It was 70 degrees and sunny outside when I made the walk from the Bowdoin College campus to the Bizibuns food truck on the Brunswick Town Mall. The summer population was out in full force, mixing with the recognizable faces of shop owners, my fellow college students and pensioners doing Tai Chi on the college’s quad (somehow a year-round occurrence).

Three of my roommates were in tow, and we had tunnel vision as we strode past the competing aromas of the usual food trucks, all the way down to the new one at the end of the line.

Bizibuns opened in May, the new endeavor of Iranian-born chef Bijan Eslami, a veteran of Portland kitchens, most recently Asian-fusion restaurant Jing Yan. Eslami says that the mobile eatery combines ingredients and dishes from his own background and his years of restaurant experience.

The menu gives you the option of rice bowls, including a tuna poke bowl ($15), or steamed bao buns ($6.50 for one, $12 for two). I decided to sample both types of dishes the truck had to offer and got a gyudon bowl ($15) and pork belly and swordfish buns, intending to share with my friends. However, any delusion of selflessness dissipated with my first bite of the pork belly bun. Although smothered in “Bizi sauce,” a house-made teriyaki sauce and roasted poblano relish, the thick cut of pork belly was far from overpowered. It was delicious, and my friends were on their own.

The gyudon bowl consisted of a healthy serving of shaved steak, a poached egg and beni shoga (pickled ginger) served over fluffy rice and made fantastically salty by the addition of sweet soy sauce. The bowl would be enough for an average person, but you might think about adding a bun or two if you’re a hunger-crazed college intern on an assignment to eat lunch, or something like that.

The highlight for me was the swordfish bun. Each bite moved from steamed bun to crispy and Bizi-sauced fried breading to mouthwatering swordfish. I particularly liked the look of dismay that formed on my friends’ faces when the last bit of food, a share of which they were promised, disappeared down my throat.

My compatriots bought fried chicken buns, topped with house-made butter pickles and more Bizi sauce. They did not let me have a bite – which I thought was very impolite – but the way they described the bun made it sound every bit as delectable as the rest of the menu.

Bizibuns also has a number of vegetarian dishes: a shiitake mushroom bun, a tofu bun and a vegan smashed cucumber salad ($8).

Make no mistake, although the food may be handed to you through the window of a trailer, it tastes like something you sit down and wait for. By my assessment, Bizibuns has successfully brought a unique and high-quality cast of flavors onto the road.

Copy the Story Link

« Previous

Tap Lines: How Sebago Brewing Co. got its start and has stayed relevant for 25 years

Next »

The Wrap: George + Leon’s opens in Westbrook Saturday; new Maine-based snacks hit the shelves