tetote - d'best delivery du jour

I love going out to lunch - but sometimes you can't get away from work and must avail yourself to places willing to bring food to you.

And in the case of tetote lunch-box/bento-box delivery - you may be inclined to order "in" more often.

What is tetote?
- one of the freshest, fun & delicious food trucks in Victoria owned and operated by Chef Naotatsu Ito (who previously owned Daidoco in Nootka Court).

In the summers you can find them Saturdays at the Moss St. Market and Wednesday evenings at the Oaklands Sunset Market. They focus on Japanese food - including bento boxes and rice burgers - utilizing many organic, Japanese veggies from Umi Nami farms in Metchosin.

tetote food truck - Moss St. & Oaklands Sunset Markets

But in the late fall, winter & early spring - they'll bring their delicious lunches right to you ...

Portland : Pine State Biscuits & Blue Star Donuts & Trucks!

We're in Portland and the biscuits are calling.

Pine State Biscuits.

P.S.B. started off as a vendor at the Portland State University Farmer's Market (PSU, more important initials to remember) and became so popular, they opened up first one, then another brick & mortar. The original has recently closed to make way for the opening of another permanent biscuitery. Fortunately for all of Portland, they still come to the PSU.

And we were there waiting for them (we and a bunch of other blokes). This is the scene minutes (maybe seconds!) after the 8:30am opening...those aren't people loitering, that's the line-up.

Pine State Biscuit at PSU

But it goes fast, my friends. And Pine State doesn't scrimp on menu offerings just because it's a market stall. They have all their best sellers, including the Reggie (fried chicken, bacon & cheese) and the Moneyball (biscuit & gravy & a fried egg). They have a traditional sausage gravy as well as a mushroom gravy on offer. Being a Canuck, this biscuit & gravy thing is new'ish to me - but once you taste a good one (and Pine State fits the bill perfectly) - you begin to understand the love for this legend of a dish.

Melt Truck - Giving Cheese a Chance

The Melt Truck is a newer food truck on the scene in Victoria. Parked currently on Rock Bay Avenue, near to Bay Street - you can find them nestled under the giant 'Bayliss Sign' sign. It's easy to pull up and get food from them - lots of free street parking...and they're situated IN a small parking lot.

Like you need another reason to stop and have a grilled cheese sandwich?

Melt Truck parked under the 'Bayliss Sign' on Rock Bay Ave

It's a shiny new truck with the daily menu posted to the right of the order window. You can also check their Facebook site for menu updates.

They're open from 7am-2pm Monday to Friday - plenty of time to feed your grilled-cheese needs....

Tacofino - YAX, then YVR, finally YYJ!

Tacofino has finally landed in Victoria....and it hasn't taken long for the food truck aficionados to 'suss it out. They opened on a Monday and with a few tweets and Facebook posts - there are small line-ups forming by the Thursday we're there for lunch.

Tacofino started in Tofino and then opened another truck in Vancouver. Their third meals-on-wheels is back on the island, landing smack dab in the middle of the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre parking lot. They also bring their own seating - with 3-4 picnic tables to enjoy your tacos (or burritos) at. Note: this is the back parking lot, off Quadra, in behind the police station (hey, how did the police get so lucky with a taco truck in their backyard?).

We join the line-up and start targeting lunch selections....

Taco Justice League - showing your hunger who's boss

Bring on another food truck! We may not have many of these mobile-kitchens in Victoria, so we're slowly trying to hit them all (or at least a good chunk of them). My last truck post was Refiner Diner, and now we're stepping into the ring with Taco Justice League.  You can find them in the Wellburn's parking lot on Cook Street, near the corner of Pandora.

Taco Justice League Food Truck

It's a small menu...but everything sounds good, so it's still a hard choice...

Finest at Sea - fish & chowda!

Another (somewhat) sunny Saturday in Victoria and we find ourselves on the search for some fish & chips again – this time next door to Fisherman’s Wharf. Finest At Sea (FAS) seafood (in a green heritage house) on Erie St in Victoria, overlooking Fisherman’s Wharf Park, is a great fish-monger, now wearing a restaurant hat (well, at least a take-out kiosk cap).

The retail fish store inside the house is under construction currently - so sales have been moved outside to a shiny trailer in the parking lot. And the best part - now they're cooking fish in this kiosk to serve! Fish, chips and chowder, to be exact. The small crowd ordering when we're there is an even split between those picking up fresh halibut & salmon fillets and those ready to dive into some yam fries with their halibut burger.

F.A.S. kiosk in parking lot beside store

Bring on the fish!...

Refiner Diner - trucking in good food

Update (May 2014)
Unfortunately the Refiner Diner Food Truck is no more :-(
But....I saw it being reimagined as a new food truck....currently parked in the same space (beside Shatterbox Coffee on Yates St.).
I'll be waiting to visit them when they open.



Food-trucks - I love 'em.

Wish we had more of them here in Victoria - and hopefully, one day, zoning and permit requirements will allow more of these fun and interesting mobile kitchens in town.  Talk to anyone about a great food-truck scene and Portland is usually the first answer (and it's fabulous - the worst part is having to make a choice from so many when you have limited meals while in town).  We may not get to that point in Victoria - but a few more around the garden city would be awesome.

...but I'm loving the ones we have already.

We finally had a chance to try Refiner Diner.  They have recently moved to their new location at 950 Yates St, nestled up to Shatterbox coffee (across from the London Drugs complex).

Look for the diner-sign...

The truck is tucked in from the street...

Food Trucks in Victoria :

Finest at Sea Food Cart

Melt Truck

Refiner Diner

Taco Justice League

Tacofino