Food trucks are swarming along Abbot Kinney like paparazzi at The Ivy. (Okay, so there were only 3 of them, but that's 3 more than last year.) For me, this sudden explosion of portable eateries had me blushing tonight at the realization that vehicles outnumbered customers. Though I was only here to check out one of them, Marked 5, a truck that serves rice-bun burgers nearly identical to those at MOS Burger, a popular Japanese fast-food joint. (Mountain Ocean Sun; not the green stuff)
My perpetual nostalgia for Japan has a tendency to send me on fact-finding missions like these, so I absolutely needed to know whether or not Marked 5's product not only looked the same but tasted the same.
Okay, so it didn't match up -- the biggest difference being these local burgers are large and cumbersome (great for most Americans!), whereas MOS rice burgers are dainty and bite-size (great for most Japanese!). Both are very saucy, though only one will take the time to grill the rice the way you like it (soft or extra crispy) especially on a slow Thursday evening.
I can only imagine this being the awkward pubescent years in the life of the food truck craze. Some will remain gawky, while others will blossom into something beautiful. Though for our sake, let's just hope they don't all turn into Korean-taco wannabes.
1 comment:
These rice patty items look like they are just getting even more popular as years pass! The first time I saw one of them was at a fusion restaurant, and now I am seeing it here. Truck looks nice though :)
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