Dash Mobile Cookery
Address and hours: Check out their Street Food app page
Website: https://www.dashtruck.ca/
Green factor: Compostable containers, plastic utensils, no waste bins on site
Many food trucks have to compete against each other, and against brick and mortar places for the food dollars of the hungry masses – but some have a lock on their market. Dash Mobile Cookery is one of these, with their frequent location by the Global Affairs buildings on Union Street comprising a veritable food oasis in a desert of offices and embassies.
After scoping out possible lunch options on the Ottawa Street Food app, I settled on Dash since they were a reasonable bus ride away, and I hadn’t tried them out yet.
On a cloudy but warm spring day, I caught the end of the lunch rush, with a good dozen or more civil servants waiting for their food by the time I arrived. If waiting isn’t your thing, I suggest showing up at 1pm or after.
The menu was just a handful of items, but there was a breadth of options of what I would describe as chef-ed up comfort food. There were meaty choices like brisket fries with queso and pickled onion, and a shredded pork sandwich with slaw and chimichurri, but also vegetarian-friendly dishes like a walnut and flax burger with smoked onion jam, and a BBQ jackfruit sandwich. In the end, I went with their Cubano sandwich ($15).
It was a bit of a wait with all of the orders that were in ahead of mine, but their small crew pumped out dishes very efficiently. I soon had my container in hand and took a short walk to Bordeleau Park to eat by the Rideau River.
Given the price point for the sandwich, I had been hoping that it came with some sides, and I was not disappointed. Several crispy tater tots were a pleasant addition, and some fresh greens lightly doused with a soy dressing brought some much-needed greenery to my meal.
A traditional Cubano sandwich consists of roasted pork, sliced ham, Swiss cheese, mustard and pickles on a crisp Cuban bread. Dash takes some creative license, going with a shredded pork, bacon, a cheese of unknown typology, dijonaise, and a pickle, all on a Portuguese roll. While not a purist Cubano, it was very, very good.
The close up
The shredded pork had a great earthy flavour, and wasn’t too sweet, or overcooked and mushy, while a large slice of quality, thick-cut bacon brought a nice smokiness to the background. I liked that the dijonaise mellowed out that mustard’s mighty punch, while the pickle’s acidity helped tame this hearty sandwich. The cheese helped hold everything together, and the crisp Portuguese roll held up against its fillings, while still being crisp, but not being tough and chewy. This is some top notch sandwich-ing here, folks!
With great execution on creative yet still familiar items, Dash Mobile Cookery is well worth tracking down. Just make sure you avoid the crowd of their captive clientele.
