Temporarily Halifax's newest food truck until some others hit the scene this summer, Firefly Feast…read morehas set up shop on Gottingen directly across from the North End Memorial Library, in between the creeping gentrification south of Cunard and the infamy of Uniacke Square, to dole out sandwiches and baskets of its sure to be menu staple "firefries". After showing up just a little bit too late on their opening day, I popped back over on a lovely Friday afternoon. Firefly's fire engine red trailer is cozied up with some hanging plants, making their corner of the parking lot a homey one, if your home is on wheels and smells like a fryer. Their menu was compact, comprising of four sandwiches - a Monte Cristo with berry compote, jerk chicken with pineapple slaw, hoisin pulled pork, and a steak sandwich - and their firefries which are a mix of thin shoestring fries, sweet potato fries and crispy fried onions. You can get a combo with a sandwich, firefries and a drink for a respectable $12, taxes in. I went with a Monte Cristo combo, because who doesn't like what is effectively a ham and cheese between French toast? It was a short wait as things were pretty quiet towards the end of their business day, and soon I had a basket of firefries and one for my sandwich in hand(s). I went across the street to sit on a library bench since the gravel parking lot and grassy abandoned lot weren't particularly inviting. The fries were fantastic - all crisp and well seasoned with sea salt, and the rich, creamy aioli on the side was great for dipping. The Monte Cristo is typically a ham and cheese, dipped in egg wash and fried. Mine seemed to be ham-less, but the cheese was plentiful, and nicely melted and stringy. The egg wash added another layer of flavour and the strawberry and blueberry compote was sweet and delicious. It made the sandwich soggy and messy, but that's what napkins are for. If you're in the neighbourhood or even in the proximity, swing by for the firefries for sure. Myself, I'm looking forward to trying more of the menu and continuing to watch this area evolve.

Ok....I am a huge supporter of local, food trucks and this one deserves to be talked about! I was…read morelucky enough to try it at the North by Night Market and was sooo happy I did! They typically have 2-3 food trucks and I had already tried the others, so why not...I thought. First off...the selections of sandwiches were incredible. The flavor combinations and ingredient choices are obviously done by someone who really loves food and understands it. That is most definitely what I am looking for in any food service establishment. Then I tried the firefries, which are an upgrades version of normal food truck delicious fries...if you can imagine. Combining regular and sweet potato fries and with a delicious garlic-y dipping sauce...YES PLEASE! Their prices are completely reasonable and for what you get, it is definitely worth tracking them down!

Located on Sackville Drive at what seems like their permanent location in the parking lot of a dog…read moredaycare, The Ultimate Fry is a small fry truck that's been slinging their deep fryer and flat top fare for 17 years. Their location seems like an odd one, being past the main commercial section of Sackville Drive, but it is just a couple blocks from a junior high school, and they've surely benefited from the provincial government moving to make school cafeteria menus healthier. Ultimate's own menu is what you would expect - hamburgers, sausages and hotdogs, onion rings, the namesake French fries, and poutine (albeit with shredded mozza instead of curds). I was here to try out their much lauded fries, but wanted something more substantial with it so I got a single cheeseburger as well. As they use 4oz patties, I figured that this would be a more than adequate meal. I asked for my fries first since my burger was going to be about 10 minutes, and in a couple minutes had my tray of fries and took up residence on one of their three bright yellow picnic tables. The fries were of a medium thickness, golden brown and skin on - classic hand-cut fries. They were fairly crispy, but it's next to impossible to get fries this thick as crispy as their thinner brethren. They weren't as ultimate as advertised, but were still quite good. Several minutes later I had my burger. It was served simply on a piece of aluminum foil and open faced so I could dress it myself. The toppings were typical for a place that sells tubed meats - chopped onions, banana pepper rings, sauerkraut and pickles. I loaded up with some onions, relish and pickles - the ultimate breath enhancers of toppings. They're not big patties once cooked, and the bun was just your typical small-ish commercial bun. The meat had a good beef flavour and didn't seem like it was from frozen, but it would have benefited from a better crust and some more seasoning. While their name sets a pretty high bar, I feel "The Decent Fry" doesn't play as well, so I'll give them that.

Best fries we ever had. Since we had fries here we've stopped going to other places because they…read morepale in comparison to the Ultimate Fry fries. They use huge potatoes so every fry is long,and they are cut thick, so the fries are substantial and tasty...not like some places where the fries are too small and broken up, and tasteless with lot of hard bits you leave behind. These fries are made to order...they take fresh potatoes and cut them right in front of you and put them directly in the fryer, so no cut up potatoes sitting around like some places. This freshness makes a difference...makes the texture and flavor perfect. The only way you get fries like these is to make them at home...if you know the trick of getting the oil temp and frying time just right...the folks at the Ultimate Fry got it down pat. Quick, friendly service...they're very nice people. Can't beat the Ultimate Fry!

After recently trying to go to Fran's shortly after the truck had taken up residence on its usual…read morespot on King St., and failing because it wasn't open yet, I was pleased to see that they were now posting their schedule on the Street Food App. After a not unreasonable bus ride and walk from the Dartmouth terminal, I was at this mobile, greasy spoon of an institution.  The menu is pretty compact, and is unsurprisingly focused on seafood, with the namesake fish and chips, as well as scallops and Digby clams. Fleshing out the options a bit, there's also burgers, hotdogs and deep fried sides like onion rings and poutine.  Having arrived a just after the lunch crowd would have dissipated, I was able to immediately walk up and place my order, which had to be a single piece of fish and chips. I chatted with the friendly woman working there (Fran herself?) and my food was ready within a few minutes. A table next to the truck was set up with cutlery, seasonings and condiments, including spray bottles of white and malt vinegars. With a few picnic tables set up next to the truck, I sat down in the lightly cool, spring air and dug in. The fish was a hefty size, more than enough to make me glad that I didn't get a second piece. I enjoyed the thick, crispy batter and the fresh fish that flaked easily as I cut it with my plastic fork. A cup of what appeared to be homemade tartar sauce, with a generous amount of chopped pickles or capers, added a creamy tang that went well with both the fish and the fries. The fries were hand-cut, and a very deep, golden brown, but weren't as crispy as I would have liked. They would likely benefit from a blanching in water to remove excess starch before frying, and a double fry.  I appreciated the paper plates, but unfortunately there was only a garbage can and no composting or recyclables bin. Fran's could use a little polishing on the truck and the fries, but one of the original food trucks in the city is definitely doing its fish right.

Homemade french fries. Well, technically, I guess they're truck-made french fries. But they are…read morefantastic! After seeing this little fish'n'chip truck in downtown Dartmouth for months, I decided to finally give them a go. Last year they disappeared when the weather turned cold so I thought it best to get my order of fries when I could. Since I'm a vegetarian, the menu options were limited so I went with the slightly-healthier-sounding french fries over onion rings. In Googling this place (to see if they had a Web site) I discovered the fries are hand-made in the truck each day. And you can tell. They're nice, thick-cut fries. I may have to head back soon to try the onion rings. For all you omnivores, they have fish (fresh from Eastern Passage, I'm told), seafood and burgers too. It was a good experience: just walk up, order, wait a minute, pay, and voila! food. Staff were friendly and happy to have my business.

The latest meals on wheels in Halifax, FoodStruck Cantina, first opened just before the second food…read moretruck rally this year after wading through the regulatory and mechanical fray that bringing a food truck to fruition entails. Based way out in Seaforth, FoodStruck seems to still be working on finding some regular haunts and more than willing to get feedback on their food to polish the menu as well. Although I was working when the food truck rally was going on, I wasn't too broken up as I wouldn't have to put up with the crowds and I knew that FoodStruck was going to be at Bishop's Landing that following Sunday for the last Brunch @ Bishop's event. When my girlfriend and I made our way down to the waterfront, you could hear the tunes coming from the live band performing at Bishop's and there was FSC, along with a few other food trucks. The first thing you notice is the size of the truck - it's a tall one and you simply can't order from the window, so they have someone taking orders from the passenger side door. The menu was compact, but had some interesting options nonetheless - a meatloaf po boy, gumbo, hot dog, muffuletta sandwich, and fries. While the gumbo was tempting, the presence of my seafood-sensitive other half prevented me from getting this, so I went with the Cajun meatloaf po boy, and Cajun fries with cilantro creme dip. My girlfriend went with the muffuletta sandwich. Being that there was no crazy line up, we soon had our food in hand and went to sit on one of the benches by the terraced area between Bishop's and the boardwalk. It was a warm day and perfect for people watching and having a bite to eat. The meatloaf was fine, not dry at all, but wasn't particularly Cajun-y. No punch of spice or pepper, and no noticeable presence of Cajun mirepoix. Topped with a red cabbage and bacon slaw, this also came not as advertised, at least to my taste buds, as there was not a piece of bacon to be found, nor even the flavour. The remoulade did add a spicy kick though, and the bun was just hefty enough to support the meatloaf and toppings without being too heavy, and was toasted nicely. The Cajun fries were just normal, hand cut fries, albeit crunchy and good, and the cilantro creme tasted more like a mild dill than cilantro, although I'm not a big cilantro fan so this didn't really faze me. My girlfriend's muffuletta (hehe, sounds kinda dirty), is an olive salad with deli meats, and although the veggie version was advertised as being out, it appears that that was what she got as the meat was conspicuously absent. Menu error? Kitchen error? Not sure. She liked it with just the cheese that was in it with the olives, but was another example of the refining that FSC needs to work out in their processes. If they can step up the flavours and their attention to detail, FoodStruck Cantina should be able to find a nice little Cajun niche.

I got a tip from a friend that this place was incredible - and he's been around the block a few…read moretimes, so when he says it's good, get your stuff and get there asap. I perused the menu online before heading down to Foodstruck, the plan was to get the Spy Boy with some fries, head home and have a good supper. That was the plan, but it didn't go over like that at all....this is time where everything I thought I knew was right, was wrong. Even though I knew what I wanted, I thought I send Foodstruck a tweet to see what they thought is good. Within minutes I get a response 'Everything's good, but we're partial to the Dux Deluxe'. I go back to the menu, read the ingredients, doesn't really intrigue me. I'm not a duxelle kinda guy unless I'm having Beef Wellington. Either way, time to go. Doesn't take me too long to find the food truck. Cozy area they picked out with a few lawn chairs around, a cute table with condiments, utensils, etc.; very quaint. I look over the menu one more time as I'm still really skeptical about ordering the Dux Deluxe. Before I go up, I notice that with fries you can add 'Pockaway sauce' for $0.50 extra. I read underneath for the main ingredients 'Smoked oyster mayo'. I'll pass on that bad boy, not a big fan of oysters, or seafood for that matter. I get up to order, I go for the Dux Deluxe, still apprehensive; with fries. I chat with the cashier for a couple minutes; she apologizes for the lawn chairs, etc. I laugh it off, I liked it. Very homey-feel. I sit on one of the lawn chairs anxiously wondering if I just ordered something I'm gonna hate. She calls me up and my heart sinks a bit. I get my food to go and as I'm about to leave, the cashier asks if I tweeted not too long ago about the Dux Deluxe, sure did. She introduces herself and husband as the owners (Kim & Joe) and mentioned that they packed in a free Pockaway sauce in my meal. I thank her, and go on my way. I get in my car and nervously open the container - at first, I thought I made huge mistake, but then after a couple of seconds, the aroma hit my nose and it was just so incredible; my car was filled with that delicious aroma. I inspect the burger and notice the provolone cheese oozing off the burger. Right then and there, I knew something that I didn't want to admit - there's no way I'm turning on my car without first devouring this masterpiece. And so I did. The perfect mix of spices on the burger along with the perfect mayo to go along with the shoe string fries was utterly divine. The bun was warm and fresh; there was a generous amount of cheese on the burger; the duxelle was prepared perfectly with just the right ratios of mushrooms, shallots, etc.; and the arugala was the icing on this burger, just so so much better than lettuce! And who doesn't absolutely love shoe string hand cut fries!? I was dipping, double dipping into the sauce, the sauce I thought I'd hate. It was a great mixture of cream and oysters. With the oyster flavour being just right (not too overpowering but enough to let you know it's there). I was wrong about everything! the burger! the duxelle! the mayo! Everything I thought I knew was shattering with every bite I took! After I was done inhaling everything I felt like I owed Kim & Joe an apology. So I marched back and did just that, they just laughed at me and thanked me. And with that, I drove home thinking about how it's always great to try something new.

The second of two new pizza-focused food trucks to open up in the city this year, Pirate Pizza has…read moreset up shop near the top of Kempt Road in the heart of fast food chain country. On one of my days off that had favorable weather, I bussed up from my apartment to give them a try. Their large black trailer is hard to miss, loaded up with business info and a basic menu. In contrast to their Bedford-based competition, they've taken a more typical Nova Scotian approach to pizza, serving up slices and whole pizzas, subs and donairs. Another account on Sysco's books. Arriving in the early afternoon, I was able to scoop up their meat lover's slices, and a bottle of water for $6. Being a nice day, I decided to enjoy my pie on a walk home. The slice had a generous topping of pepperoni, hamburger and Italian sausage bits, and a nice spread of cheese underneath. The crust was on the thicker side, and was airy enough to not be too dense. Pirate Pizza way not be trail blazing, gourmet pizza, but they're serving up accessible food and sticking it to big fast food corporations, so that's good enough for me.

It was a grey, windy Open City 2014. Cinder blocks were keeping the tents intact at the Super…read moreQuintastic shindig in the Cyclesmith parking lot where one of Halifax's TWO new grilled cheese trucks was set up. Cheese Gypsy was keeping it simple today with three varieties of sandwiches on hand: maple bacon, the hat trick (three cheese) and the classic (cheddar only). All options were available as combos, which come with a bottle of water, and fries or soup. There was a small line up when I arrived and a few people left (amateurs!). They were sold out of maple bacon after only two hours, so I went with the three cheese, and made it a combo, getting the tomato soup to keep me warm. It came to a very reasonable $11.50. There were several tickets in the queue ahead of mine, and only two people working both the kitchen and taking orders, so the soup was a good choice. The soup arrived in a good sized cup, insulated in a wrap like a coffee mug, which my dainty fingers appreciated. It was a simple tomato soup, blended somewhere between a chunky rustic and a puree. It had an even seasoning, not too salty, and just enough herbs to give it some depth beyond just tomatoes. It was a longer wait for my sandwich itself as the CG crew worked its way through the orders and took more in. All told it was about 30m, but I didn't mind much with the music playing on the site, general people watching and the always reliable smartphone web surfing to keep me amused. When my name was hollered and one of the owners kindly apologized for the wait, I plopped back down in one of the Muskoka chairs and dug in. It came wrapped in foil, but naturally I had to crack it open to get the pull-apart, stringy cheese glamour shot. There were tons of oeey gooey tendrils of cheese and I dug right in. The golden brown bread was crispy with a nice hint of saltiness and the melted cheese was rich and all you could want in a simple grilled cheese like this. I was really torn on the star rating for this review as it was more of a hard 3.5, but I'm a sucker for cheese and cutting new businesses some slack. Cheese Gypsy is putting out a solid (figuratively) product, and I'm sure that they'll be better prepared the next time they come into the city (please don't stay out in Tantallon!) and/or for big events like this.

I don't find that they make trips downtown too often but eager to try them out of been keeping tabs…read moreusing the Halifax Street Food App. The couple times I caught them downtown they had the following items on the menu (normally a combination of 3 different sandwiches and I've copied most of the descriptions from their site): Classic Grilled Cheese - The original similar to the one Grandma made for you as a kid, pile of cheddar cheese melted on sourdough bread and grilled golden brown. The Canadian (I believe called Awesome Apple on their site) - Sliced apple, melted cheddar and red leicester, maple bacon, on multigrain bread grilled to perfection Nona's Basil Pesto - Mozzarella piled on, diced tomatoes, balsamic vinaigrette, specialty gypsy basil pesto on sourdough bread, grilled with Nona's approval Mac-n-Bacon - Homemade macaroni and cheese with bacon on sourdough bread grilled to golden brown perfection. The first time they had the Classic, Canadian and Nona. I decided to try the Canadian combo which was excellent (they were sold out of soup so I got the fries). I only thought to snap a picture part way through so you do get a full sandwich and the cup of fries is a heaping cup. The sandwich was delicious; a nice crunch from the applies along with a great sweetness from the maple bacon they use. I was not disappointed with my choice and would highly recommend it to anyone else that stops by. The second time around I think they had all the same but the addition of the Mac-n-Bacon. The idea of having macaroni and cheese along with bacon in a sandwich seemed crazy so that's what I decided to try. I probably made the mistake of not eating it right there and taking it home with me (about 5-7mins later) but it was still a good choice. They wrap them all in tinfoil so it stays hot, it just loses a bit of the gooeyness that it has when fresh. That being said it was still a great sandwich with the macaroni and cheese being nice and creamy along with a bit of saltiness from the bacon. As for my choice of sides, I only ever got to try the fries as both times I got there near the end of the day so they had sold out of the soup. I can't blame them, tomato soup goes so well with grilled cheese. I tried their handcut fries which were made fried to order so they were always hot and tasted great. While I'm always looking for something new to try, I would definitely go back there for their Canadian Sandwich. I'm a sucker for anything with a hint of maple and this hit the spot. I would give this sandwich a 5/5 which the Mac-n-Bacon I would give a 4/5. The owners are very friendly and the wait wasn't too bad. The first time I was second in line and had just under a 10min wait while the other time there were about 4 orders in front of mine and it was about 15mins. Each was either $12 or $13 for the combo and everything is always made to order. I'll continue to keep an eye on them in the hopes to try something new the next time they're downtown.

New to the Halifax food truck scene as of this year, Jamaica Lee is slinging a handful of the…read moreisland's best known dishes from this bright green bus. I'd been wanting to try them out for a while, but their usual home base of Dartmouth and my schedule this summer had not been working in my favour. The food stars finally aligned though when I was working one sunny weekend and Jamaica Lee was one of the trucks at Brunch at Bishop's. Once my work was taken care of for the moment, I made the jaunt up to Bishop's. Being around 2pm, there wasn't anyone lined up, so things went quickly. They had a small set of offerings: jerk or curry chicken with rice and peas, ox tail, beef patties, and "festival", which I would later learn were cornbread fritters. Thanks, Google. I went for the jerk chicken meal with rice and peas ($10), and tacked on a beef patty ($5) to sample some more of their wares while I had the opportunity. It just took a couple of minutes for everything to get packaged up while I took in the waterfront sights and sounds and chatted with the cool cats at Halifax Press. Back in the office under fluorescent lighting, I dug into my significant pile of food. The peas in the rice definitely looked more like red broad beans, but the name didn't matter much as it was tasty stuff; lightly seasoned, perfectly cooked rice that was even better with the jerk chicken sauce. The chicken was pleasantly plentiful - four hunks of drumstick and thighs, with a great jerk seasoning that was spicy but not oppressively so, and a light dash of sauce for some sweetness and more depth of flavour to the infamously complex jerk spices. I had a small bit of my co-worker's oxtail as well, and while I had the poor luck of choosing a piece that was more bone and fat, and less meat, the sauce had a fantastic mix of tomato and beef flavour. The beef patty was an impressive hue of orange, and was a decent size, although five bucks was kind of pushing it for something like this. The meat was heavily spiced and packed a good kick to it, but sadly the flavour of the beef itself got lost among the spice and other seasonings. I like a good beef patty, but probably wouldn't go for this again, saving my five notes for something else. Jamaica Lee is doing it right by keeping the menu concise, and the jerk chicken spicy, delicious and approachable. I'm glad I finally got to try them out, and will be keeping them in mind in the future for all of my jerked meat needs. PS. They really need to drop the "Style" from their name. Jamaican cuisine varies from household to household, and I don't think there's any/many people that are going to call BS on their food not being authentic Jamaican food.

Jamaica Lee Style keeps things simple and great. With only three menu items when I went, you know…read morethat it's a quality vs. quantity approach. Frequently at the corner of Main Street & Caledonia - I'm grateful that a food truck besides ol' school donuts is in Dartmouth. :) I showed up to the bright green truck, looked at the three menu items: - Jerk Chicken - Oxtails - Beef patties I believe all three come with rice and peas. I opted for the Jerk chicken - $10 taxes in. What a perfect blend of flavours and heat. JLS definitely does jerk chicken right! I wanted to savour the taste and flavours so bad, but I couldn't help it. I devoured it immediately! Good portions and I was full afterwards....but I still crave it every other day. Beef patties is next!

While not part of the recent gourmet food truck explosion, Andrew's is still newer than it's nearby…read morecompetition of Halifax institution-on-wheels Bud the Spud. Offering a bit more diverse menu than Bud, I stopped by here earlier this year on my way to the Mooseheads' Memorial Cup celebration at the Grand Parade. Right off the bat, you notice how inexpensive their meals are. A one piece fish and chips is a mere $6 taxes in, and two is $8. I played it safe since this was my first meal of the day and went for the one piece. After a short wait, I plopped down on a nearby bench in front of the library. The fish was a good size and came with a lot of fries, however I didn't see any tartar sauce bottles handy and none was provided. The fish had a nice mild haddock flavour and quite crunchy batter, although it was a bit on the greasy side. The fries were hand-cut and fairly crispy for being such. All in all, pretty good bang for my buck, but not the quality that is gonna blow you away. If you do get food from any vendor by the library, I suggest you keep on walking to find somewhere else to sit. The starlings were probably the boldest I've ever encountered, with one actually flying at my plate to try and steal fries! I had to throw fries to them to keep the aggressive little jerks at bay.

Andrew's Fish and Chips is a food truck located at the corner of Spring Garden Rd. and Brunswick…read moreSt., in front of the Halifax Library. If you are looking for a quick lunch at incredible prices - it is unbeatable. A one piece fish and chips is $6 and a two piece fish and chips is only $8. You get a substantial amount of fries as well. You can order poutine if you are so inclined. There is a convenient wall bordering the sidewalk in this area that acts as a nice seating area for you to relax and devour some good fish and chips.