Login / Registermy heart is breaking. if it is you, i am sorry. i am so confused. i can't walk away yet without knowing. but you need to give me a bit more.
Meet Vancouver’s newest food truck: Nostradamus Chilean sandwiches
No, they're not hamburgers: the Nostradamus food truck has hot beef and pork sandwiches with 16 topping variations.
Carolyn Ali
Vancouver is so exciting these days! You can be just walking along, minding your own business and then suddenly—what’s that? A brand new food truck!
It’s so nice for those of us who don’t work in the downtown core to see the carts spreading more around the city.
Today I happened upon the Nostradamus food truck, parked on West Broadway just west of Granville Street. It just hit the streets last week and specializes in churrasco and lomito, which are Chilean-style hot sandwiches. At first glance, they look like hamburgers, but they’re stuffed with slices of grilled-to-order top sirloin beef (churrasco) or pork (lomito) rather than a hamburger patty. You can get the same meaty filling in a hot-dog bun, called a “hybrid hot dog”. Or, if you really have no sense of adventure, you can order an ordinary hot dog.
All of the above are offered with a choice of 16 topping combos. Some of these are named after the colours of a nation’s flag: for example, the Italian churrasco comes with tomato, avocado, and mayonnaise, mimicking the colours of the Italian flag. The Brazilian version features avocado and melted cheese. Prices for the churrasco and lomito run $6.50 to $7.50. Hot dogs and hybrid dogs run $4.50 to $6.
I couldn’t stop to have a bite, and the truck’s website wasn’t up later when I checked for info; its Facebook page also had next to no info. So I called Luis Ronda, Jr., who owns the truck with his father, Luis Ronda, Sr. The pair is of Chilean descent, and it’s their first foray into the food truck business in Vancouver.
Ronda said that the truck has no set location; they started last week on Commercial Drive, but they prefer the Broadway and Granville spot. They plan to frequent that location from Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., but he advises customers to follow him on Twitter @churrascos4u or text 604-671-2179 for the coordinates.
According to Ronda, the Italian churrasco is the most popular variety in Chile. The truck’s name, Nostradamus, doesn’t have a direct connection to the sandwiches: it just indicates that they’re offering something “epic”.
Has anybody tried these Chilean sandwiches yet? What do you think?
Follow Carolyn Ali on Twitter at twitter.com/carolynali
Menu is a large array of options to have on either beef or pork, might be a bit overwhelming for some.
I ordered "The Poor Man's" Churrasco. It was pretty hefty with probably 5 or 6 ounces of sirloin, melted cheese, an egg and fried onions. It was all on a better than average (both in size and taste) hamburger bun.
The steak was very lightly seasoned (perhaps too lightly for some tastes), but the overall package was very satisfying. The Poor Man's reminds me of a good philly cheese-steak sandwich.
I'll definitely go back again sometime to try a different sandwich from their menu, but since they use styrofoam for their packages, I'll have to remember to bring my own container or plate.
We can't wait to try it. I really hope they're like the ones made back in Chile. My whole family screamed in glee when we learned of this new truck. If Chileans are making them and fellow Chileans approve of the sandwich, then it is a damn good sandwich!