On a beautiful Wednesday afternoon in April, Montreal was treated to some summer-like weather. Women were in skirts, men were in shorts. And all of them were waiting in line just outside Restaurant Europea on De la Montagne for what smelled like some amazingly delicious food. Indeed, the long time French restaurant has decided to expand its arsenal of food delivery by starting two of its own food trucks. We were among the 500 lucky passersby to have a chance to taste their upcoming menu.
Europea is quite well known, but its second truck Jerry Mobile seemed to be somewhat ignored that day. People piled into a serpentine line to wait for Europea Mobile‘s food while leaving the other truck to its own thoughts. And that was a biiiig mistake for them.
Jerry Mobile‘s menu of the day was a ribfest poutine along with truffle popcorn. The poutine was a classic combination of crispy golden fries, large chunks of cheese curds, and a subtle grey sauce. You know… the good stuff. On top of this lies a rib cooked in its slightly sweet and tangy sauce so that the result is not an utter mess to any fingers that touch it. This definitely did not take away from the deliciousness as the whole thing was like a trip to comfort food heaven.
On top of that, a great earthy truffle and parmesan popcorn was served liberally. These cheesy, earthy, and buttery bites were tough not to devour by the handful. You know… appearances and such.
Speaking of which, how cute and clever is Europea‘s pulled pork container? Folding up like tiny windmill, the new box may just become the standard as it so easily opens and contains even the béarnaise-BBQ sauce-grease mixture hidden within. No spills! But seriously speaking, the container hid an amazing pulled pork offering on top of mashed potatoes. The whole thing was covered in a béarnaise sauce which gave a surprisingly light feel to the dish. How two of the most heavy and coma-inducing foods can be light and refreshing is beyond us, however the pulled pork & mashed combo was just that. And to top it off, Chef Jérôme Ferrer even slipped something distinctly crunchy in the mix. It created a texture contrast so stark; your mouth will search it out in every bite.
Finally, Europea Mobile was kind enough to end the night with a fleur de sel caramel vanilla ice cream with pecan brittle. We doubt a more delicious sounding string of words has ever been uttered. And it lived up to the title. The salty crunchy caramel covered pecans were incredible when mixed with the cool vanilla flavour of the ice cream.
All in all, the night was a complete success. Europea Mobile and Jerry Mobile will be welcome additions to the float of food trucks come this summer. We will be looking for them at every First Fridays this summer at the Olympic Stadium as well as parked around the city.
Photos by Jonathan Brouillette. Follow him on Instagram: @darksteelangel!
