It’s that time of year – new food trucks seem to be appearing every week – and we’ve got you covered on that front.
The latest food truck to hit NYC is called Sweet Chili, and they serve what the chef and owner, Lisa Fernandes, calls Thaietnamese Cuisine. That’s because there are some aspects of Thai and some aspects of Vietnamese cooking in her dishes.
The way things are set up, there are several proteins and several salads to choose from on the menu. Select any protein, which comes with jasmine rice, and any salad, for $9.
We had a First Look a few weeks ago, when it was only their 2nd day out. That day we enjoyed their eponymous dish, Sweet Chili Chicken. For our 2nd Look, we selected Heavenly Beef and Bean Sprout Salad.
The beef was marinated in coriander, grilled nicely, then topped with a few squirts of sriracha sauce.
The coriander gave the beef an herbiness and the sriracha a little heat, which got stronger as the meal progressed. The beef was a tiny bit chewy, but there was no fat to be found anywhere on the meat.
Every dish comes with jasmine rice, a light white rice that provided a good base for the beef.
We always save salad for last, and use it as a palate cleanser. The bean sprout salad worked well for that purpose.
There were obviously fresh, crunchy bean sprouts, but the other ingredients are what gave this salad some personality.
Orange segments and basil leaves made the cold salad come alive, and the heat level was also kicked up a few notches from the rest of the meal.
The salad was fruity and spicy, always an interesting combo, and it was topped with crispy, breaded fried shallots on top. I don’t think we’ve ever said this before in our life, but the salad was our favorite part of the meal. Sacrilege!
For dessert we got Coconut Candy. This was a little tricky to describe, because it was unlike any “candy” we’ve ever had.
Shredded coconut was mixed with what appeared to be condensed milk, palm sugar, and a touch of sea salt. It stuck together in a rectagular, glutinous mass that was about 5″ long and 2″ wide.
Coconut candy was one of the stickiest, sweetest desserts we’ve had in quite some time, and was also one of the tastiest. If you like coconut, make sure to give it a try.
Sweet Chili is pretty new, and they are still working out their schedule. On Tuesdays and Fridays they are at Lent Space (aka the Hudson Square Food Truck Lot). On Mondays, they seem to be taking our advice and parking on Broadway at 56th St. Hopefully that will continue since it’s right by our office.
To find Sweet Chili, check their twitter here or our Mobile Munchies twitter feed. For more info, you can find their website here and facebook here.
