Many Penn students believe that the area beyond Sansom St. is a foreign land where only Drexel students venture and nothing appealing resides. So, it may come as a surprise that some of the best food is beyond this seemingly uncrossable border. While most of the best food trucks at Drexel park at the corner of 33rd and Arch St., one particular truck at 35th and Market caught my eye and caused me to stop. Foo Truck, an Asian truck that offers unique “foowiches,” is a bright blue truck spotted with graffiti-style lotuses.
As the weather in Philadelphia turns frigid, nothing is better than Asian flavors of Sriracha and lemon grass to warm you. Foo Truck has you covered. They use high quality ingredients, and make everything from scratch, which you can taste upon the first bite. Though it was initially a tough choice whether to get the flank steak or the braised meatballs, in the end, I couldn’t resist the combination of ingredients found in the meatball sandwich. The meatballs (made from fresh ground beef) are braised with soy sauce, ginger, garlic and Asian spices. They are then thrown into a sandwich with thinly sliced cucumber and rice. I added some Sriracha for extra spice. But, to my surprise, the sandwich bread was not a bun or classic bread, but rather a toasted flour tortilla.
Photo by Connie Fan
When I first saw the tortilla I thought the “foowich” would be too messy. I was again surprised to find out that it was wrapped to perfection – so super tight that it didn’t fall apart at all while I ate it. The cool cucumbers were a great contrast to the spicy Asian meatballs, while adding a crunch to the soft wrap. The meatballs were really soft from the braise. My only complaint is that the sandwich could use some more heat (though I tend to say that about most things), so definitely ask for extra Sriracha. The sandwich is $7, like most of their sandwiches, but given the high-quality ingredients I’d say it’s worth the price.
So do yourself a favor and explore Drexel’s campus (which really isn’t that far), and I promise that you won’t be disappointed.
Address: 35th & Market St. (Monday, Wednesday and Thursday), Love Park at 16th & JFK Blvd. (Tuesday), and the Navy Yard (Friday)
Hours of operation: 6:30am-3:00pm (Monday-Thursday), 7:00am-3:00pm (Friday)