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 BBQ Pork and Vegetable on Rice from Wokkin’ on Wheels

A few weeks into the blog and it’s about time we talked about one of my favourite things – food. Of course, I am a grad student so I wasn’t about to visit some fancy-shmancy restaurant. Rather, I dedicate this entry to some of the food trucks and carts on campus. I had walked past them a few too many times not to be intrigued (and hungry). So here goes:

Wokkin’ On Wheels (In front of Robarts Library @ 130 St. George Street)

Directly in front of Robarts, this Chinese food truck always has a line and the whole ordeal has a sort of frenetic excitement to it. Get in line and make yourself seen if you want fast service! This truck is made by the man who runs it, who I have been told is “a real U of T legend”. If not a legend, he is definitely an entrepreneur. He greeted a man who showed up with a boisterous “Hello sir!” and sensing that this customer might be a regular, I spoke with him. Burt had nothing but good things to say. Among other things, the food is “fast, fresh and hot… and great for winter”.

You get some good bang for your buck here; there are a few selections for $5.50 (and many more if you’re willing to break the $6 mark), and these will feed either two people, or feed yourself for two meals (if you show constraint). I had the BBQ Pork with Veggies and it hit the spot on a rainy day.

Just the “Specials” board @ Wokkin – the full menu has over 60 items.

Shwarma Cart (@ Queen’s Park Subway Station, North-West Corner of University and College)

This guy didn’t have the crowd that Wokkin’ On Wheels had, but he definitely had some impressive reviews. Talking to Sharen and Wendy who are recent U of T graduates, they insisted it was the best Shwarma on campus (“better than Ali Baba’s” they claim). I decided I’d put it to the test and order myself a Chicken Shwarma. For $4, it’s not a bad deal and it was truly delicious. It had the perfect amount of spice and wasn’t overloaded with sauce to make the pita a soggy mess by the end: SCORE! The service was friendly and took about 5 minutes. Other advantage? This meal is wrapped up and perfect for lunch or dinner on the run.

It’s all yours for under $4.50 at the Shwarma cart.

Brown Chip Truck (In front of Sidney Smith Hall @ 100 St. George Street)

This chip truck has been around for 25 years now and of the three trucks I’ve mentioned, the service here was the fastest. A popular place, the woman working took orders like it was nobody’s business (but her own) and delivered quick, hot, eats to us hungry students in line. A wide-assortment of typical chip-truck fare, (ie: hamburgers, hotdogs, poutine, fries) I was told that I had to try the poutine by a helpful Engineering grad student named Matthew. A self-proclaimed “Poutine Queen” I was ready and up for the challenge. Limiting myself to a small portion @ $3.75, I promptly took it back to OISE and began to gorge myself. Verdict? Quite tasty indeed. Added plus: hamburgers have the option of grilled onions and mushrooms as topping. Yum!

I DARE  you to eat the Large poutine to yourself @ the Brown Fry Truck.

So check ‘em out if you haven’t already, and if you want to “ye” or “ne” one of these, or another food truck on campus, please do! Looking forward to hearing from you. Also – special thanks to those who added input for this entry!

Bon appetite.