While walking in University City I passed by the International Foods and Spices Grocery Store and hoped I could stock up on some fun grocery items. The store mainly specializes in Indian and Pakistani food products (canned, frozen, dried, etc). I ended up leaving with 4 bags of groceries and lunch.
Posted at 8:37 am, June 9th, 2011 under Indian, University City.
Back in September, Nick raved about the bulgogi platter at the Koja truck. On a return trip I wanted something less plattery, more portable, and as cheap as possible. My eyes immediately went to the cheapest meal on the menu- a $3 bulgogi cheesesteak. Same great meat, lower price, portable, perfect. Was this going to be kid sized though?
Posted at 11:15 am, May 5th, 2011 under food truck, Japanese, Korean, sandwiches, University City.
Yue Kee is a popular Chinese food truck in University City. The menu is super long, and the line of people made me want to chose quickly. General Tso’s Chicken? No. How about Grandfather’s chicken.
Posted at 1:40 pm, April 28th, 2011 under Chinese, food truck, University City.
This week Profiled Luncher Lauren is dining on Lebanese flatbreads called Manakeesh.
After hearing great things about Manakeesh, some friends and I used one of Philly’s few sunny days to walk to the Lebanese eatery. The space is located at 45th & Walnut and its beautiful interior, with exposed brick and artwork, really sets it apart from the rest of the neighborhood. It was my first time having Lebanese food and the staff was happy to help us make our selections. They explained that the restaurant’s namesake refers to folded Lebanese flatbreads with a crispy, doughy crust. Though there are often long lines on the weekends, we went on a Monday and were able to enjoy a leisurely lunch with great service.
For five people, our entire order was only $32 and we got to try a little of everything.
Posted at 11:33 am, April 25th, 2011 under MIddle Eastern, University City.
This week Profiled Luncher Lauren checks out a whole bunch of the burger options for half price at Copabanana. (Hint: Call now and make your reservation for lunch today)
Located at 40th & Spruce, Copa Banana serves standard bar fare with a Mexican and Caribbean focus. Though the dive-like atmosphere scares off some, Copa has become one of my guilty pleasures. One friend is constantly making fun of me for “my Copa obsession,” but I explain to him that it’s all about managing your expectations. You can’t go into Copa expecting a Village Whiskey burger, but if you expect good, greasy bar food, then that’s what you’re going to get. I’m a fan of Copa’s fajitas, nachos, and margaritas, but I didn’t realize until recently that their burgers are half price on Wednesdays from 11:30 AM – 4:30 PM. Apparently, I’m the only person in University City who didn’t know because the restaurant has been packed each time I’ve gone. Even if you’re going for a quick lunch, I would suggest calling ahead to make a reservation.
Posted at 10:47 am, April 6th, 2011 under burger, University City.
While I may have gotten some sugah from my diner experience this week, I was craving some actual dessert. I had been meaning to try the Sugar Philly truck for many many months. Finally I made my way over to University City to check out their treats. The first lesson I learned was that college students love their macarons. So much so that many flavors were sold out by the time I arrived in the late afternoon. The chef even mentioned he might be moving towards a more macaron centered menu.
Posted at 11:02 am, March 24th, 2011 under dessert, food truck, University City.
It’s raining, it’s sunny, it’s raining, it’s sunny… hopefully you can watch the forecast and pick one of the sunny afternoons to pop over to Tyson’s Bees truck on the UPenn campus to check out what everyone has been buzzing about. Chef Tyson’s truck food is inspired by Korean and Thai cuisine. I highly recommend taking your food to the nearby courtyard of some Penn building (I am sure some Penn students can help us out with the name) which has tables overlooking a koi pond.
Getting food at the Tyson’s Bees means that for every time you first open your styrofoam container you will be greeted by a visual spectacle that you would never expect came from a truck. It doesn’t even matter what camera you have, snap a pic of their wares and your friends will think you should be a photographer for a magazine. It’s kind of like taking a picture of Gisele, it can’t be bad. Oh, and it all tastes pretty good too.
Posted at 11:58 am, March 21st, 2011 under food truck, University City, Vietnamese.
