Midtown Lunch

Today, Nick from My Inner Fatty is getting his hands on more Japanese food with the Bento Box Truck.

As good as the Chinese food trucks in University City are… the wait times are sometimes just plain absurd. When I saw a crowd of roughly 30 people waiting next to Kim’s Oriental, I weighed my options. I could stand outside, cold and hungry, or I could try give one of the lesser known options a try. Maybe, just maybe I’d come across a food truck jewel in an otherwise homogeneous sea of grandfather chicken and lo mein.

Finding good Japanese food is a tall task. There’s so much that can go wrong in Japanese cuisine that a thick coating of oil just can’t make up for. Thoughts of soggy katsu crust, teriyaki overpowered by soy sauce, and gummy feeling tempura are all things that plague my culinary nightmares. Sushi? Don’t even get me started on how bad sushi can be, if not done properly. Now, think about getting Japanese food from the back of a food truck. Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen right? Wrong. Continuing on my tour de force of food trucks in University City, I present to you the Bento Box Japanese Food truck (located between 37th and 38th on Walnut), which is actually a pretty decent option if you do have a craving for cuisine from the land of the rising sun.

On my first trip to the Japanese Bento truck, I went with the old classic. Pork katsu. In my opinion, even though sushi and tempura characterize what people first think of when mentioning Japanese cuisine, katsu is one of those dishes served everywhere, and only done well by a few. For me, it’s a benchmark that surpasses all other benchmarks for Japanese food. If it’s done correctly, the first bite into a succulent cut of fresh pork will have a distinctive crunch of panko breadcrumbs, the tender yielding texture of perfectly cooked meat, and a juicy explosion of oil at the center. If it’s done correctly, pork katsu is something that should make all your problems dissolve away, with only the next bite being of any importance. When pork katsu is done wrong, you can get either a lump of tough flavorless meat, or something drowning in oil. For $5, I wasn’t expecting the world. A decently satisfying pork chop would have been good enough. Unfortunately, their rendition is dry, tough, and lacking in any semblance of spice. The portions didn’t help either. You’re also given 2 ‘sides,’ with a couple pieces of vegetable roll, and a small salad, comprising only of lettuce and dressing. Nope, this was sheer and utter fail.

With all this negativity, you’re probably wondering why I’d even recommend this place. Well, here’s your answer:

For one reason or another, I decided to give them another shot (even after fail-fest ’10). I got the beef yakiudon for $4.25. For the cost, you get the same bento box as all the other dishes, with the same exact sides, as well as an entree of stir-fried yakiudon noodles. Cooked on a griddle with tender strips of beef and various vegetables, a cursory glance at this would have you expecting an average dish of slightly ‘overpriced’ (relative to everything else) noodles. This would be true, but after cooking, the Japanese man in the truck pulls out a squirt bottle, and drenches the noodles in a sweet (not-teriyaki) sauce that tastes absolutely fantastic. Properly cooked noodles + excellently mixed sauce is pretty much a winning recipe every single time out. The only gripe here would again be serving size, but this should be a case of quality over quantity.

If you’re wondering why I’ve completely neglected the sushi menu… like I said, sushi is something that’s too easily ruined. I’d rather not take my chances. When it comes to stir-fried noodles, hibachi, and teriyaki dishes though, I think they’d be a pretty good place to try if you’re close, and in the mood.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• I think this is the only food truck solely dedicated to Japanese in the area (no, KOJA doesn’t count)
• Their dishes seem to be on the healthier end of the food truck spectrum
• Wait time is negligible
• I can get sushi from a truck… which is awesome

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• Price vs. quantity leaves a bit to be desired
• Their menu feels really hit or miss
• I can get sushi from a truck? That seems disgusting

Bento Box Japanese Food Truck, Walnut btw 37th and 38th