Mom's Grilled Cheese

Mom's Grilled Cheese has two locations. This blog post is for their original spot, at the corner of Howe and Robson Street in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The second location, just FYI, is on West Cordova, near the waterfront.

Another BC trip and another chance to hit up some local food trucks. Mom's Grilled Cheese was a spot I had eyed for a while, but for one reason or another, just unable to track down or visit the previous two times I was in the area.

They set up shop on a block of maybe 5-7 food trucks, and they still get their fair share of customers.

There are a few hot sauce options at this cart, which run the gamut from mild to hot (but nothing nuclear hot).

This is a spot to build your own grilled cheese. You have a choice between four types of bread and five types of cheese. Then, you'll have the option to "make it a deluxe" ($0.75 each) by adding more ingredients such as sliced red onion or sliced tomatoes. Heck, a person can even make it a "super deluxe" ($1.75 each) with double cheese, double smoked bacon, or avocado.There are also daily grilled cheese specials and sweet grilled sandwich options.

So basically, you'll need a competitive eater's stomach or a lot of visits to make a dent on this menu. Not to mention a fat wallet.

I visited on a Thursday and ordered their Thursday special: "The Jackson 3" ($11): a three-cheese attack of brie, boursin, and gruyere between three slices of sourdough bread. The sandwich is served with 2-3 dill pickle spears. The grilled cheese is cut in half and served in a paper cone with Hardbites kettle chips on the bottom.

I paired the sandwich with a shot of their tomato soup ($2), just a few ounces of soup which can be perfect for dipping. It's topped with some basil mascarpone cream. Natural flavor pairing there..

This was an awesome grilled cheese. Lightly toasted and slight crunch, with a bunch of gooey and creamy cheeses inside. It was a lovely triad of cheeses that worked well with each other while not overpowering the sourdough.

Another thumbs up for the tomato soup. Excellent flavor, and the soup still had some texture to it.
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The following day, I returned to this truck for one of their sweet sandwiches. It's rare for me to come back to a truck so quickly, let alone come back on consecutive days, but curiosity mainly got the best of me. Not to mention that I had spent the previous three hours walking all over downtown and hauling groceries.

I ordered "The Sweet Little Val" ($7) because it was clearly the most unique sandwich that I saw on the menu. Brioche drizzled with kahlua and smothered with marsala wine mascarpone, topped with dark chocolate shavings and grilled with butter.

Although this is classified as a "sweet" sandwich, it's very balanced and retains a light presence due to the mascarpone. Dark chocolate is a natural pairing here, and everything simply works.

I'd also have to highlight "The Fat Elvis" (peanut butter and banana with a sprinkle of smoked sea salt all on white bread). If you're a PB and banana fan, this was basically made for you.

The truck is usually open seven days a week for lunch. Please note, this truck is cash only.

Mom's Grilled Cheese Truck is an elite Vancouver food truck! 9/10