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I had the best grilled pork and pate bahn mi in Los Angeles at the Nom Nom truck while at Downtown Artwalk. The bread was fresh and crisp and the meat and veggies filled the bread unlike at Mr. Lee's where the fillings were too meager for my taste.
The grilled pork was perfectly grilled and spilling out of the bread while the mounds of crisply pickled veggies were delicious and perfect complement to the meat. I even got enough jalapenos to satisfy my spicy requirements. The pate was a subtle background to the cacaphony of taste and color of the sandwich. Soooo delish.....
Then I took another friend to the Highland Park Artwalk just to eat at Nom Nom's again. BTW, it was dead when we got there and the truck was sitting lonesome almost all by itself in the street. The order taker was super funny and was really into my fabulous diva friend. Really great experience.
But when I got the special deli sandwich, I was disappointed. It wasn't bad but the bread was dry, too little of the filling, and not really exciting flavors but just ok. I was very very disappointed. Please make your bahn mis consistently over the top bursting with flavors delicious. I'll try again if they are close but I won't get my hopes up too high.
Honestly where I'm from this thing would not survive. I'm honestly used to these sandwiches costing 2 bucks and some change, here, a comparable sandwich is $5, and tacos, $2.50 or 2 for 4. But this is LA, I'll let it go, but that's was the first thing.
Second, Banh mi is defined by the bread, and back in eLA, MPK, Alhambra, you have places like Mr Baguette, Lees Sandwiches with fresh out the oven bread, so hot and crispy, you'd need a bib from all the crumbs dropping on your clothes. But Nom Nom's bread is soggy and hardly warm.
Third, the meats were good for what they were, BBQ pork, lemongrass chicken. Sure okay, fusion, whatever, but going into it, you have to know it's not the authentic deli meats you would expect on a banh mi.
If you look at it as a straight up pork or chicken sandwich, its a decent try, and it's probably the most decent Viet offering in west LA. But to say it's the best banh mi ever, far from it. pass.
My very first gourmet food truck was the nomnomtruck.
I've been craving banh mi ever since moving to LA, and was very sad when I found out West LA is severely lacking in them.
Then I found the truck by accident when walking to another restaurant. Immediate detour! I thought at first it was a dessert truck because of the cuteness; when I found out it was a banh mi truck, I was squeely with ecstasy.
My friend and I each got a combo meal. Everything was amazing. I finally managed to make it back tonight, and got the tofu sandwich this time around with extra jalapenos and it was delicious, especially once I dabbed some sriracha on it..
The people who work there are all very nice.
I love this truck.
Look out for my food truck OMGWTFBBQ.
Offering the finest in BBQ needs with witty internet catchphrases. Come on, Nom Nom, did you really need to pander to the internet buzz words. Oh how I remember fondly the "Don't have a cow" Turkey burger hot dog stand. Point of the story, try not to call yourself something that is like LOL and will be forgotten in five year, On to the food;
The lemon grass chicken taco is something that, well, is very damn good. Now that's a fusion food that you don't have to wait in any line for. Seriously one of the best "fusion" foods I have tried in a long while. The combination really goes well together.
Now for the Banh mi. They were really good. Yes, the price is a factor. It's a good 2-3 bucks more than what you can find in the SGV, but remember that with truck food, it's also a matter of having the food come to you. Besides that, you try finding a good banh mi in west los angeles. You can't... and that's why this truck s so damn good.
That's the main reason why they get a five, because they bring you SGV to your door no matter where you are. While many can claim that they could get one for a whole lot cheaper, the taste is on par with the best ones I've tasted from the little mom and pop shops.
And really, the price isn't that bad. So stop complaining and start ordering it.. and order it with Pate. I don't know why anyone wouldn't get that delicious stuff slathered on theirs. Jalapenos can be taken out of them, do so if you're not used to a spicy kick like a mule every fourth bite.
Otherwise, keep an eye out for this truck. I would suggest the BBQ Pork Banh mi.
My first encounter with nom nom was at 1a on a Thursday night. I know they said they'd only be around till 12:30a but we were passing by and we saw the bright colored nom nom ... had to stop with a car full of drunks yelling at me to.
The guy was apologetic and sorry they had run out of tacos and bread, though we didn't really care. He said he'd throw something together for us. It was delicious! I mean it might have been leftover or excess meat but who cares. It was like meat on top of meat on top of meat with some grilled and marinated veggies. Drunks don't care. Drunks love the service!
Fast forward a couple weeks, I've been meaning to find the truck and eat it for lunch, and they come near my office ever week. Finally, I round up a couple of coworkers and we go. The line is not too long but for some reason it still took a while. I think maybe someone phoned in an order? Or just had a huge one before us.
Anyway the banh mi was good for $5. It's double the price of regular banh mis south/east of mid/west LA so I guess you're paying for them to come to you. The bread itself was very good and the meat was well marinated. The jalapenos add a great kick.
Not bad, not bad. I will be back!
A Vietnamese taco truck. Another seemingly first (I could be wrong) ethnicity to join Los Angeles' nomadic nutrition. They could coast by just by doing things all right, riding the wave of being new.
But no. They had to go and offer a delicious variety of meats. What a typical Asian overachiever. Lemongrass chicken tacos let me know that the lemongrass and chicken aren't being timid with each other. The two were going at it all night long.
The BBQ Pork sandwich I had was the best Vietnamese sandwich I'd ever tasted. I didn't know that good pickled veggies could make such a difference in the sandwich. It's like my tastebuds were legally blind and got LASIK surgery after I tasted those veggies. I could only imagine one sandwich tasting better and that'd be Nom Nom's BBQ Pork sandwich with pate. Yes, I forgot to ask for pate, and no, it won't come up if you don't bring it up. For the faint of pallet, mine did have a jalapeno in it, but it appeared to be free of seeds--making it only slightly spicy. Do all sandwiches come that way? I don't know but having a subtle flavor of jalapeno in the sandwich helped balance the other flavors without masking them.
I got a grilled pork taco too. It was the first thing I ate, and I recall enjoying it, but it was just far overshadowed by the taste orgies to follow.
NomNom Truck, what a GREAT idea you are! I was living in anticipation of meeting this truck for WEEKS when bf and I were on a cleanse, when out of the blue we SAW IT on Sawtelle in front of Yogurtland. We both were still on that damn cleanse, but I DID NOT CARE, I made my bf park the car and walk over "just to look at the cute truck and browse the menu for next time".
Who the hell were we kidding?? We were going to order one of these banh mi sammiches that everyone has been praising, so we could take a little bite of heaven too! F the F-ing cleanse!!
We were giggly in anticipation, savoring our rebellious moment. The line was shorter than we imagined it would be but for some reason it took longer to make that damn sammich than for the Kogi truck to COOK our kimchi quesadilla.
Which was our first warning maybe, but we were still giggly and anticipating heaven in our mouths, so we ignored it.
They finally handed us our banh mi and we scuttled away to eat in the privacy of the car. Bf could NOT wait though, he took a teensy bite just as we were getting in the car, totally prepared to devour it like animals. Animals that have been on a CLEANSE for weeks!
Before he could get in the car, he stopped, mouth agape (note on gross: he chewed and swallowed first). I was thinking this expression was because it was SO F-ING GOOD and I got all grabby, like don't bogart that - gimmegimmegimmegimme!!!!!!!
But then he broke my heart.
It's dry.
There is no burst of Vietnamese flavors
The bread does not feel fresh
There's like one tiny piece of BBQ pork
I can hardly see the pate!
I grabbed and peered at it, my defenses reflexively up, defending the NomNom image against my clearly deluded bf. I took a little bite and started to defend, defend, defend............
Honey, maybe we need to take a bite more in the center!
Honey, maybe we didn't ask for sauce!
Maybe we didn't see some condiment we should put on it!
It just needs nuc mon!
But I realized it was not good enough to even venture beyond my tiny, tiny bite. I snapped out of Defensiveland and vowed that I would NOT ruin my cleanse over a mediocre sammich, cute truck or no.
So we gave it to our friend, who for weeks had been hearing us moan to about how this damn cleanse was standing in between us and the NomNom Truck. And even HE said he's had much better!!!!!
So my heart breaks to say this, but NomNom Truck.......why?????????
Darling Misa, with your brilliant idea, DO SOMETHING. Please.
We want to love you but you just won't let us.
If i could give 10 stars I would... im not kidding.
My buddy told me about this place this morning, and after visiting their website, i had to try it the same night.
We caught up to them on Olympic and Sawtelle in front of yogurtland and boy o boy was i stoked. From the car i smelled that sweet smell of Bahn Mi but i still thought to myself, Baguettes from a truck..? whatever.
Damn did i eat those words for desert after ordering their Monster meal. This consisted of:
a 12" Baguette (i chose Grilled Pork because the extremely Attractive woman working there said it was great tonight), 3 tacos (1 bbq Pork **AWESOME**, and 2 Lemongrass Chicken tacos **THE AWESOMEST**) and a drink for $10 .
Yes i said all that for $10........!!!
now that i think about it, everyone working there was attractive.... the crowd was attractive.
It was like finding myself in a Vietnamese Japanese Korean Taiwanese Romantic Comedy soap opera, but dubbed in English and with waaaaaaaaaay better FOOD.
I love Nom Nom...!!
Nom Nom make Dj DueL Happy.
No kidding im full as hell, but still drool at the thought of how great the Lemongrass Tacos were...!
CHASE THIS FUCKER DOWN!!!
Seriously! Like a fat kid chasing an ice cream truck. And get some great fusion goodies. I like when they pull up near Footsies...Very convenient and complimentary to my boozing. Look them up on the interwebz and find out where they are going to be. Lemongrass was the business!
As other people have pointed out, you can't get bahn mi anywhere west of the San Gabriel valley, so that alone makes this truck very very awesome.
I haven't tried the taco's get, but their bbq pork amazing and they also had mint and basil lemonade the day I showed up. Very good.
When I showed up, they were running a bit late with their prep, but compared to the 30 minutes I've waited in line for korean tacos and grilled cheese sandwiches, kicking it for ten minutes was nothing.
I ended up eating my bahn mi while driving to class. My car smelled like pickles afterwords, but it was very much worth it.
One of the under-appreciated "new-wave" of trucks that running around LA right now. Check them out if you can.
$5 for a 12" banh mi. grilled bbq pork with jalapenos. YUMM!! i wouldn't chase the truck but i may find myself craving it! good street eats!! =)
I've been a long time lurker twitter follower ever since I heard that they were starting up a Vietnamese sandwich truck. I finally got a taste of what they offer today as they stopped by the CNN building near my work.
I ordered the $7 6" combo. It comes with a 6" banh mi, two tacos, and a drink. I got a BBQ pork banh mi and two grilled pork tacos, with a Sprite.
For the BBQ pork banh mi, it tasted over sauced. Being that it's the BBQ pork and not the grilled pork, I expected the sauce, however there was too much of it. It resembled more of a phillicheese steak sauce and not a banh mi sauce.
Pickled veggies are usually my favorite thing when it comes with Banh Mi,but their's was kind of bland. Not as sweet and crunchy, nor as refreshing as I expected.
For the BBQ Grilled Tacos, all I tasted was the corn from the tacos. The corn tortilla taste just overpowers the item. It's a great idea, but it didn't seem to work for me. The taco flavors seem so randomly put together and it doesn't seem as solid of a food item. The pickled veggies were also bland.
Growing up in San Gabriel where there's like 10-15 Vietnamese sandwich places within a mile radius of my house, I've had better. But if I had no place to go and the Nom Nom Truck was around, it wouldn't be too bad to fill my Banh Mi craving.
I give Nom Nom Truck a 3.
Nom Nom Nom... Yeah I know it wasn't an original opening line, but damn it I actually made that sound.
I have been on a mobile foods kick lately. I like to prove my stuck up coworkers wrong when they give me shit about eating food off of a truck. Well lucky enough, my BFF works in food truck central. Seriously like everyday there are 4 or 5 food trucks parked by her work. So, the other day we decided to finally try the Nom Nom truck.
First off, I would like to point out how cute the truck itself is. I mean it is freaking adorable... but on to the food... We got there around 1:15pm and got in line. After waiting 45 minutes (yeah I waited 45 minutes for truck food which in my opinion kind of defeats the purpose of eating from a fucking truck) I ordered my lemongrass chicken tacos, my basil lemonade and got the hell out of the way for someone else to order.
It only took a few minutes for my food to be ready, but damn was that worth the wait. I don't know why this stuff has not been around for years, it's freaking delicious. For two tacos I paid $4 and I think a dollar or two for my beverage. Kudos Nom Nom, you know how to keep your customers happy. Food from a truck should be $5 or less, otherwise I probably should have just went out to eat.
The only thing I would say is, maybe you can reevaluate your system or something because that wait, while worth it, was brutal. We actually managed to go to the Coolhaus truck around the corner, get our ice cream sandwiches and eat them all in the time it took to order. Next time you roll over to our hood, you will definitely see me getting in line for some more yummy chicken tacos.
The truck was hanging out on Sawtelle near Yogurtland and the Japanese market, which was on my way to a friend's house, so I figured I'd stop and grab a bite. Having just read about the truck earlier that day I was very excited.
I actually wasn't that hungry so I planned on just getting the six inch banh mi but once I got the to truck, witnessed all the people eagerly awaiting their food, and smelled the aromas permeating the air, I couldn't help but order the 6" combo - 2 tacos and a 6" sandwich and a drink for $7. It's an incredible deal and is definitely enough food for two people.
I got the grilled pork and lemongrass chicken tacos and BBQ pork banh mi. Now, let me tell you, if this were just a taco truck, I would've been completely satisfied. If they only served the chicken taco I would've been completely satisfied. But, as luck would have it, they not only serve a variety of meats but they also make sandwiches.
The tacos were infinitely better than the sandwich. That's not to say the sandwich was bad, by any means. It just was not as good. The tacos were a perfect combo of sweet and spicy, American and Mexican flavors combined with Vietnamese. The meat wasn't overly chewy yet not too soft. The tortillas (two per taco) were not dry and did not overwhelm the taco, which happens too often. From my first bite to my last all I could concentrate on was the act of eating and tasting.
Perhaps if I had eaten the sandwich first I would've felt differently about it. After the two tacos I was pretty full and didn't really need the sandwich, but I didn't want to waste it (next time I'll go with a friend and get the same combo, enough food for two people if you're not starving). The sandwich was good but too bready and the meat was lost in the other condiments. It could also be that that type of meat was not the ideal banh mi choice. I will have to try again with different options.
Fantastic deal and much better food than you would expect. I will be looking for this truck in the future.
I love you Nom Nom, oh yes I do, I love you Nom Nom, oh yes its true!!
they are genius! Bahn Mi, food truck style! Sooo smart.
And they are delicious. 12inch baguette, grilled/bbq pork, or even tofu are soo good. I refuse to try chicken, because I think its sacrilegious if you are a pork eater eating a bahn mi.
Tacos are good too.
Watch out for the spicy jalapenos! But the daikon radish and carrot slivers with that delicious creamy sauce with the meat and the bread....my mouth is watering.
I love you nom nom, thanks for becoming part of my weekly diet!
Kisses!!! and a lil nose rub, just because I love you soo much!
I had heard about the NomNom truck from my girlfriend, who had taken to reading me descriptions of the items on their menu--Banh Mi sandwiches, Vietnamese tacos--as though they were erotic letters from the "Penthouse Forum". We jokingly referred to it as "food porn". After weeks of buildup, despite being on a restrictive diet, I had decided that enough was enough, and I was determined to try this Banh Mi sandwich once and for all, with its liver pate, pickled veggies, and sweet spicy BBQ pork.
This evening I came around the corner to find the NomNom truck near Sawtelle and Olympic. My girlfriend clamped her hand over her mouth to stop from screaming.
To my surprise I saw that there were only 3 people in line. I would later understand why, unlike the Kogi Truck, which had 30 or 40 people waiting when in the same location, the NomNom truck had so few by comparison. But more on that later.
I quickly parked, not even bothering to put money in the meter, and, practically hyperventilating, rushed over to order a sandwich. "Do you want pate?' they asked me, grinning. "Yeah, I want it," I said, a hint of indignance to my voice. I had been waiting literally weeks to try this particular sandwich so I wanted to go all out.
They took my $5 and, within 10 minutes, handed over the sandwich, which was a foot long, wrapped in plain white paper. Wild eyed, I grunted "thank you", jealously snatched it and stalked off like a panther dragging a dead antelope to it's lair. My girlfriend looked at me as though I were crazed.
Standing on the sidewalk, I quickly unwrapped one side and bit into it, tasting...bread. Dry bread. Quite a bit, actually. "This can't be," I thought to myself as I muscled it down. Another bite. More bread. Bone dry, flaky bread, not fresh and with very little of the flavorful goodness I had been so hotly anticipating. "What is this, a cruel joke," I wondered aloud, crumbs flying from my mouth. My girlfriend looked at me, puzzled.
I didn't bother taking more than two bites before sadly wrapping it back up in its paper cocoon. I had never had a Banh Mi sandwich before so I had no frame of reference, but to me dry sandwiches with very little meat are the social equivalent of passing gas in a crowded elevator.
I ended up just giving the sandwich away to a neighbor, one of those uber jock types who will eat anything as long as its free. His comment? "It's a little dry," he said, grimacing. This coming from a human garbage disposal. He wrapped the remaining sandwich up. "I've had this kind of sandwich before...and this isn't the best one I've had, not by a long shot. Thanks though," he added, popping his ear buds back in and walking off with a wave.
"Crushing" and "disappointment" are the two words I would use to describe my NomNom experience.
The Banh Mi sandwich was very, very dry, sorely lacking in both sauce and meat. The flavor seemed OK but lacked pop, the dry bread overwhelmed the sandwich to the point where what little sauce and meat were on it got lost in a thick blanket of flaky, bland baguette. The pork was fatty and chewy, I could barely taste the liver pate and the sandwich was, again, too overwhelmingly dry. The bread unfortunately just sucked. No panache, no spice, no sizzle to it at all.
Bottom line, I wanted to like the NomNom Truck, I really did. But I anticipated a much better culinary experience than I actually had. It was such a letdown I don't think I could be bothered to give it a second chance. I gave them more than one star because the people were nice and the truck was cute.
In the future I'm sticking with the Kogi Truck or just going to San Gabriel to get $2 Banh Mi as someone else mentioned. That way if the sandwich is bad I can at least go get a cheap foot massage out of it.
I tracked down the truck via their Twitter page. I decided to make this place my destination for lunch. For $6 I ordered the BBQ Pork Bahn Mi and basil mint lemonade. The sandwich served on a nice baguette. the BBQ pork was tasty and it had a nice kick since they include jalapenos on the sandwich. As for the lemonade it was alright. There wasn't enough mint for me but still a good buy. I hope I can try the truck again and give their tacos a crackin'.
I usually get my Vietnamese sammies from Mr. Baguette or Golden Deli but as we all know, the westside is practically a banh mi desert. A little lacking in good Asian food in general, actually, so Nom Nom is a good alternative.
I didn't know about Nom Nom until I had it at the Abbot Kinney Festival a few weeks back and I've been kind of addicted ever since. So yummy. I usually get the $7 combo because I'm always torn between the sandwich and the tacos. I think it's a great deal - a 6" banh mi, 2 tacos and a drink.
ANNNDD...they are a nice bunch. I was running a little late one time and arrived at 2:50p as they were just about to leave their lunch shift. I totally expected them to say sorry and send me on my way but they were very sweet about it. I think it was the owner {David?} and he went back onto the truck and asked they make me a sandwich. There was one other person aside from me - she wanted the BBQ pork - and there wasn't any left except for the small portion the chef had saved for his own lunch. He ended up giving it to her. Pretty awesome, huh?
Westsiders are Westside snob. Most of us have this disease and the symptom is the reluctance to travel east of the 405. Maybe someone is pumping something into the air, maybe the temperature is 10 degrees coolers, maybe it's the traffic, who knows, but we all have it. Luckily, my symptoms are mild. I will leave the Westside, but only after 7:00 pm on the weekdays and on the weekends. When I leave the Westside, I will not drive South of the 90, East of the 5, and North of the 101 (More like North of Hollywood/Sunset Blvd). There are special exceptions -the airport, Din Tai Fung, Banh Cuon and Ranch 99.
With my Westsider disease, Banh Mi are hard to come by. So, when Nom Nom came to me, I rallied the lunch crew and headed towards the Nom Nom truck. In order to make the most of my experience, DSD and I ordered the Monster Combo.
For 10 dollars, it includes:
-12 inch sandwich (Deli Special with daikon, onions, cucumbers, cilantro, jalapeno peppers and Vietnamese ham, pate, mayo) The Sandwich was okay. The sandwich was good, but can't place my finger on it, but something was missing.
-3 Tacos (2 Lemongrass Chicken and 1 grilled pork) The meats were tasty, but I agree with DSD, the tortillas FAILED. I used a fork to eat the toppings.
- 1 Vietnamese Ice Coffee (1 dollar extra) The coffee was just like any good Vietnamese Ice Coffee, it got me really WIRED.
Nom Nom is expensive for Banh Mi, but I am paying for the cost of gas for bringing a part of the OC/Alhambra to the Westside.
3 Stars.
Sorry guys, I really wanted to like you. Your truck and the name make me smile and your service is nice. But growing up in Houston, I loved banh mi thit nuong and ate it regularly from a variety of shops. Your sandwiches taste like an imitation of a real Vietnamese sandwich. You really didn't get the mayonnaise right and the bread didn't even seem toasted.
We need more taste from that mayonnaise and a crispy warm baguette. It can't be that hard to put a big toaster oven in the truck. The meat isn't bad at all but overall your sandwiches need better texture and more flavor than just the meat marinade. I guess you have to cater to the mainstream but changing the things that make a good banh mi means you're just serving an ordinary sandwich. And I don't follow around a truck that serves ordinary sandwiches, no matter how cute it is.
Also, no complaints about the pricing - I think $7 for a foot long banh mi, a taco and a drink is a great deal. The taco tasted fine, nothing to get excited about though. There'll be one more chance from me personally but I really hope it's a better sandwich next time.
I thought I had died and went to foodie heaven because the first thing I saw when my friends and I entered the Abbott Kinney festival were two long rows lined up of hipster food trucks. The gastrobus, Nom Nom, Dosa, and the Border Grill truck. Prior to this, I have never actually stood in front of a trendy food truck.
Sure, I come across trucks while I'm driving on the road. I've crossed paths with Kogi many times since they serve in my 'hood weekly. Yet, I behave the same way I do with men: I refuse to chase them down. Drive out of my way, standing in the frigid cold for just a few minutes of lip-smacking goodness? No thanks.
But like my experiences with men, I didn't need to chase. Eventually, they'll come 'round. And so it did that day. Not just one measely truck, but several to boot. So many, so little time.. but in the end I decided to eat at the NomNom truck.
It was a long wait, so it gave me plenty of time to make up my fickle mind. I decided on the combo -- 6 inch grilled pork banh mi, bbq pork and chicken tacos. I was most excited to try the tacos. Surprisingly, I ended up enjoying the pork banh mi most. It was extremely flavorful -- the pork meat was savory, and juicy. Most of all, I liked the french roll it was served on. It has an awesome texture and mouth-feel -- fluffy, soft and moist on the inside and just lightly crispy on the outside.
The tacos on the other-hand were interesting. I especially liked the fusion of the bbq pork and taco... I was surprised at how well those two worked together. But the truth is, on its own, the bbq pork taco was not any better than if I had purchased suckling bbq pork from a chinese/vietnamese butcher shop in Chinatown, some veggies and flour tortilla. The lemon-grass taco was also of the same nature -- I liked it, but it wasn't like NomNom offered anything special to it.
If you have a chance to eat here, don't hesitate. It's nothin' gourmet -- you'll like it if you don't set any expectations for it. Because honestly, we can't eat 5 star food every day. It's quick, it's delicious. I would definitely eat here again if I happen to see it again.
Nomnom = nom, nom..nom!
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*** 1/2
3.5 stars
I was going to go to the Little Tokyo Galleria Market after dinner at home but I was still a little hungry, so I hopped on Twitter and checked to see if any of the food trucks would be in the area. I know these guys are Little Tokyo regulars, so they were one of the first ones I checked. Low and behold, they were going to be at 1st and Central until... I think midnight? or maybe 10? One of the two....
On my way to the market, I happened to look over when passing 1st street and saw where the truck was situated. After I was done, I circled the area a couple times trying to find parking, ultimately finding a meter a couple blocks away. I knew I wouldn't be very long, so I didn't mind.
There was no line and only a couple of people standing around. I looked over the menu and it had the usual Vietnamese sandwich meats. What I noticed that I never saw at any banh mi place was lemongrass chicken. If it does indeed exist at other places, consider me ignorant. I usually always go for the bbq pork anyway.
12" sandwiches were $5. Yeah, definitely not the cheapest, considering you can go anywhere else and get one for $2-3, but I always figure with these food trucks, the cost of paying these people and gas kind of makes up for the inflation. Tacos were $2, however, they had a couple of combos. You can either get a 12" sandwich, 1 taco, and a drink or a 6" sandwich, 2 tacos, and a drink for $7. Separately, that would normally cost you $9. I opted for the 6"/2 taco combo. That $2 savings helps.
For the sandwich, I got the grilled pork. For the tacos, I got one of the bbq pork, and the other lemongrass chicken. I paid and after a quick couple of minutes, I got my food. I found a spot to sit down and dug in. The sandwich was pretty standard. The meat had pretty good flavor and there was a good amount of veggies. The tacos weren't bad. The bbq pork was a little on the oily side but the lemongrass chicken was very good. I liked that a lot. The only thing about the tacos is that I would've liked if the tortillas were toasted or at least warm. At least at some places, they'll steam the tortillas a bit. Oh well, hopefully if they're reading this, they'll take my suggestion and steam their tortillas! If you've got it on your truck, just get a chafing dish with some simmering water, put a perforated hotel pan over that, and wrap stacks of tortillas in foil. Cover up the whole thing and you've got steamed tortillas!!! Especially with winter right around the corner, that would totally be killer.
But back to you guys. So yes, I would say I was pleasantly surprised and Nom Nom shall be a truck I will continue to follow on Twitter and will look for next time I have the chance, unless some other guys *cough* KOGI! *cough*
They came to Century City for the first time today, so I walked the two blocks to check it out. The wait wasn't too bad -- maybe a total of a 20 minute wait? The food isn't bad, but it isn't great either. I got the 12 inch grill pork sandwich + 1 lemongrass chicken taco + 1 mint basil lemonade for $8. The price wasn't bad for a Century City lunch for the amount of food you end up with.
As for the food: The taco is just okay -- just your average taco skin with chicken (lemongrass flavor tasted more like teriyaki sauce) and some of the carrot/radish veggie sprinkled on top. The sandwich had a crazy meat to carb ratio -- like 70% meat, 25% bread and 5% veggies. I do like my meat, but not THAT much meat. I seriously felt like I had a side of bread with my meatwich. The food was very filling, but nothing that wow-ed my taste buds. You certainly CAN get much better in the SGV for much cheaper as already viciously posted here -- the only good thing is the convenience of the banh mi coming to you on the westside.
Move over Kogi, there's a new truck in town! Serving locations all over LA, the nom nom truck offers extremely cheap and delicious Vietnamese sandwiches and tacos. I've tried both and I must say you get more than your money's worth. The 12 inch bahn mi is big but oh so tasty- try it with a little hot sauce and you're good to go.
The tacos are equally good, with pickled veggies and roasted meats. The one particular night I tried it out with a friend, they were parked outside Bar Lubitsch. Craig and Craig helped us out and even gave us some free food to try out. Spread the word and chow down on some nom nom worthy food!
So, I had to walk off my tofu soup and what does my eyes see...the Nom Nom truck! I love living in this area, and best of all, no lines. I couldn't resist, I had to buy me a bahn mi! I will just eat it for lunch tomorrow :) Trying the Nom Nom Truck is another notch on my belt for the gourmet mobile truck quest. So far, I have been pretty lucky with my conquests, I haven't had to wait in outrageous lines.
According to the lady who took my order, their specialty is the bbq pork sandwich, so that's what I got. I was tempted to order the Vietnamese iced coffee, but it was already 8P and way too late for a coffee fix...I'll never go to sleep. When I got home, I had to take a small bite. The sandwich was toasty, which I like. They put mayo, which took me by surprise because Lee's doesn't put mayo. Overall, I would give it 3.5 stars. I have always lamented why they don't have a Lee's Sandwichesin this area, you'd think they would at least put one near UCLA. I usually have to get my Lee's fix in Fullerton or Cerritos. Now that I have discovered the Nom Nom truck, I don't have to travel far anymore. I love their name too...nom, nom, nom!
Nom nom nom!
Apparently that's the sound food makes when its enjoyed in the mouths of happily lip smacking banh mi eaters. Either that, or it's the ga-ga sound young horny dudes make when they stare up lovingly into the eyes of the cute girl taking their order. What they say they want is a banh mi sandwich...what they really want to say is "will you bang me?" ha ha ha, I crack me up!
All kidding aside folks, a group of smart college kids fancied up a taco truck and gave birth to a brilliant business idea. My girlfriends and I waited in an impressive (although gut wrenching) long line for a taste of the much buzzed about nom nom truck. We were at the Abbot Kinney festival and the NN truck was one of the several new wave of gourmet food trucks that have hit the radar in the last few months.
I split a pork banh mi with my GF; I thought it was good, but I wasn't blown away like I anticipated, I think the hype was too built up so I ended up being underwhelmed. It was more of a 3.5 on the delicousness scale. My other GF had the lemongrass chicken banh mi and liked it. Just don't forget to request no jalapeno's if you don't like them otherwise they come with. The crew was very friendly and prompt, and I'm glad I tried it. I guess I'm not much of a banh mi kind of gal, but I'd try something else next time to find out if I like a different one better.
One suggestion I'd make to NN is to use paper bags instead of plastic, especially when selling at events like the Abbot Kinney Festival. Even small businesses can hug a tree with simple green initiatives!
Cash-ola only folks so bring the Lincoln's!
I did Nomnom. We did an assortment of tacos and deli special sandwich. They were out of bbq pork and lemonade, but I've heard stories.
Maybe it's because of all the hype and stories that I am not super impressed. The food is good and the people working there are friendly. It's nice to know vegetarian tacos/sandwiches are out there at decent prices well into the night. In a sea of taco trucks I would prefer it over other trucks. However, nom nom is not worth an expedition.
On to the next truck.
Sub-Meh (heh heh, i just noticed my pun)
$7 for a $2 sandwich, a tiny taco, and a soda. A $5 foot-long from Subway would have packed in 10x the flavor and value.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
While nothing was terrible, nothing tasted like anything. There was no spice, no meaty flavor (due to the tiny amount of meat in the sandwich), nothing that made my taste buds sing. The pork taco was dry and again flavorless. This truck did a good job of hopping on the latest food craze, but failed to deliver anything that will keep people coming back.
What's with all the mixed reviews?? Nom Nom exceeded my expectations! Then again, I had rather low expectations to begin with, because I was never really a fan of Vietnamese sandwiches. They're just sandwiches, after all.
I got a 6-inch grilled pork banh mi, a lemongrass chicken taco, and bbq pork taco. Oh man, their pork is really packed with flavor! I loved the sandwich, not just because the pork was good, but also because of the bread. I've tried so many times to like Lee's Sandwiches, but I could never bring myself to eat a whole sandwich because their bread was always so damn hard and unappetizing... I have expected this same disgusting bread in all my Vietnamese sandwiches ever since. But let me tell you, Nom Nom does not underestimate the importance of freshly toasted bread when making a proper sandwich: slightly crispy and flaky on the outside, soft on the inside.
So, yes, their pork sandwiches are good. I am most definitely a fan of them.
But as for their lemongrass chicken tacos? Dry. Couldn't bring myself to finish one.
I wanted it to be good, I really did! after weeks of anticipation, i finally made it out to the truck while it was parked in front of the Brig in Venice. BUT, very sadly, i left disappointed. Read on for the story...
We got there a little before 730 so they hadn't started serving yet....once they started, you could totally tell they were still going thru the growing pains. there were 3 people working (one girl i recognized as one of the founders). you could overhear her telling the other workers to not put so much meat on the sandwich as it "dips into our cost." probably better to whisper that, no? Service was a little slow...the order-taker had to stop taking orders periodically to help out with making the sandwiches.
We got the grilled pork bahn mi and one of the 12-in combos w/ 1 taco and drink. I felt like i was eating dry bread the whole time. They either need to not toast their bread or think of another way to add more flavor to the sandwich. (keep in mind, we didn't add pate so maybe that would make a difference??) the grilled pork and pickled vegis were delicious otherwise...just wish there was more of it and that the bread didn't suck. the taco is hardly worth mentioning either...definitely blah and flavorless. the whole time i was eating it, i kept daydreaming of kogi's short rib tacos and burritos. Ok, i know they're different types of food...but cmon nom nom, step it up!! i want to see you succeed!! there are too many trucks out there competing for business to offer sub-par food.
hopefully, i'm not being too harsh. i really love the idea of a banh mi truck in west LA so i hope they can improve the food.
I'm not usually the type to run out on a hunt for my banh mi fix, but tonight the Nom Nom Truck stopped by USC, literally around the corner from my apartment. And I have to say, I was impressed!
I got the 12" grilled pork banh mi + BBQ pork taco for myself. Look, I'm not Vietnamese, but tonight, I think Nom Nom really captured the essence of good banh mi; the perfect crunch of the baguette, the pickled carrots and daikon had just the right flavor and texture, the thinly cut cucumber, a hint of cilantro, and of course, a generous helping of juicy grilled pork. The mayo and pate completed my trip down memory lane, back to the days when my grandparents would bring me banh mi from SGV.
An even better surprise, though, was the BBQ pork taco. The portioning was perfect. The BBQ pork packs a punch, and tastes exactly like the filling of cha siu bao. I wasn't expecting a SECOND childhood memory tonight! Anyways, they loaded a good amount of meat onto the tortilla, and the same vegetables from the banh mi added an interesting tang and crispness. I think this was the highlight of the menu, actually. I love banh mi, but I've had it a thousand times before. I'm looking for something new, and this delivered.
It was so pleasing, in fact, that I went back and asked for a 12" BBQ pork to take back to a friend. The employee behind the counter (btw, super-friendly) was surprised, since they're way more confident in their grilled pork recipe. She's right, the grilled pork is good, but I think it needs a little something to elevate it and modernize it. I would recommend adding a little extra crunch to it (I know the baguette is crunchy, but still!) There's a great Vietnamese dish called Banh Dap which, at its core, is grilled pork over a shrimp cracker. It's a great combo, and I think a crunch element from a shrimp cracker, or maybe tempura crunch, would add a little something interesting while respecting traditional Vietnamese cuisine.
All in all though, the food impressed me and I walked away satisfied. If Nom Nom keeps working through the small kinks (like no ice in the truck today!) and keeps working on the menu, they are bound to prosper. Keep it up!
One of our lunch posse members IM'ed everyone one morning, saying, "Nom Nom Truck will be near the office at lunchtime, guys! Shall we try it?"
There was a resounding "YES!"
By the time noon rolled around, we were ready to start the hunt. Their Facebook page said they were going to be at (or near) 26th and Colorado. We immediately marched out to the corner of Colorado Blvd and 26th in search of the truck...but it was nowhere to be found! No, wait...look right - there it is! As we started to walk towards it, suddenly it started to drive away! WTF? Long story short, we found them a bit later camped out on Pennsylvania Avenue. My Yelpy friend and I decided that we both wanted to try too many different things, so we ended up splitting a "Monster Combo", which includes a 12" bahn mi sandwich, 3 tacos and a drink. We got the Vietnamese Deli sandwich, 2 lemongrass chicken tacos, 1 grilled pork taco and a Vietnamese coffee.
Thumbs up for the Vietnamese Deli banh mi. I did like the flavor of the lemongrass chicken in the tacos, but I think I'd prefer it as a sandwich next time. Wasn't a huge fan of the tacos - tortillas fail (soggy and there was only one tortilla per taco!).
I agree with Yi Z - they definitely need to master the art of an assembly line. Heck, you have enough people in there (I think there were 5-6 in there when we visited), why are they all working on individual orders?
Work on the assembly line and I'll visit again (and maybe update my review!)..
Oh man, the girls of the Nom Nom Truck are really, really pretty. They are so nice, pretty, and one of the Nom Nom girls actually drives the truck (hot).
And my tofu sammich was good, long, and filling (that's what she said... sorry). The bread was really good and my taco was pretty solid too.
If people knew the legend of the hotness of the nom nom girls, the nom nom truck would be really busier. Now you know that they are pretay.
Of course, follow the truck on Twitter http://twitter.com/nom...
My first experience with the nom mom truck was subpar. First impressions are important and mine was dry and unsatisfying. The grilled pork was tasty but it was hard to swallow with all the excess bread. I ordered the 12 inch grilled pork combo and grilled pork taco. Taco was nothing special. Both were pretty dry and j couldn't stop saying how I could easily have made this at home. It's still early in the game for them though so hopefully they can take all of our cons and figure it out.
Haven't tried it drunk yet so that might be the game changer...
It was GOOD. It was SPICY. I'm a pretty big wuss when it comes to spice but I'd say I represent the NORM and would advise you to be forewarned as they hide those little green jalapenos well inside those large sammies.
Basically, I sniffled and cried my way through my bahn mi which was nothing short of delicious. The bread was perfect, not too hard and filled with a good amount of meat. I didn't like the "deli" version filled with mystery meat (some kind of pork pate and what looked like spam), but the lemongrass chicken taco and the guy in the truck more than made the experience a "bodacious" one-- his words, not mine.
Next time I hope they have taco sauce as they are typically served and don't run out of bread halfway through the night shift. The downside of eating out of a truck I suppose.
I'm used to sandwiches from Alhambra/ San Gabriel and Downtown, and was DEFINITELY disappointed with Nom Nom.
For what one gets, it is overpriced and was on the dry side.
I had the lemongrass chicken, and as a Vietnamese girl growing up with an awesome cook for a dad, the sandwich definitely fell short.
I also had the bbq pork taco and the tortilla was off to me. It did not match the flavor of the bbq pork and pickled daikon/carrots.
I'd rather stick to $2.50 sandwiches for much better sandwiches.
I hit Venice Beach and my LA Yelper escort screamed..."NOM NOM TRUCK." I obliged and loosened up my belt for stop three of our fat kid tour.
It was pretty yummy, it was pretty cheap. We split the Lemongrass Chicken Bahn Mi.
Nothing super special, but it was fun eating in plein air...watching the Fishlips sushi truck set up 20 feet away.
A roach coach standoff!
I love me some Vietnamese sandwiches (banh mi) and was giddy to find out that there was a little green Nom Nom Truck going around West LA serving them up...hurray! So I finally tracked them down today at UCLA and proceeded to stuff my face with one of every sandwich and taco...yum!
My favorite sandwich of the bunch was the grilled pork (thit noung) and my favorite taco was a tie between the grilled pork and the lemongrass chicken. I wasn't really sure about Viet tacos, but the aforementioned went surprisingly well with the corn tortilla. Overall everything was good, but I do think that they could tweak some of the flavors just a tad to balance out the sweet, sour, savory and spicy that makes SE Asian food so good =). Oh and their iced coffee really hit the spot too...especially since it was like 90+ degrees in Westwood today.
As for the wait, it wasn't bad at all...like 20mins. All those hater reviewers need to realize that these guys are just getting started so give them a chance to work things out before you start bashing. I was probably the one holding up the line with my ginormous order. You all should be happy that they're bringing some variety to the food truck scene here in LA.
Lastly the service was good and everyone was really nice. I definitely agree with the other reviewers that they've got the prettiest staff around...if the girl taking orders is reading this, you had me at "grilled pork" ;-)
I've had better sandwiches at Lee's. . .that's pretty sad.
I gave this an extra star because the people working the truck were very nice and sweet and if they changed the category to "fusion," I may be able to accept their product. Vietnamese food, this is not. Also, their lines were not ridiculously long like the Kogi bbq truck despite all the internet hype.
I came to the truck skeptical. My review is based on 1) Is it a real banh mi? and 2) Is it still good for what it is?
1) Is it a real banh mi?
No. We can get into a long discussion about the nature of authenticity, but I'm going to say no for two reasons. They used mayo instead of beurre bretagne (that butter that comes in the red jar that we put in all sandwiches). They also left the daikon out of the "do chua" so that it was really just some salty minced carrots. The marinated meat was okay but lacked that fragrant smell of good marinated meat. I won't get on their case for that though because the meat was nice and juicy. Altogether, it was a bland sandwich lacking in the flavor and fragrances that makes a Vietnamese banh mi crave-worthy.
2) Is it still good for what it is?
The bread was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, just what I expect out of a good baguette. It's a decent size and they're generous with the filling. It's not a bad sandwich, but knowing what other banh mis taste like, I probably won't be coming back.
Despite the convenience of the truck, I would not bring friends here to introduce them to banh mis. THERE ARE SO MANY BETTER (AND CHEAPER) BANH MIS OUT THERE! DON'T JUDGE VIETNAMESE FOOD ON THIS IMITATION.
I saw the truck driving by when I was on my way to Noah's to get a free bagel, and decided I'd have to look it up and yup! they were going to be in Westwood. It's cool that they have their menu online, and they seem to be really good at updating it to say where they are and if there's any variation in the daily fares.
I got a lemongrass chicken taco and a grilled pork taco. Both were good but the grilled pork had A LOT more flavor. The chicken was dull in comparison. You can heat it up yourself with Sriracha, Tapitio, or sweet chili sauce that is provided on the side of the truck. The tacos could have used a tad more cilantro but overall the veggies were perfecto.
I will come again when they're in the area.
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