Vij’s Railway Express

I love the lamb kebab lunchbox. There’s not much lamb in the kebab, but it is so tasty. It comes with a delicious chickpea salad with a delicious mix of chickpeas and peas served with crunchy rice puffs, almonds, cashews, seasoned nuts and fresh mint, and other deliciousness. The salad was filling without being heavy. This salad had so many textures going on with between the nuts, puffed rice and chickpeas and every single bite was a mouthful of happiness! I’ve never had quite a unique and delicious salad before. Then again, I’m not a huge fan of salads unless it’s packed with flavour such as this salad. This tops my list of must-​haves and made me a salad fan.
For a whopping $ 13.50 for a food truck item, it is a tad pricey but it was worth every single bite.
(In my opinion, food truck items should not be over $ 7, as there is no overhead for rent, nor is there a waitress.)
CON: I HATE looking for the truck. Should be one on each corner of the city.

The food truck experience is every bit as great food quality wise. I enjoyed a nice vegan meal at the Food Truck Festival in the summer, which included rice and a squash & kale curry. Rather exorbitantly priced at ~$ 11 means I’m not very motivated to eat here much — that is a rip-​of for food truck fare.

Fantastic food and experience. Our first time visiting Vij’s food truck, the two of us shared a butter chicken schnitzel. The amazing people running the tuck that day decided to give us an extra piece of chicken to make sharing better, which was really lovely of them. The taste was absolutely fantastic. The crunchy schnitzel works so well, and the flavours are wonderful. The spices are lovely, even according to my other half who can’t handle spice at all but will do it specifically for this dish.

Pricey for a food truck ~ 12.50 per dish. Did not like the chai tea — tasted very watery and too much of cardamoms. Service was good. Lamb korma was a little too sweet for my liking. Butter chicken sauce was good but portion was small for the price I paid.

This food truck came highly recommended, and the Vij’s brand is quite well know, so I gave it a try. It was not a great experience. It wasn’t the worst, but expected a LOT better, considering the esteem they carry and the price they charge.
I had the Butter Chicken Schnitzel. It costs $ 12.50. Even for food truck standards, this is pricey. For this price, I was expecting a very polished and/​or creative dish and decent portions.
What I got was half of a naan bread, a smattering of rice and small piece of chicken schnitzel. It was drowned in butter sauce though. The naan was soggy and slimy, and the portion was small. The long grain rice was dry, so it was good that there was a lot of sauce. The chicken was the most disappointing. It was small, overcooked and tasted like it’s been sitting out for too long. It’s supposed to be schnitzel, but there was no crunch to it at all. The best part of it was the sauce. Maybe one of the best tasting butter sauces I’ve had. It was just too bad the rest of the meal didn’t meet up to its standard to compliment it.
After I ordered and paid, I got my food literally within 1 minute afterwards. It’s obvious that this truck went the route of being a fast food vendor rather than being a gourmet food truck. I’ve seen Vij on Chopped Canada, and I really don’t think he would’ve approved of his own food truck.

One of the better food trucks out there, for sure. I had the butter chicken schnitzel curry and it was fantastic!

Oh so good. I wish I could find them more often, but I don’t work in the downtown core, and I rarely see them around on weekends. But when I do, I’m all over the chickpea salad. It’s a great price ($ 9.50) for an amazing meal that lasts me into dinner time because the portion is so large! And it’s SO good. The rice puffs and the pea shoots help to soften the spicy kick from the sauce over peas and chickpeas. It is an amazing assortment of flavours!
The staff is so nice and I love that the utensils and packaging are enviro friendly. If you’re looking for some variety in your food truck lunches, I highly suggest this one! :)

I have a confession guys: I’ve actually never tried VJ’s before… someday haha! But for now, his food truck will suffice! I ordered their famous butter chicken, and even though I wasn’t expecting anything too gourmet, I was disappointed. While it was flavourful, the chicken was on the drier side and hard in texture. I liked the rice though, it was fragrant, fluffy and delicious!
Next time I’m definitely going to pay a visit to the actual VJ’s, because judging on the reviews, this truck does not do his restaurant justice!

Another visit to Vancouver included the obligatory stop at this food truck.
Today, I had the fish curry that was top notch. The butternut squash and kale curry was very good, according to my wife. But the butter chicken schnitzel was a bit of a disappointment as the sauce didn’t live up to various butter chicken dishes I’ve had in the past.
The portions are not particularly big and have Vij-​like pricing. Still, I can’t help but come back when I’m in town again. It’s weirdly compelling!

Shameful I have never been to the actual Vij’s restaurant still. But at least I can say I have tried this amazing Indian food truck! Vij’s Railway Express features Butter Chicken, Naan, Seared Pacific Cod in Mango Sour Cream Curry with Cumin Basmati Rice and Naan, Citrus Zest Confit, Curry, Ginger. etc. For samples, we were snacking on a chickpea, mango chutney, onion salad with rice puffs. It is a very appetizing salad and not spicy at all. Perfect for all you skeptics that Indian food is spicy.
Curry Chicken and Chickpeas: Served with Basmati Rice and Naan bread. This was quite well proportion and was perfect for us to share.

I would say a 3.5 but rounding down.
Food — the menu was interesting and had variety. I had the seared cod in mango curry. It was quite good even as curry was too little (I had half my rice left when the curry got over). It came with rice and a ¹⁄₈ of a naan. The rice was slightly undercooked and the naan portion was simply too small.
Prices — I paid $ 12 which is reasonable given that they served quality cod. They also had beef and chicken entrees for the same price. But given other food trucks in the area, that serve great food for half that (or slightly more), I feel Vij’s needs to do more to compete.
Overall, the food did not live up to Vij’s name even as they charge brand-​name prices. Plus there is plenty good food around, so I will not be waiting in the queue (which actually wasn’t there).

I am no surprise to their food truck. I love my Indian food and love Viji’s. I had their chick pea salad at the Food Cart festival 2014. It was fresh, light and tasted healthy. It was gluten free and vegan as well which was a plus.

Seared Pacific Cod in a Mango Sour Cream Curry with Cumin Basmati Rice and Naan, Citrus Zest Confit $ 12 3.5÷5 — The curry was good but not excellent. The amount of the rice was on the smaller side. I had leftover fish and curry but not the rice.
Unfortunately, the quality and size are constantly decreasing. I remembered how good the butter chicken was when I first had it (Fall 2012). Portions were big that I could have it for lunch the next day. I understand that the prices of food has increased but still…

What was pretty clear about this truck was that it was a money grab. Because the restaurant has such a great reputation this food truck was created with its high prices and the name Vij was slapped on it. Have the same level of standards on why the restaurant became successful and this would have worked. But it is pretty clear its a «food truck» in its standards which frankly nowadays food trucks have become great. Not this one. Hopefully this is not what and how the original restaurant and its standards will evolve into.
Wanna try Vij? Skip this until they get their act together and go to the restaurant.

A white guy an and Asian guy run this place, or that’s what the awesome guy that works there joked about! Let me tell you folks, there is nothing white in this curry! The spices will hit you hard. I loved every bite of my chicken schnitzel curry.
This was the second time I’ve tried this truck blissfulness and I’ll be back for more!
Get the chai as well. If you are lactose intolerant, get it anyway, it’s truly worth it!

Since I didn’t have time to try out either of Vij’s restaurants while here I was really happy to hear he had a food truck downtown close to my hotel. Though they don’t open until 11:30 during the week (a long morning for me) I was there right when they opened and there were only a few other people there. Lots of time for us out-​of-​towners to hmmm and ponder the menu. Eventually we asked the vendors what they recommended. There’s a new halibut coconut masala curry they recommend but said that the most popular item was the lamb kebabs. So I ended up getting the lamb kebab ($ 9.50) with the mango/​kaffir lime drink ($ 3.75). My friend got half a salad and half cassava fries.
* lamb kebabs — really really good lamb. I like the sauce too. Not too sure about the pea shoots. Kinda stringy and hard to chew. Not too sure about the value either given it was almost $ 10 for a small kebab. I thought it was a nice small meal but it’s probably not enough for most people.
* mango/​kaffir lime drink — refreshing drink but terrible value. Don’t bother ordering
* salad w/​curry — can’t remember the name but liked how it was refreshing yet still tasted like curry. very unusual.
* cassava fries — really good.
Overall I think it’s a nice lunch splurge but not something I’d get all the time unless they lowered the price.

It’s interesting to me what people have to say about food trucks in general, but I’m really surprised at the number of people who give a low rating to a food truck because of the price. This is not a hot dog stand, people! These are high quality ingredients, cooked to order while you wait. Sure, you aren’t sitting down like you would in a restaurant, but you still get what you pay for.
Food trucks still have to hire & train staff to prepare your food — there are costs associated with running the truck as well as cost of maintenance and repairs. Yes, you could go buy the ingredients yourself and make it at home for less, but that’s the whole point of going out to eat — you’re paying a premium for someone else to cook it, and chances are very slim you’d do a better job than the folks at Vij’s Express.
You will not get this kind of quality for the price of a Happy Meal, so if you’re just concerned about the cost, I believe there is a McDonald’s not that far from where Vij’s is located, so head on over there and save your $ 3 – 4 — but ask for the heart attack on the side.
For the rest of us who appreciate better quality «fast» food, Vij’s is incredible. I’ve eaten just about everything on their menu, and they manage to keep things exciting by changing the menu according to what’s seasonal, local and fresh. I have to admit, my favourite dish is the chick pea & rice puff salad, even though I used to hate chick peas. These guys converted me! The flavours (and colours) are vibrant and well balanced; although, I wouldn’t mind if they kicked it up another notch on the spice belt. But that’s just me — my friend thinks the heat is just perfect.
If you’re not quite sure what to order the first time you’re there — you have to try the cassava fries — they’re so good! Pair that with a blueberry lassi and you’re all set. :)

After accompanying my pal several times and ooing and aaahing I finally succumbed and tried the Vij.
By vegan process of elimination, I had the puffed rice and chick pea salad. I have to say I didn’t really notice the puffed rice, but overall it was delicious! Perfectly spiced and full of colour. I found the portion to be right on target for the $ 8ish I spent.
The service is outstanding — they are friendly, helpful and as quick as the line allows. I love the extra touches they throw down… the incense, the garland, the environmentally friendly containers…
Take an early lunch around 11:30 and you’ll just have to wonder what long line all those crazies are talking about.

After seeing THE Mr. Vikram Vij constantly in front of his food truck personally greeting customers for weeks on end, it was time to see what the cart was all about.
This truck can be found parked along Georgia. There isn’t much parking here, which goes without saying.
Having no idea what to try, I went for their halibut curry on rice ($ 11). The pieces of fish were fresh and very tender — almost melting in your mouth. The rice is of the basmati variety and is also really well done. The curry was nice and creamy.
I also had their cold chai tea ($ 4). This one comes served in a bag with a nice fat straw sticking out. The drink tasted like there was some soy in it but I can’t be sure. It had a nice kick to it though.
The one complaint I have overall for food carts (not limited to this one) is that the value isn’t quite there. I must say I was hungry after devouring this thing and spending $ 15.
One thing that would’ve been nice is if they offered spoons as well. Very hard to scrape the bowl clean with the sporks.
Definitely try this place at least once if you get the chance. And if you’re lucky enough, you can also shake Mr. Vij’s hand.

I keep hearing all these reviews for Vij’s Railway Food truck and thought, «Really? 5 stars?» Now that I’ve tried it, I say «How can you NOT give it 5 stars?»
It was truly a shock at how even with my expectations exceeded, I was still blown away. I ordered the Bison Curry, –the bison was tender, but lean (my favorite type of meat), the curry was flavorful and pretty spicey, the rice was cooked right and the naan was pillowy soft with a nice bounce/​chew. I also had the Coconut Ginger Green Beans, which came with naan and rice. I was worried that the ginger would be overpowering, but it was a very good balance. The green beans were cooked perfectly with a slight crunch. This was my favorite dish and although I love trying different things on the menu, I might have to come back for this again.
Other things that make this food cart a ⁵⁄₅ is the fact that they are organized. The line up was really long, but I managed to order my food, pay for it and pick it up within 20 minutes. As people were waiting in line, the staff also apologized for the long wait and distributed menus so you can decide on your order before getting to the window.
When I grabbed my cutlery, I noticed they used recycled and enviromentally safe forks and napkins. While I was about to leave, the owner came by and shook everyone’s hand and thanked them for coming.
This is a well run establishment and I have no doubt they will be around for a long time!