There’s something going on in the 99 Cents Store parking lot in Highland Park. And it involves food. Every Tuesday night from 5:30 to 9, Figueroa Produce hosts Din Din A Go Go, billed as a “weekly food truck feast” with vegan-friendly options. A little more than a month old, the event has become an event, attracting a wide variety of local Highland Park residents—young folks, old folks, hipsters, families and more than a few dog owners.
I made my way over last Tuesday and, after finagling a parking space, I found a good selection of quality food trucks, including Ahn-Joo, the popular Korean snack bar on wheels, Lomo Arigato, serving Peruvian-Japanese fusion, The Dim Sum Truck and the Filipino Tapa Boy. Also present was a really friendly vibe aided by the most popular conversation starter of the night: “where’d you get that?”
We made a quick start with an order of shrimp and bamboo dumplings ($2.50) from The Dim Sum Truck. Plump and filled with a fair amount of shrimp, these dumplings were very flavorful. Not the best dim sum, you’ll ever eat, but still a nice treat.
Next up was the Crispy Adobo Bowl ($8, pictured at the top of the post) from Tapa Boy, a food truck that specializes in Filipino breakfast. Fried egg fanatics will enjoy the perfectly runny egg plopped on a bed of garlic fried rice mixed up with traditional adobo stew. The meat was tender though a little dry, but we solved the problem by adding a vinegar sauce and a squirt of hot sauce to the bowl. I’m not sure how this truck would fare with Filipino food aficionados, but for a novice like me, it was satisfying.
My favorite of the night was Ahn-Joo. At owner Chef Debbie Lee’s suggestion, I decided to go for the Korean Fried Chicken ($7), the truck’s most popular dish. One order included two very moist chicken legs, lightly crispy and glazed with a sweet sauce, served with garlic-fried and chili-drizzled Seoultown spuds. I wouldn’t have minded a spicier kick from the chicken, but the texture was everything it should have been.
I’m thinking the perfect Tuesday night in Highland Park now includes a stop at Old LA Farmers’ Market at Ave. 57 and Marmion Way, followed by some communal parking lot feasting.
–Valentina
Highland Park Din Din A Go Go
6312 North Figueroa St.
Los Angeles, 90042
Tuesdays 5:30-9pm
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Din Din a go go! Figueroa! This is LA and I live in LA! Thanks for the jackpot here! I am going to seek this one out. GREG
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