12 Things You Never Knew About Curbside Cantina (And The Epic Eats By This Food Truck!)
Let's taco 'bout it!
By Julie Mokhtar — 08 Oct 2015, 10:00 AM
Popping up around town to serve up piping hot Mexican eats every week, Curbside Cantina has gained quite the fervent following for their tacos and churros
This booming branchild by the husband-and-wife tag team, Tubby and Noreen, is inspired by the Cali lifestyle (think sun, sea, and surf!)
Aside from the passion for Mexican food, the couple is also battling a crippling addiction to Plants vs Zombies
Image via deRigrThe special attention that goes into sourcing the ingredients results in a revolutionary street food experience (which probably explains why their fans just can't get enough!).
1. Curbside Cantina is cooked up by the same gang behind the late Pink Sage Diner
Remember this lovable cafe serving up comfort food in Dang Wangi? They had called Publika home for a while too but beginning August 2014, the team's focus was completely channeled towards the food-trucking business and its catering arm, Cantina Moderna.
The diner's famed Mexican-inspired treats were naturally brought over to the food truck.
2. On average, Malaysians gobble up about 4,500 of their tacos every month
The Fish Taco, with its winning mix of flavours (salty and spicy) and textures (soft and crunchy), is the clear crowd favourite. Funnily enough, this seafood option almost didn't make the cut during the early stages of menu planning!
3. Pappadums are served with their tacos and quesadillas as an ode to family heritage
Instead of serving corn chips, the decision to go with this Malaysian-Mexican mix is inspired by meals with Noreen's grandparents, which always involved pappadums.
4. The most ground-breaking custom order they've ever received? Two empty tortillas.
Requested with a side of pappadums, if that makes it any less puzzling.
5. A churro means more to the crew than just a cinnamon-powdered snack
Before the start of each shift, the team focuses on the moment the first churro drops into the fryer... and it's go time!
6. Vegetarians don't have to wonder how they're going to customise their meal here
Striving to serve all dietary needs in the tastiest of ways, they've just unveiled their vegetarian-friendly veggie koftas, and are always experimenting with gluten-free and possibly even vegan eats.
7. The fully-equipped truck can dish out 5-course meals for 80 hungry diners, no sweat
If the truck seems a little bigger than the usual food truck, that's because it's built as a mobile satellite kitchen and is fitted with an American Range deep-fryer, a couple of high-powered ovens, and lots of headroom for their mixed Mat Salleh boss!
8. Visual artist Zulamran Hilmi is responsible for their sleek, minimalistic truck design
Zulamran has lent a video animation hand for some of the coolest events around, including the JUICE 13th Anniversary A + V Party.
9. They understand that sometimes we just forget to make that life-saving ATM pit-stop
Debit and credit cards are accepted here! No minimum payment required; this payment options is available for all Visa and Mastercard holders.
10. If you're lucky, you can catch co-owner Tubby spinning some tunes
On the rare occasion that he has some time off from his food business, you might see him show off his DJing skills (look out for BlackWorm on the poster!).
11. Their first foray into TTDI could have ended in a dengue disaster
Noreen recounts, "When we first scouted TTDI, we had parked at an open lot next to a school. There were Aedes mosquitos everywhere! We did not last 4 minutes there and that was truly a harrowing experience. Everyone deserves a chance but the #1 deadliest animals do not!"
12. Mamak barters and traffic jams are just half the #foodtruckproblems they deal with
Traffic jams still rank highest on their hurdles list, but other hiccups like forgetting to change the gas tank and forgetting to wear work shoes are just some of the #foodtruckproblems that they candidly air out on Instagram.
They've come a long way since their street-side debut, but despite their rousing success, the Curbside Cantina crew keeps it real
Keen to catch them in action? Keep a lookout for their location announcements on Instagram!
