Noshwellmenu

Le Tigre is a self described, modern Asian food truck that roams the city making pit stops in Downtown, Granville Street, Railtown, Cambie Street, and the occasional farmer’s market. Their seasonal menu offers less than a dozen items, mostly contemporary and locally interpreted versions of popular Asian street snacks.

Case and I happened upon Le Tigre at the Trout Lake Farmer’s market. Their brightly bold and sunshine hued propaganda style artwork emblazoned truck is easy to spot in any crowded spot, practically radiating from where it sits.

The Warm Brussel Sprout and Cauliflower Salad ($4.25) — roasted and dressed with capers, lemon juice, parmesan cheese and cracked chillies.

We started with the Warm Brussel Sprout and Cauliflower Salad — Brussel Sprouts being one of the least Asian things we can think of — but the nicely roasted veggies sang with flavour and had a beautiful texture. The tartness of the lemon juice and capers balanced well with the dusting of parmesan cheese and some slight heat from the chillies.

Le Tigre’s Steamed Bun with BBQ Pulled Pork ($4.25) stuffed with cabbage slaw, cilantro, basil, and sweet chilli bean sauce.

Le Tigre’s steamed bun is their own take on the now ubiquitous “Asian” burger: fall-apart pulled pork, drenched in sweet chilli bean sauce with crunchy slaw and fragrant hits of cilantro and basil. The steamed bun itself had a nice flavour, but wasn’t hearty enough to hold it altogether making this bao a seriously messy endeavour.

The Finger Licken Popcorn Chicken ($5.5) is marinated chunks of fried chicken served with a side of spicy mayo.

Finally, the Finger Licken Popcorn Chicken is a box full of seasoned, bite-sized chunks of chicken; lightly battered to provide a gentle crunch. It’s served with a side of spicy mayo, which we didn’t find the least bit spicy, and mostly unnecessary as the chicken stood well on its own.

For under $18, including tax and tip, Le Tigre’s street food offerings hit the sweet spot for portion and value. There really isn’t a full-blown meal to be had here, but snackers will definitely walk away happy.

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