Wow, You’ve Got Something There! – The Cheeky Boys from Le Tigre.

Things that are Kick Ass

Cute Pink Bow on Male Glasses

Modern Chinese Food

The crew from Le Tigre is very nice.  They are friendly and engaging.  When it comes to their food they are cheeky.  You can see a bit of that attitude from their food truck bumper.  Despite what they say on their bumper, I feel the Le Tigre chefs play with traditional Chinese dishes and update them with western ingredients and cooking techniques and even vice versa to produce tasty creations.  Their food is definitely Asian & tasty but not really traditional or "authentic".

They frequently mix things up and change the ingredients in their food.

I will report what I have eaten but don’t be surprised if their offerings are different from what I described when you show up to their food truck.

My favourite dish is Kick Ass Rice from Le Tigre.  The dish is simple but very flavourful.  The egg, when mixed, creates a richness, the red peppers add a spicy kick and the herbs balance out the dish with a brightness.  When I had the item in the summer and fall they were serving their Kick Ass Rice with Pork Belly (well seasoned, tender and you can’t go wrong with pork fat which is always tasty).  Recently, they were serving Kick Ass Rice with their version of deep fried chicken nuggets.  I prefer the pork belly but in general all the components work very well together.

I also love their miso seafood chowder.  I love chowder but prefer the Manhattan version (tomato based) to the New England version because I find New England versions often are too heavy due to over use of cream. 

So I was worried their chowder was modeled after the New England type.  Carrots, onions, potatoes, celery, and salmon are abundant in their preparation.   I have had Le Tigre’s chowder that also contained shrimp and scallops.  You can taste the miso and the chowder is creamy without being heavy.  There is also a slight lemon after taste, which helps keep this dish light.

I also found Le Tigre’s version of Rou Jai Mo very tasty. 

According to Wikipedia, “Rou jia mo, meaning "meat burger" or "meat sandwich," is street food originating from Shaanxi Province and now widely consumed all over China. The meat is most commonly pork. An authentic Mo (the bun part) is made from wheat flour which is made into a batter and stirred repeatedly for an extended period of time and then baked in a clay or mud oven, but now in many parts of China, Mo is made in a frying pan or a pressure cooker (some even substitute the real Mo with a steam bun) and the resulting taste diverges significantly from the authentic clay oven-baked version.”

If I recall correctly, Le Tigre calls their version pull pork sliders and use a steamed bun (man tou) as the base for their rendition.  I really liked the man tou they used, as it is very soft and fluffy.  The cabbage gave this Chinese burger some crunchy.   The cilantro and green onions added more flavour to the item. The pork filling was very savoury and had a slight kick.  The meat was very tender.     

I really enjoyed the food from Le Tigre and happy to see someone take the challenge of updating Chinese cuisine in fun way.

Le Tigre moves around Vancouver; it’s best to check their schedule on their website (http://www.letigrecuisine.ca/contact-us/) and/or twitter account (@LeTigreTruck).

(On their website I think they mean RAILTOWN and not Yaletown for their Wednesday pit stop)