[Vancouver] Roaming Dragon

By Jess Thursday August 4, 2011

Since Mike and I had a light lunch, we decided to grab a quick snack. As we were heading downtown, we decided to check out Roaming Dragon, which took home the 2011 Best Food Cart award from Vancouver Magazine. The city seems to be filled with a ton of food trucks these days, which didn’t exist last time I was home – about a year and a half ago.

Roaming Dragon food truck

We arrived on a Sunday around 1:30 and were surprised to find that there was no line. Maybe it was because we missed the lunch rush – evidenced by the fact that one of the items was labeled “sold out.” I imagine the truck gets pretty busy during the weekdays at lunch. Since it was nearly two o’clock I was afraid we’d miss out on the truck altogether since they pack up once the food runs out.

The truck is bright red and adorned with hanging lanterns. You won’t miss it! They have a limited menu featuring Asian-inspired dishes. They have three $3 items – Korean short rib taco, Chinese pork rib slider and fried rice balls; and three $6 items – chicken karaage (which was already sold out), a Roaming Dragon sub (banh mi) and a soba noodle salad.

Since we had just come from lunch, Mike and I decided to share a Korean short rib taco – Marinated beef short ribs with sesame sautéed spinach, bean sprouts, carrots, and shitake mushrooms, topped with Korean bbq sauce and nori, served in a corn tortilla ($3). It was pretty small and very messy to eat. The tortilla didn’t hold up well at all and got really soggy from all the sauce. As for the taste, it was decent but not great. For the “best food cart” in Vancouver, I was expecting something pretty amazing.

Korean short rib taco & Chinese pork rib slider

We also shared the Chinese pork rib slider – braised pork cured in Asian spices, with pickled cucumbers and green onions, topped with hoisin sauce and served in a steamed bun ($3). These Chinese pork buns seem to be all the rage these days. The slider was similar to the pork belly bun I had at Momofuku, just not quite as good. The pork was tender and tasty and stuffed inside a slightly sweet steamed bun. Similar to the short rib taco, it was good, but it certainly didn’t blow my socks off.

Overall, I’m surprised this is considered one of the best food carts in Vancouver. The two items we ordered were good but they weren’t anything amazing. But for $3 each, they made for a pretty good snack!