Uncle Luoyang
“The pork burger is delicious (better than the one at Xian Famous Food, IMHO) and the chicken fries are a good snack too.”
“I've also become a huge fan of the "Cold Skin Noodles" which are refreshing with a great mid spicy flavor.”
“As said before with the lamb skewers, this is the real deal.”
Uncle Luoyang
Bike Parking: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
5 reviews
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Wow, so things started out pretty badly for me here. I couldn't understand a shred of Korean and the women behind the cart had issues with understanding English. With the help of a kind Columbia student who translated my (food) desires accurately to the other side, I could finally get to dissect the food on the steps of Columbia campus.
The food was a pleasant surprise. It looked bland but tasted pretty decent and flavorful.
*Clarification : This is for the new, yellow Uncle Luoyang food truck
It pains me to write a poor review for Uncle Luoyang, especially since it was one of the first of the Chinese food trucks to bring palatable, cheap food to campus. I've been to the original truck several times and the owner has always been kind and fast. So, when I noticed that Uncle Luoyang had a newer, snazzier truck, I was excited and happy for the owner. And when I noticed that the line was far shorter than the ones for the other trucks, I was excited for me. Perhaps that should've been my first clue that the new truck was not as good as the decor would make it seem.
When I ordered in English, it took a few confusing minutes before the woman understood my order. This isn't surprising or too much of a negative, but I just thought I'd mention for those who can't speak Mandarin. I ordered my usual, the pork burger. It took less than the time for me to pull out my wallet for the food to be ready. Rather than coming in the wax paper envelope Uncle Luoyang and neighboring trucks have used in the past, it came wrapped up in foil. The "burger" seemed painfully thin and I became a little suspicious that the fancy new digs meant a decrease in portion of offset business costs.
When I opened up the foil, these suspicions were not only verified, but were exceeded in appalling levels. The bun had less than a quarter of the portion of meat I had received from the old truck. There was not even enough pork to cover all of the bun in a single layer. The pork itself was deliciously flavored, but lacking the wonderfully unctuous fatty portions that lend moisture to the burger. As a result, the burger fell flat and left my mouth dry from too much bun. The only plus side is that if you're looking for bread, it seems the bun is thicker than ever. Just don't order the pork burger expecting any pork.
Food truck that typically has a nice, long line no matter what time of day or night. I've never eaten here because walking to main campus for my lunch often takes way too long from my office.
I happened to be walking back to the office from this truck one evening and felt a bit peckish. I ordered the fried chicken noodle a.k.a. lo mein with fried chicken bits and it was above average, but nothing stellar.
Now, this is the only thing I sampled, so the rating is purely based on these chicken noodles, but they were flavorful, not too greasy and the battered chicken was a nice touch. I asked for plenty of sriracha and dug right in. Generous portion for $6 and it was ready pretty quickly, so I could sneak back to the office without being gone too long.
I'd have to return and try a few other things on their small, BBQ menu to see if they really deserve to have these long lines of students waiting for their noodle and rice fare. Overall, decent meal and if you're pressed for time (or your wallet is being stretched too thin) this is a convenient truck for a quick meal.
I have been back multiple times. I have to say my favorite dish goes to its (beef or chicken) lunch special (often available through 4pm-ish)! Check out my previous reviews for more info!
I will also explain its menu in details in this update for those who have language barriers when communicating with the owner.
The prices listed in its truck pictures are not entirely accurate. You need to check out the small menu posted right outside his window, here is a link,
yelp.com/biz_photos/uncl…
1. For skewers ($1 each), you have the choice of:
– chicken
– beef
– lamb
He will ask you if you want "spice" added to your skewers for extra flavor. The wait time is about 2 -3 minutes if there is no line.
2. "Lunch special" is often available from noon until 3 or 4pm. $5. This is served immediately and no wait time. You have the choices of
– chicken (with winter melon, carrot, vermicelli) over rice
– beef (with winter melon, carrot, vermicelli) over rice
– eggs and tomatoes over rice
Again, your choice of adding "spice" to the food. This is a pretty good deal. Note: the menu may say it has potatoes in the rice dish, but that is not true.
3. Noodles ($5), again two choices:
– hot noodles (a typical traditional Chinese home-made noodles)
– cold skin noodles (the dish comes with a small bag of hot sauce for flavor)
4. Pork burger, $3. This is really good. About 3 – 5 minutes wait time if no line.
5. Chicken fries: I think this is similar to Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken, but I have never tried to it so I can't comment on this.
These 5 items listed above are available daily. There are some other items such as dumplings, hot & sour soup (listed as hot & spicy soup), and Xi'an Hu La Tang Soup (listed as Spicy soup) may not be available every day. You are better off to choose any of the items from the list above.
Of course, this place is cash only.
CAN I SAY HELL TO THE YES??? WOW. AUTHENTIC, GREAT, CHEAP CHINESE FOOD RIGHT OUTSIDE COLUMBIA! To get preliminaries out of the way, service was fast and owner is really friendly.
So for the food, I ordered the cold noodles and chicken skewers. Words can't describe.. DELISH! Usually I'd fly all the way to China just to eat some street food but now it's right near the corner. 🙂
The cold noodles was just a little bit different than what I'm used to, probably different provincial cooking styles, but it was great nonetheless. You can control how much of the sauce you want to add because he gives it off to the side. The noodles, cucumbers, bean sprouts took me back to China.
The skewers were amazing. As said before with the lamb skewers, this is the real deal. It's only $1 each so the portions are a bit small, but it is so flavorful and tender. I think what makes it so great is the cumen(?) taste.
Will definitely come back as a regular!