Comme Ci Comme Ca’s Tilapia Special Rivals Kwik Meal



Even with all the moving of spots and excessive ticketing, the Comme Ci, Comme Ca Truck has been continually offering weekly specials since June. For example last week Chef Samir served grilled tilapia over pasta, and he is still serving it this week. I’ve been thinking about these guys since their recent Vendy Award nomination leak and so I found myself in line at their colorful lime green truck ready to dig in.

Grilled tilapia usually makes me think of one thing: Kwik Meal. I knew it would be tough to try Chef Samir’s fish without comparing it to the perfectly cooked specimen at Kwik Meal (topped with some of their signature green chili sauce).  It’s by far the best fish I’ve ever had from a mobile food vendor.

But Samir’s is a bit different. It’s a great summer dish that’s light and flavorful and might even be a bit more refined than Kwik Meal’s. The tender tilapia is served over a bed of greens and soft rotini pasta, that’s been tossed with cherry tomatoes, black olives, fresh basil, and crispy pieces of cooked tuna fish. These are classic flavor combinations and they work well here. Samir drizzles some of his hot and white sauce over the tilapia, which livens up the usually mild fish.

I think I might slightly prefer Kiwk Meal’s version because of that amazingly complex green sauce and the mastery of the cooking. But this tilapia is a worthy alternative and a really nice lunch for these last days of summer.

Samir tells me they will be parked at their new-ish non-metered spot on 36th and Broadway today and will try 52nd and Park again later in the week. But be sure to check the ML Twitter Tracker to make sure they aren’t forced to move again!

2 Comments

  • User has not uploaded an avatar

    Agreed the tilapia is good (I also have never ordered fish from a truck before), but it just doesn’t work with the tuna fish in the pasta. I would prefer the option of getting the tilapia w/ the cous-cous and veggies or just hold the tuna; it’s too pungent. I’d suggest anyone getting this to try asking for an alternative to the tuna.

  • User has not uploaded an avatar

    I gotta give this a try.

    Speaking of Kwik Meal though, I went there today for lunch and it was an absolute shitshow. The guy taking orders could not get people’s orders filled for the life of him. I was going to get the Tilapia and then I changed my mind because they looked like they didn’t have their act together, and getting fish from a cart is already a sketchy proposition.

    So I ordered Chicken and Lamb combo over rice with spicy sauce (my usual order), and saw the guy completely unable to get the guy in front of me his order right (The guy had ordered 5 meals, for his office I guess). Then he gave me my chicken and lamb combo and I walked off- and it wasn’t til I got back to my desk that I found there was NO RICE. It’s just a big pile of chicken and lamb and spicy sauce and salad. It’s actually a terrific value for 10 bucks I guess, but it’s not what I ordered.

    Anyway there’s some expediting problems at that cart right now.

Leave a Reply

You must log in or register to post a comment.