That Food Truck

Address: 2160 St. Joseph Boulevard, Orléans
Hours: 11am – 7pm (M – W), (Th – Sat), closed Sunday
Website: Socials only – Instagram and Facebook
Green factor: Garbage bin only on site, compostable container for poutine, foil and paper wrap for sandwiches, plastic utensils

“Hey, you wanna get something to eat at that food truck down the street?”

“Yeah, that’d be great, I’ve been meaning to try that food truck!”

I’m sure various permutations of this conversation have happened countless times in this age of mobile food vendors and poor memories, and I desperately hope this is the tongue-in-cheek origin of That Food Truck’s moniker.

Any time I’m outside of my usual geographic boundaries, I see it as an opportunity to strike off another place from my “To Eat At” list (this 100% exists), and this was certainly the case while out for a hike near Mer Bleue on an unseasonably hot spring day.

That Food Truck is located near the western edge of Orleans, on the charming swathe of asphalt, concrete and strip malls known as St. Joseph’s Boulevard. When my wife and I showed up on a sweltering Saturday afternoon, TFT was still doing a steady business despite it being well past the lunch rush. Good sign!

On its face, the menu is like a standard chip wagon – burgers, hotdogs and corndogs, fries and poutines, and some other deep-fried fare – but with the added options that nearly everything can be made gluten-free, and there’s a handful of vegan options as well!

My wife ordered their grilled chicken sandwich ($8, ala carte) with the gluten-free bun ($3, oof). The chicken had a nice char from the grill and the bun was top notch for a gluten-free bread, and my wife commented that it seemed like a regular whole wheat bun.

Not being bound by any dietary restrictions or preferences, I went with their Basic B ($6.50) – That Food Truck’s blank-canvas, single burger – to which I added cheese, fried onions, fried mushrooms, mayo and mustard. I should have added on a pickle for that complete diner burger flavour profile, but unfortunately, I forgot.

The patty was of a medium-thickness, somewhere in between a thick, pub-style patty and a smashburger, and had a good crust and char from the grill. The bun was nicely toasted, and all my savoury toppings came together well in a hot mess kind of way, although I sadly received ketchup instead of mustard.

A regular-sized poutine ($7) made for a delicious side that my wife and I shared. The fries were wonderfully crisp, with some maintaining a hint of crispness down to the last fry, even with the generous slathering of gravy. The gravy itself had a pleasant, peppery bite and wasn’t too salty, and the cheese curds were plentiful. This was a top-notch potato salad!

Given TFT’s progressiveness with their menu, I was disappointed to see that there weren’t more compostable or recyclable containers/utensils and the appropriate bins on site, but nobody’s perfect I suppose!

That Food Truck is bringing delicious comfort food to the masses – including those with dietary restrictions – and doing it well. If anyone ever asks if you want to try “That Food Truck” down the road, the answer should be an emphatic “Yes!”.