You could say that Ryan Spong, co-owner of Tacofino, is a massive fan of fish tacos. In fact, he is such a devotee that he actually convinced Kaeli Robinsong, Jason Sussman, and Amy Bockner to bring their taco-truck concept from Tofino to the mainland in 2011. Even better, he morphed from enthusiastic customer to part owner.

Sitting to the side of the truck at Burrard and Dunsmuir, Spong bites into his favourite taco, and deconstructs what makes it so good. (Tacofino’s second truck parks at Robson and Howe streets; to find them, follow the @TacoFinoCantina Twitter feed. The new Tacofino restaurant is slated to open at 2327 East Hastings Street in June or July.) First, there’s the toasted flour tortilla, which Spong says keeps the taco together and soaks up the juices better than a corn tortilla. Then, of course, there’s the fish. Tacofino uses chunks of sustainable lingcod that are deep-fried in a light tempura batter. “There’s not too much batter but there’s still crunch,” explains Spong.

Next, there’s a salsa fresca made daily with finely chopped tomatoes, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, and lime juice. And finally, the battered fish is topped off with finely shredded cabbage and a creamy chipotle mayo. As for making sure you don’t end up with more taco on your lap than in your mouth, Spong recommends a three-bite manoeuvre: one on each end, and then the middle to finish it off.

You can try this technique on Tacofino’s Tuna Ta-Taco, made with lightly seared albacore tuna, wasabi-ginger mayo, mango salsa, and seaweed salad, or on a limited-time-only taco that takes advantage of spot-prawn season. “Spot prawns are really sweet. They’re local. They’re beautiful,” raves Spong. Co-owner Sussman strolls over and explains that, over the next month or so, the spot prawns will be offered in the tacos tempura-battered, or sometimes wrapped in bacon and then grilled.

Down at False Creek, Travis Mason, chef at Go Fish (1505 West 1st Avenue; second location at 1521 West Broadway), has some spot-prawn items on the menu this season but is sticking to salmon and albacore tuna for the fish tacos.

“Our salmon taco is dynamite,” he says, taking a break from prepping in the shack. He claims that Go Fish is the birthplace of the salmon taco—others are just pretenders. He sources the fish straight from the docks, so depending on availability and seasonality, the taco could feature local sockeye, chum, or spring salmon. Mason says salmon is great in a taco because of its higher fat content and pronounced flavour.

To amp up the taste even more, the fish is seasoned with spices and herbs like cumin and fennel, grilled, and then cut into strips that are placed in a flour tortilla. He then adds a zippy coleslaw seasoned with sesame oil, rice-wine vinegar, cumin, fennel, and coriander; fresh house-made salsa; cilantro; daikon sprouts; and chipotle crema.

The other taco on the menu is made from seared albacore tuna, wasabi crema, nori, and ponzu sauce, as well as the coleslaw, salsa, and daikon sprouts. While Go Fish does offer a Baja-style battered Pacific cod taco in the winter, during the summer the crazy number of fish ’n’ chips orders keeps the deep fryer otherwise occupied.

Baru Latino (2535 Alma Street) also does a deep-fried–fish taco. As sous-chef Matthew Wilson explains during a phone chat, they bread their fish in panko and a spice blend that includes ancho chilies, cinnamon, brown sugar, and pepper. “Panko has a nice crunch. Also, panko doesn’t absorb the oil as much as other breadings.” Wilson uses halibut for its firmer texture: “When we cut it into sections, it keeps its form and shape. And in the mouth, it has a nice texture. It takes to breading really well.”

Each order consists of three corn tortillas topped with the deep-fried halibut as well as a mango salsa of diced mango, red peppers, red and green onions, jalapeños, and chipotle. Wilson says the corn tortillas not only are celiac-friendly but also stay true to the restaurant’s Latin American influences. Plus, the mango salsa has great balance, with the sweetness of the fruit smoothing out the more lively spicy notes of the other ingredients.

As for Baru’s albacore-tuna tacos, they feature seared tuna belly topped with mango salsa, salsa fresca (diced tomatoes, jalapenos, white onion, and lemon and lime juice), sliced red radishes for their peppery bite, shredded cabbage, and cilantro.

The final, optional addition is the housemade habanero hot sauce. “It’s got a kick like a Peruvian mule,” warns Wilson, so use it sparingly, especially if you want to enjoy the fresh and balanced flavours of the meal.

Posted MAY 16 2012 by The Georgia Straight

Posted Apr 30 2012 by Eat St.

Tacofino, The Juice Truck and Mom’s Grilled Cheese are some of Vancouver’s best food carts and everyone at BT got a chance to try them all.

Posted Apr 19 2012 by City TV

GOLD: RE-UP BBQ

Silver: Taco Fino  |  Bronze: Roaming Dragon |  Honourable Mentions: Nu Greek & La Brasserie

How wonderful that we live in a city that can finally sustain a food-cart culture (and even carry grudges when a beloved vendor like Coma shuts down). Last year’s Silver winner, Re-Up, takes Gold this year for its “knock-your-socks-off” pulled-pork sandwich; judges sang odes to the generous, juicy, smoky slow roast pillowed in a Portuguese bun. (Watch for a bricks-and-mortar shop coming to New West.) Taco Fino struck Silver for its unbeatable fish tacos, and Roaming Dragon hung onto the podium (post chef Don Letendre) thanks to deeply flavoured short-rib tacos and crunchy fried-rice balls. Greek purveyor Nu and Franco-German hyphenate La Brasserie took Honourable Mentions.
 

Posted Apr 26 2012 by Vancouver Magazine

Mom's Grilled Cheese Truck near the Vancouver Art Gallery is one of Missy McIntosh's favourite places for lunch.

Missy McIntosh has hot sauce on her chin. But that’s part of the fun of sitting on ledge near the Vancouver Art Gallery on a sunny winter afternoon and being able to devour one of the “pimped out” sandwiches from Mom’s Grilled Cheese Truck.

She laughs as she wipes off the remnants of her “Dine Out — Outside” experience. “If you’re going to eat at food trucks, you have to be prepared to get a little messy.”

The Vancouver blogger (LifeBitesMM.blogspot.com) is taking an extended lunch break from her job as a development associate at Fusion TV to take a tour of some of her favourite food truck vendors. Today, the centre of her food universe is Robson Square. Look in any direction and you’ll see a line up of people, some of them with faces upturned towards the sun as they take a break from their indoor jobs, others chatting with friends or continuing their office conversation. There’s life and energy on the street. “It gets you in a good mood for going back to work,” she says.

One of the things she loves about street food is its sense of community. You watch the vendors make your food and, if they’re good at more than just cooking, you engage with them on a personal level. Friendships form.

Missy’s rules for a successful street food vendor:

1. The food has to be good but the vendors have to be awesome.

2. Choose one thing and do it well.

3. It’s not just location, location, location. You have to let your customers know where you are.

Missy’s rules for enjoying street food:

1. Be a food warrior. “On a rainy day you suck it up and bring an umbrella.” This is a perfect segue for rule number two…

2. Don’t order poutine in the rain. “It tastes good for 30 seconds and then starts to clog up.”

3. Get involved. Don’t just stand there in the line. Be part of the experience.

Some of Missy’s favourite street food vendors (aside from Mom’s, of course):

• Tacofino, Burrard at Dunsmuir
What she loves: chocolate diablo cookie, fish tacos, tuna ta-taco. Tacofino.com

• The Juice Truck, Water and Abbott
What she loves: hot chocolate, featured soup/ the Almost Chocolate Smoothie, healthy faux ice cream. TheJuiceTruck.ca

• Re-Up BBQ, Hornby at Georgia
What she loves: pulled pork sandwich.ReUpBBQ.com

• Coma, best to check Twitter for locations
What she loves: Bim Bap, Jap Chae, Korean BBQ burrito. Twitter: @ComaFoodTruck

• Mangal Kiss Mideast BBQ, VAG Plaza on Georgia
What she loves: shishlik, a local meat kabob with fresh veggies, sauces, and toppings, wrapped in Iranian flatbread. No website

• Soho Road, Smithe and Howe
What she loves: naan kebabs. EatSohoRoad on Facebook

• Fresh Local Wild, W. Hastings and Burrard
What she loves: albacore tuna sashimi, salmon and chips, albacore tuna melt. FreshLocalWild.com

Two of Missy’s favourites — COMA and The Juice Truck — will be featured in the upcoming season of Eat Street on the Food Network. Season 3 airs Wednesdays at 7pm starting April 4.

Posted Apr 20 2012 by WE Vancouver

GOOD CHOICE RESTAURANT | I love the serendipity of living and eating in this city! From the outside, Good Choice Restaurant (6007 Fraser St., 604-325-9788) doesn’t inspire confidence. It looks like a joint that doesn’t care too much, but I’m telling you, it does. Staff are smiley and make a fuss over you. Plates are changed frequently, tea is topped up without asking. Most importantly, the kitchen sends out seriously good food for $12 to $15 a dish. Chef Raymond Ma’s chiu chow duck and his stir-fried scallops with celery, ginger, and XO sauce won accolades at the Chinese Restaurant Awards, but there are many more noteworthy dishes. The stir-fried shrimp with tea leaves are cooked perfectly, just edging past the point of translucence, and the singing chicken had me singing along. Other standouts: beef brisket cooked in a sweet soy sauce, sliced thin and served on a bed of sliced cucumbers; salted, spiced, and baked whole free-range chicken presented to the diner before it’s whisked back to the kitchen to be carved; a delicate fried-rice dish with crab roe, dried scallops, and Chinese sausage. Good Choice might be a silly name, but it’s a fitting one. —Mia Stainsby

PHNOM PENH | In all the years I’ve been going to Phnom Penh (224 E. Georgia St., 604-682-5777)—through various lovers, two husbands, and a legion of out-of-town friends—I’ve always had the same dishes: the famed butter beef, the chicken wings that seemingly every table orders, the tasty lemon pepper squid, and an order of pea tips for contrast. A dinner last summer with Asian food expert Stephen Wong that was designed to impress a Japanese friend failed miserably in its intent—she didn’t like any of the food—but it gave me a whole new set of favourites to order, like the giant, sizzling bánh xèo (Vietnamese crepe) stuffed with pork bean sprouts and vegetables, and the Vietnamese chicken salad with cabbage, carrot, and mint. Best of all was the spicy, garlicky Dungeness crab. It has to be ordered in advance (but not very far in advance, since they just nip down the street for a live one). Have it house style, fried and crunchy, with browned onions and loads of cilantro. Don’t bother with the crackers; use your teeth so you can suck the sweet, sour, crispy, spicy outside shell as well as the juicy meat inside. It’s noisy, messy, and sublime, and goes for market price, which means a big one is about $40. —Christina Burridge

CAMPAGNOLO ROMA | The high point was debating whether we could in fact taste the pig brains in the squash and taleggio dish. Doug said no. Leanne argued that you couldn’t taste it, but could mouth-feel it because brains have the texture of toothpaste. I said, no, brains are like spongy rubber. Libor said, no, they’re only like that when they’ve been cured. So went the evening when Campagnolo Roma (2297 E. Hastings St., 604-569-0456. Campagnoloroma.com), which has brought inventive Italian to a mini-mall on East Hastings, put on a unique family-style dinner in November that specialized in alternative animal parts—part of the culinary zero-waste movement, I supposed. The meal included slices of pig heart with artichoke, rigatoni with calves’ intestines (like little tubes of powdery octopus), tripe in tomato sauce, the aforementioned brains, a beet-celeriac salad with pig-snout crackling and thin strips of pig ear, and a chocolate and pig-blood pudding. Here’s what I learned: 1. Tripe makes me heave (though Libor, from the Czech Republic, had multiple helpings). 2. Pig ear tastes like unrendered bacon fat mixed with gelatin. 3. I can eat a lot of strange stuff if it’s artfully disguised. —Frances Bula

TACOFINO | There’s been a lot of hullabaloo about our food carts, but unless you work in the downtown core, they’re of little everyday consequence. I work in South Granville, so it was no small moment a few months back when word spread through the office that Tacofino’s blue truck (Burrard & Dunsmuir, Mon-Fri, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., for weekends check Twitter, 778-870-6436.Tacofino.com) was in the ’hood. I was vaguely familiar with Tacofino from its Tofino roots, but also aware that Mexican food in Vancouver is of two varieties: the chichi style of crap served to people who like to “Cadillac” their margharitas, and the smaller joints that fuss over inherently casual food and then charge too much for it. The introduction of four wheels and an internal combustion engine seemed just the thing to change that. And Tacofino’s fish taco proved to be a wake-up call. It wasn’t just that they use crisp lingcod, which has just a glisten of oil left on it and that workingman’s flavour that halibut can’t match. It was the subtle chipotle mayo that was actually made with chipotle. It was the crunch of the cabbage, the salsa fresca that was, in fact, fresca. I sat in my office, hunched over, elbows splayed sideways, revelling in this glorious mess every day for a week. Then, just like that, the truck was gone. Greener pastures turned out to be the oh-so-cool streets of South Main, and for a while I made the 12-block pilgrimage, but eating alone on a park bench was too sad-Keanu to bear. We had a good thing for a few days, now it’s over. But their spot’s still free. —Neal McLennan

SZECHUAN CHONGQING | My most memorable meal is one I repeat several times a month. Sunday mornings at the Szechuan Chongqing (2808 Commerical Dr., 604-254-7434) with the men in my life (my twin boys and David) communing over our favourite dishes is a sacrosanct ritual that binds us deeply. As we sit down, our sleepy waiter says automatically, “Deluxe Tan Tan?” and soon a steaming bowl of soupy noodles with glistening meat sauce made of ground pork, sesame paste, pickled vegetables, and chili oil arrives. It changes subtly—sometimes it’s a little more fiery, sometimes it’s creamier with extra sesame paste—but it’s always comforting and sustaining. Talk is silenced for a few moments as we contemplate each earthy, savoury, spicy mouthful. Our customary dishes continue: silky won tons in spicy peanut sauce with their addictive smoky intensity; crispy fried chive and prawn dumplings; tender pan-fried pork dumplings that squirt juicy broth; and, maybe, if we feel the need to atone for Saturday night excesses, a virtuous and garlicky platter of wok-fried bok choy or pea shoots. In this city we enjoy a rich variety of tiptop Chinese cuisine, but for me, a Sunday anointing of Chongqing’s solid standards is a memorable family pleasure. Can’t wait for next weekend. —DJ Kearney

HAWKSWORTH | Before dining at Hawksworth, I’d been on a run of reviewing mostly average, casual comfort food spots with counter service and long lineups. Collectively, they were so far removed from anything remotely elegant that the experience at the newly unleashed Hawksworth (801 W. Georgia St., 604-673-7000. Hawksworthrestaurant.com) in the renovated Rosewood Hotel Georgia came in bold relief. Much had been written and whispered of the food, and our meal was as good as the gossip attested, the best I’d had in ages. After supping on Sloppy Joe cuisine for so long, I couldn’t help but slash through the foie gras parfait, vacuum the delicate spot prawn and bacon soup, and massacre the chorizo-wrapped halibut. I literally destroyed my supper with a hunger born of tedious exposure to low-brow ubiquity. But what spun me most was the restaurant’s adherence to forgotten service protocols. From spreading linen napkins on laps to proper mise en place, they didn’t put a foot wrong, and I luxuriated in the attention to detail. We don’t do “fancy” well in Vancouver. It’s not in our nature to either deliver it or subject ourselves to it. Hawksworth reminded me of what we’re missing, and it’s plenty. —Andrew Morrison

SAVE ON MEATS | In a year of extensive travel and dining, the meal that stays with me was a quiet lunch at Save On Meats (43 W. Hastings St., 604-569-3568. Saveonmeats.ca). It was the first warm day of summer, and I was welcomed to the spare dining counter by an enthusiastic service team. The menu was chock full of diner classics, made from scratch and priced for incredible value. I tucked in to the Save On Meats Burger, which was generously portioned and humming with juicy, beefy goodness. The man on the next stool chatted with me about the other restaurants that once thrived in the area. (He also told me that, years ago, he hitchhiked with Tom Cochrane and gave him the idea for “Life Is a Highway”). As a child, my family regularly visited the area, making weekly excursions to Chinatown for groceries and other provisions, walking over to Woodward’s to shop, perhaps stopping by The Only for a bowl of seafood chowder. Over the neighbourhood’s long years of decline, Save On Meats soldiered on, providing real food to a neglected clientele, until it closed in 2009. For long-time Vancouverites like myself, it was deeply gratifying to see a revitalized restaurant reopen last year, once again serving the community at the heart of the Downtown Eastside. —Lee Man

ENSEMBLE | Wine-pairing dinners can be hit-or-miss (beware the winemaker who delivers a 20-minute lecture on sur lie while your soup gets cold), but a fall evening at Ensemble (840 Thurlow St., 604-569-1770. Ensemblerestaurant.com) saw former Top Chef Canada competitors Dale MacKay, Rob Rossi (Bestellen, Toronto), and Connie DeSousa (Charcut, Calgary) collaborating on a meal that was both educational and infinitely pleasurable. We began with canapés that included a creamy chicken liver mousse served on crackers dotted with caraway seeds, paired with a Premier Cru Champagne (its yeasty, toasty richness playing off the cracker spice). Rossi’s scallop crudo was paired with a “sensitively oaked” chardonnay, whose toasty notes harmonized with bottarga (pressed and shaved fish roe) and a smoked Maldon salt. DeSousa’s bison heart kielbasa was rich and gamey, but the organ meat gave the sausage a succulent texture, and the accompanying soft, fruity syrah provided wonderful balance. The highlight of the night, though, was MacKay’s black cod with pork Thai broth. Simple in appearance—a piece of fish floating in a lagoon of slightly cloudy soup—the revelation was the simultaneously sweet, sour, and salty broth (the result of slow-simmering 27 ingredients) that perfectly offset the buttery-rich fish. Bok choy, smoked maitake mushrooms, and a dash of chili oil that left a slight tingle on the lips completed the deceptively complex bowl. —Rebecca Philps

CIOPPINO’S | A celebratory October dinner at Cioppino’s (1133 Hamilton St., 604-688-7466.Cioppinos.wordpress.com). Unable to decide what to order, we asked if chef Pino Posteraro would decide for us. He obliged with a procession of brilliant surprises, starting with escargots in a red wine and port reduction, the richness offset by polenta and a mound of truffle-infused ricotta. Next came prosciutto-wrapped loin of rabbit, cooked sous vide, perfectly tender and moist in a Riesling reduction. Then farmed sturgeon from the Sunshine Coast, Sicilian style (cooked before being lightly coated in garlic-infused olive oil and pulverized bread crumbs). My distant recollection of sturgeon was of smoked oily blandness; these rounds were firm but not heavy, clean and flavourful, lifted by the acidic bite of preserved cherry tomatoes. A pasta dish—a play on mac ’n’ cheese (including efficiently used rabbit bits) was followed by Quebec venison—rare, sliced paper thin, served with a juniper and nutmeg jus. A simple tarte Tatin with apple gelato capped this extraordinary meal. We’d eaten at Cioppino’s many times, yet never tasted any of these dishes. It’s tantalizing fun not knowing what the next offering might be; when each course is a revelation, it’s unforgettable. —Jesse Spencer

Posted Jan 1 2012 by Vancouver Magazine

Once upon a summer there was a food truck in a gravel parking lot in Tofino called Tacofino. We frequented it plenty, because it was good, really good, as in awesome tacos and the best-tortilla-soup-we’d-ever-had good. Rejoice, Vancouver, for now that goodness is here among us, rocking lunches on the corner at Robson and Howe. Keep up with their movements here. Should you ever catch up to ‘em, pounce.

Posted on June 2011 by Scout Magazine

Looking for some adventure? You’ve come to the right city. No matter what time of year, when you start your day in Vancouver, it can take you anywhere.

Vancouver’s mastery of food was once a well-kept secret known only by the people who live here. Nowadays, it feels like hardly a week goes by before an internationally-renown chef opens a new restaurant or local talent innovates on Vancouver’s longstanding tradition of sustainable Northwest cuisine.

Locally sourced, ocean-wise ingredients are a way of life in Vancouver, not just a trend. Sushi and Japanese izakaya restaurants are still, by far, two of the most popular dining experiences in the city.

The Asian influence in our cuisine here turned up almost everywhere in this video, from the Mussels Congolaise at Chambar to Japadog’s uniquely Vancouver street creations to gourmet sushi at Lift Bar and Grill.

Street food has also gained some serious popularity over the past couple years, proving that Vancouver diners are searching for dining experiences that extend far beyond the stereotypical North American “three square meals.” As afternoon snacks and second suppers gain in popularity, so does Vancouver’s international culinary reputation.

A great way to experience the diversity of Vancouver’s dining scene would be to visit during Dine Out Vancouver™. This is Canada’s largest restaurant festival and it attracts tens of thousands food lovers from around the world.
This year’s festival takes place January 20 to February 5, 2012. For more information, please visit: tourismvancouver.com/dov.

A list of the restaurants and food carts we visited for our segment:

1. Chambar – http://chambar.com
2. Lift Bar and Grill – http://liftbarandgrill.com
3. Imperial Chinese Seafood Restaurant – http://imperialrest.com
4. Cupcakes by Heather & Lori – http://originalcupcakes.com
5. Japadog – http://japadog.com/en
6. Tacofino – http://tacofino.com
7. Fassil – http://fassil.ca
8. Pho Central
9. Himalaya Restaurant

Posted on Nov 1, 2011 by Inside Vancouver

Vancouver has taken a very proactive approach in the establishment of food carts, issuing annual licenses on a limited basis. Each year only a small amount of trucks are introduced after an extensive evaluation process, with vendor vying for space and permits to sell their food. The hopes are that in a few years there will be dozens and dozens of more mobile places to eat, but the city is in no rush to get there. Quality and control is paramount, even if it does create a few bottlenecks in the process. Those lucky enough to be selected hold the privilege in high esteem and it’s this dedication that translates to customers.

Our first stop with Michelle was at Japadog, a Vancouver institution that is now legendary. Put the Western hotdog with Japanese ingredients and out comes the Japadog, something that I can definitely support. Our hotdog had Japanese mayo and nori and was pure heaven. Pace yourself, I said, we have several more places to eat. But I didn’t want to. I wanted to try them all.

Our second stop was at Soho Road, and I shall tell you this: easily my favorite stop of the tour, hands down. I’m not sure if it was owner Sarb Mund’s jovial smile, the warm cup of chai on the rainy day, or the tandoor oven inside his truck that was busy firing naan and chicken. I’ve never seen a moveable tandoor, let alone inside a truck, and marveled as I watched skewered meat hang and cook, followed by naan dough as it cooked by sticking alongside the clay oven’s walls. He only serves a few things, but those few things are done exceptionally well, if not perfect. Yea, I’ll say they were perfect. The Butter Chicken Naan was heavenly, perfectly spiced and tender, with scoops of chopped cucumber and onion for contrast. Rolled up and served, this was perfect street food. Soho Road is on my list of places to immediately return to. Thank you, Sarb!

Our third stop of the day was at Finest At Sea, a food cart that specializes in wild caught seafood. Finest at Sea’s cart is an offshoot of their retail establishment, in business since 1977. We tasted a Curried Halibut, Eggplant & Coleslaw Naan Wrap and washed it down with Green Tea with Ginger and Lime. You couldn’t have fresher, more exhilarating flavors if you tried. Absolutely spectacular.

The last on our stop was Tacofino, a favorite of locals who never shied away from sharing their faves. I’m going to admit that I was a weeeeeeeeeee bit incredulous about trying a taco so far from home, especially a Baja-style fish taco. Up until this point nothing in Vancouver has been less than amazing, would Tacofino be the first to disappoint? You’ll be happy to know that I can say “ABSOLUTELY NOT.” Crispy battered cod with a delicious tempura coating, chipotle mayo, shredded cabbage and salsa fresca on a tortilla met with complete approval from this man. It was exactly what a fish taco should be, minus the chilly rain that was pouring down. I can forgive you for that, Vancouver. Sadly to say I missed the tasting of the Chocolate Diablo Cookie as I was completely stuffed and just couldn’t take one more bite but apparently it’s a favorite, too.

For more information on Michelle’s Foodie Tour please visit www.foodietour.ca. Public tours are available from April through November, with private tours available year round for 4 or more guests. Michelle’s twitter is here and her facebook is here. Thank you, Michelle, you are wonderful!

POSTED November 22nd, 2011 BY MATT @ MATTBITES.COM

The Tofino food truck that is all the rage has finally brought its goodness to Vancouver with its baja-inspired tacos. From black bean or pork gringas (grilled tacos – pictured below) and really amazing battered cod loaded up with pico de gallo and crispy cabbage; let the mouth watering begin. For a mere $3.5 up to $6.5 the kids working this truck are slaving away to make you a deeeeeelicious taco.

All the great tacos at Tacofino are made from scratch with wholesome ingredients. And they try hard to serve up local, seasonal, and sustainable options. And though they do have veggie selections the vegans are SOL.

Thanks to Tacofino I’ve developed a new addiction: the tuna ta-taco; rare tuna tacos with seaweed and mango…how could you go wrong? Except for the fact that they’re too good and you get addicted after the first bite. Fortunately this addiction is running me a mere $6.50 a pop – it’s definitely worth it to avoid the excruciating withdrawal that comes from not getting my daily fix. However, there has been the downside of blowing off plans with friends or arriving at work half an hour late because I was fiending for the tacos.

BTW I hope you like sauce running down your forearms because there’s no other way to go with the tuna.

If for some reason you are not in a taco mood they have other goodness in the truck – like jarritos (mexican soda made with cane sugar), ice cream sandwiches, and slushies.

Tacofino has one huge downfall. They move around. Usually during the week they’re at Robson and Howe from 11-3 and then they’re at English bay (across from the Raincity Grill) from 4-7. And on weekends they are allegedly at English Bay all day. But they might randomly be in Kits on West 4th. Or nowhere because they took the day off. Or they’re running late. Or they left early. Or their truck broke. Or for whatever reason they are NOT there for you when you NEED them. That’s okay, don’t get upset. You have to think of going to Tacofino as a scavenger hunt. You can’t make plans to go to Tacofino – you just have to be happy to find them. So if you do have the good fortune to stumble across their truck bless your good luck and order a couple fish tacos … and a tuna for me, thanks.

Added bonus: they take debit.

Because we can’t all get out to Tofino every weekend. Though we should try.

POSTED July 28th, 2011 BY TASTYTURNTABLE.COM