Up until recently, you could find Xplosive in South Lake Union for regular lunch service. Sadly, that’s not the case anymore. On June 1st, the family behind the popular Filipino Vietnamese food truck reported that they ceased truck operations and would be focusing on delivery, catering, and counter service at their new kitchen in South Seattle. As I anxiously wait for the green light to visit, I find myself reflecting on the last 5 years of eating at the truck.

I don’t frequent many food trucks on a regular basis. Given the chance, I’ll visit Xplosive anytime. I’ve been sad that they pop up in South Lake Union during the week since I work in the business district across town. I get excited each time they are one of my selections on Peach which means I can get their food delivered to my office! What makes them so special? Their combination of Filipino and Vietnamese cuisine gets me every time. You can grab lunch from them for under $10 which is a hard thing to do anywhere in Seattle. Finally, Cathy and Romano are super nice people. Always friendly, always smiling – just a great family business.

I’ve eaten just about everything on the menu. My favorite banh mi is lemongrass pork. The fresh ingredients compliment the french bread and well-seasoned proteins. The tacos are a great way for me to get “one of each” when I can’t decide on a protein but honestly, I almost always double up on the lemongrass tofu.

When I’m feeling in a “rice” kind of mood, which let’s face it, is almost always, I grab some Chicken Adobo Fried Rice. It’s filled with well-seasoned fried rice, chicken, adobo sauce, garlic, scallions, and an over-easy egg. About half the time, I ask for longanisa instead of chicken and it’s fantastic!

When I’m really hungry,  I get the Boom Vermicelli Bowl. I don’t think I’ve ever been able to finish it in one sitting. It’s made of vermicelli noodles, lettuce, cucumber, carrots, daikon, cilantro, basil, and fish sauce. I love the lemongrass pork with this dish! Did I mention that Xplosive’s fish sauce is one of my all-time favorites? Well, it is. They should bottle it and sell it to me. I’d put it on EVERYTHING!

Now that I’m craving their food, I’ll go back to stalking their social media pages to find out when I can get some!!! Congratulations Xplosive! Looking forward to seeing you soon!