lil nomnoms @ Yarraville Gardens

Trying out the prospective lil nomnoms food at the new food truck outfit’s launch party in Brunswick is one thing – seeing what they’re actually serving now they’re on the road is something quite different.

So having chosen other options the previous day when the van was in Point Cook, I’m happy to check out lil nomnoms at a venue much closer to home – what I reckon we can all safely now refer to as “Yarraville’s food truck strip” – for a lovely spring lunch.

Spring rolls ($2, though mine are “on the house” on account of Nam recognising me!) are both agreeably crisp and chewy.

Instead of being made with pastry of any kind, these are made with a crispy fried lacework of vermicelli. I’m sure there are names for this style of roll – Vietnamese, English, other – but some rudimentary sleuthing has failed me.

(Post-script from Lauren at Footscray Food Blog: “Anh hoi or ‘angel vermicelli’ – a personal fave. Goes into the lettuce for wrapping.”)

“Tiger” banh mi is longer and skinnier than you’ll get in Footscray central.

At first, I fear my roll is going to bland out on me but by the time I’m a third of the way in the chillies and other goodies kick in fine.

It’s a good ban mi, though it’s worth noting that at $7.50 it’s pretty much twice what you’ll pay at your garden variety banh mi joint.

There’s a different dynamic at play here, though.

This is springtime and the right time for food trucks, and I’m having a fine old picnic using the Murdoch tabloid at which I spent so many years as a tablecloth.

Steamed bao with pork belly ($8) is my meal’s highlight.

The spongy steamed bun encases quite a generous serve of pork belly slathered with a slippery and sticky sauce mostly generated by the cooking process and involving the likes of star anise.

Chilli, cucumber and coriander complete a picture that is a tasty and wonderfully messy handful.

Hopefully, the lil nomnoms’ crew will be making regular westie stops.

To find out where they’ll be, best to “like” their Facebook page.