Review: Yellow Vendor (Korean BBQ)

Food Truck Name: Yellow Vendor
twitter handle: @yellowvendor
website: N/A

cost: (cash only)
menu items: (all items $7, drink combo $8)
vegetarian (fried egg on rice with vegetable side dishes)
regular beef/bulgogi (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgogi)
spicy beef
regular chicken teriyaki
spicy chicken
regular combo (beef & chicken teriyaki)
spicy combo (spicy beef & spicy chicken)
regular bibimbap w/ fried egg & bulgogi or chicken teriyaki
(see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibimbap)
spicy bibambap w/ fried egg & spicy bulgogi or spicy chicken
*all served with optional kimchi (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimchi) and extra hot sauce

wait time: The line does take a little longer than it should since each order is literally made-to-order with half a dozen variations, but if there isn't a long line then it takes less than a few minutes to get your food.

"regular bibimbap w/ bulgogi and kimchi"

Today, after a little hiatus from the food trucks last week, I went to an old favorite of mine, Yellow Vendor.  One of the older food trucks (considering that they started out as a regular food cart), I admit I have a soft spot for them.  They pretty much just serve three things (teriyaki, bulgogi & bibimbap), which they do very well.  I ordered my favorite the regular bibimbap with bulgogi and a side of kimchi (see above picture).  Bibimbap literally means "mixed meal", which is what you get with the combination of salads, fried egg and meat.  Unfortunately, they ran out of the bean sprout salad when I got there, which is a shame because that salad provides a nice watery crunch to the whole dish.  The bulgogi (thinly sliced marinated beef) was seasoned nicely that balances between salty and sweetness that only comes from barbecue.  The fried egg cooked over easy with a wonderful runny yolk that mixed with the hot fluffy rice and bulgogi makes something wonderful, almost comforting.  Something akin to soul food, only Asian.  The subtly sweet carrot salad adds another taste and texture as does the kimchi with its vinegarly hotness and the greens salad's bitter briny crunch.  I was only disappointed with the missing bean sprout salad and the fact that the greens salad seemed a little more bitter today than before.  The kimchi that looks very hot actually isn't, and even those who can't take too much heat should be able to handle it.  Those looking for heat can add-on the extra hot sauce and order the spicier versions.

carrot salad (top left), kimchi (top center), greens salad (top right)

fried egg (center), regular bulgogi (bottom)

Final Verdict: For the amount of food you get, for the amount of money you spend, for the overall food experience you get, I think Yellow Vendor is one of the best food trucks out there.  It's definitely a complete package and something that anyone who wants to broaden their lunch horizons should go out and try.  If the Lobster Truck is the gold standard for food trucks out there, then Yellow Vendor is the quiet, yet solid blue collared standard that food trucks should aspire towards.  But don't just take my word for it, go out there and try it out yourself.