, coriander and lemon, then coated in yam starch before hitting the deep fryer. It's served with the same condiments.
The third topper is a medley of brussels sprouts, cauliflower, red cabbage, Parmesan, capers, kale chips and lemon juice. This topping and the crispy chicken are also available as a dish on their own.
Yun introduced a couple of bao sandwiches ($7) — crispy chicken
with truffle basil dressing, slaw, tartar sauce, pickled carrots and radish and candied peanuts in a steamed bao bun. Beef brisket bao comes in a deep-fried bun with gochujang cabbage slaw, pickled radish, horseradish and candied peanuts.
The ugly dumplings ($13) are his work, too, and not ugly at all. There are five plumply filled with pork and shrimp, served with a dip and a mixed herb salad, pickled radish and seaweed. Soy eggs ($7 for two pieces) are soft-boiled, then marinated in soy, sugar, garlic, ginger, a mirepoix and chives. It's served with chewy konyak noodles made from a taro-like root vegetable.
Kuan says that in the new year they're hoping to sell at farmers' markets on Saturday and Sunday. What could be better suited to a pandemic but good food, picked up in an outdoor setting?