Across the country there are telltale signs that spring may finally be giving way to that most anticipated and fleeting of seasons: summer.
In North Vancouver, summer's imminent arrival is marked by the return of a relatively new phenomenon: food trucks in Shipbuilder's Square every Friday evening now through October.
Pulling into town like a culinary carnival on a limited engagement, the food trucks, which are part of the weekly Shipyards Night Market series in Lower Lonsdale, present bright colours, rousing sounds, enticing aromas and big, bold flavours. This is the third year that the rejuvenated shipyards have played home to the night market, and the concept clearly works.
The crowd begins to take shape before vendors have properly opened shop for the evening and then swells into a sea of eager al fresco diners, shoppers, and dancers as the sun approaches the horizon. The dozen food trucks present for last Friday's opening night filled "Hot Food Alley," the walkway heading east from the main square towards the pier. Thousands of market-goers descended on this season's inaugural event and attendance is expected to increase in the coming weeks. Night Market organizer and president Ingrid Doerr says that at the height of summer, upwards of eight thousand people will visit the event every Friday evening.
"We started off with maybe one or two food trucks and now we have 15," says Doerr of the Night Market's continued growth.
"[The Market] is kind of a one-stop shop where you can find everything. We aren't a farmer's market, we aren't a concert series, we're kind of everything".
It was with undeniable giddiness that I surveyed the scene, devising an ambitious food sampling strategy as countless flavour combinations played out in my mind. I began my journey with an order of crispy risotto balls from Street Meet, a Mediterranean vendor that makes use of local, seasonal ingredients. The risotto balls were an exceptional way to kick things off, their thin, crispy shells gave way to a rich and creamy centre filled with fresh-from-the-pod spring peas and the pleasant bite of good quality Parmesan.
To contrast the richness of the risotto I next visited JJ's Trucketeria for the sweet and salty Filipino barbecue pork sandwich, a mountain of succulent marinated pork grilled to caramelized perfection and unabashedly piled atop a bed of homemade slaw, all on a soft dinner roll. Not being one to shy away from the truly excessive, I added a fried egg to the order and then squeezed a liberal dollop of sriracha over the whole creation. Priced at just $5.50, the resulting sandwich was nothing short of remarkable. Sensing a lack of available stomach capacity quickly approaching, I stopped mid-sandwich to visit Guanaco, a Salvadoran vendor that specializes in papusas, thick corn tortillas generously filled with pork, chicken, or beans and cheese. I chose the latter and was pleased by the freshness and simplicity of the dish. Papusas are tasty, hearty fare and, served with a side of cassava fries at Guanaco, represent exceptional value at just $9.50 an order.
Vancouver's food truck scene was recently ranked third in North America by Travel & Escape, just behind Portland, Oregon and Austin Texas. This is high praise given how recently our city's food truck vendors were issued their permits to operate. It is heartening to see the North Shore supporting the movement so readily.
