Just when you thought everything had been done on a food truck, along comes M.O. Eggrolls, nicknamed the first ever “Jewnese” food truck in Los Angeles.
M.O. Eggrolls is the brainchild of expat Montreal natives Michael and Emily Israel who now call Culver City home. Michael is a trained chef who graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in New York.
The 100 percent kosher eggrolls are open-ended, apparently standard in Montreal, but something new in Los Angeles. Combining authentic Jewish and Chinese cuisine, the truck has been dubbed the eggroll delicatessen on wheels, and first rolled out in October 2011.
In a telephone interview with Patch, Emily Israel said the ingredients are seasonal but M.O. Eggrolls does have its standard fare. As Conservative Jews who keep kosher, Israel said it was important that their truck have 100 percent kosher ingredients too. Some of their offerings include:
- MOE’riginal – Kosher chicken, caramelized green cabbage and special M.O.E. spices.
- Tongue Chinois – Soy braised kosher beef tongue, sautéed shitake mushrooms, minced kosher beef, scallions, ginger root and garlic.
- Truffled Knish – Whipped russet potato, haché of black and white truffle mist.
- Challah Pain Perdu – Stone Ground Bakery challah, coconut, banana, dry roasted peanuts and white rum.
Accompaniments include:
- MOE Slaw - green cabbage, carrot julienne, scallion with a pickled garlic vinaigrette.
- Bubby Ganoush - spicy eggplant purée served with eggroll chips.
- Matzo Ball Soup - matzo meal dumpling, pickled carrot noodles, eggroll croutons and lemongrass consommé.
Dipping Sauces include the following housemade choices:
- MOE’racha
- Montreal Dry Garlic
- Asian BBQ
- Coconut Lime Glaze
“We thought this was perfect for a food truck,” Israel told Patch. “They’re insanely delicious and it’s this great, quirky thing. We love that we get to travel from neighborhood to neighborhood and meet new people and introduce them to our eggrolls.”
The Israel’s felt the combination of Jewish deli and Chinese food was the perfect choice for their new venture.
“There’s that whole [thing] about Jews loving both deli food and Chinese food,” Israel said. “So we thought it was important to combine both. It’s a fun way to [recognize] Jewish culture.”
As a food truck, the Israel’s are on the go all the time and can be spotted around the Westside on a regular basis, including Santa Monica and Venice.
“But we love Culver City,” Israel said. “We live here, we shop at the here and we buy our tea that we use on the truck from . It’s my absolute favorite place in Culver City.”
She added that her husband makes a special blend of tea that they sell on the truck from the tea bought at the Conservatory.
M.O. Eggrolls’ seasonal menu is updated every Friday on their website at www.moeggrolls.com
Be sure to keep your eye out for the M.O. Eggroll truck when it next rolls into town. This reporter spotted the truck opposite Trader Joe’s a few weeks ago. However, remember, as Conservative Jews they don’t roll on Saturday.
Follow where the truck rolls on Twitter at @moeggrolls or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/MOEggrolls.
Be sure to like Culver City Patch on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
Have you tried M.O. Eggrolls? What did you think? Tell us in the comments.
