With the growing popularity of fusion cuisine, I decided to eat at a food truck that was at the weekly Off The Grid food truck rotation near the Caltrain in Belmont. The truck was called Mobowl; it’s quite similar to the restaurant Asian Box. At the truck, one selects a protein followed by a choice of two add-ons. In addition, an egg can be added on top of any meal for $1.50 extra. Just a small spoiler: the egg goes really well with the meal, so definitely try it out.
The selection of proteins includes: tofu, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, spiced pulled pork, peanut-pesto chicken, chicken curry, Mongolian beef, sweet and spicy fried chicken, and garlic prawns. The proteins vary in price between $11 and $14, but they all come with the aforementioned two add-ons. Aside from that, they have a special fish protein; this week it was it was ahi tuna for $14.
The add-ons include white rice, brown rice, seasoned fries, spring salad, and garlic noodles. If you do happen to order the salad, a choice of tomato balsamic vinaigrette or a house vinaigrette is available.
Select a protein (all are probably just as delicious as the pork), and pick your two additions to complete your meal.
I ordered the five spice pulled pork with white rice, seasoned fries, and an egg. The pulled pork was extremely tender and stringy; the spices made it slightly sweet when it first stimulated the palate, and eventually took on a subtle tanginess and tickled the tongue.
The white rice went excellent with the meal as it absorbs the rich yolk of the egg. The yolk was still runny and exploded with a cascading ichor which marinated the meal. It gave the rice a great flavor and fattened it up quite nicely. The crispy edges of the egg gave it a nice texture, allowing the smooth and soft yolk slowly firming into the crisp, almost chip-like nature of the edges.
The fries were very good as well. They were nice and crispy with a good firmness to them. Unlike other places, the fries did not taste as though they were reheated. The spice on the fires gave them a slight sweetness and savoriness as well. Oddly enough both coincided at the same time, which created an interesting dichotomy between the two flavors.
In order to experience the complete flavor spectrum, mix the meal up a little bit.
To those who are in love with Sriracha, they’re available to add some more spice to your meal. It supposedly goes well with the food, at least according to the other customers who doused their meals with the sauce. They also have ketchup, and for lovers of spice, the super hot sauce is available.
From the trio of sauces available, pick the sweet one or add on some liquid fire.
Overall, the meal itself was quite light despite how much it contained. It is quite good for after a tough track practice or workout. It seems decently healthy (keyword “seems”), so you don’t have to feel so bad about eating it.
If this truck goes back into rotation, definitely take your money here. For a seemingly healthy and light meal for a good price, it is worth your time — it’s quick, and the food comes out within five to 10 minutes. Look for this Asian fusion truck the next time you go to Off The Grid.
