Meals On Wheels - The Naaco Truck
Story and photographs by Dan Clapson with additional photography by Bryce Meyer
With all of the food that’s available on wheels these days, it’s hard to decipher the uniquely delicious from the plain and average. From pizza, to hotdogs, to waffles, to pho, you can find just about anything on a food truck in Calgary. If you’re craving lunch and looking for something truly one of a kind, then I say hunt down The Naaco Truck for a bite of something out of the ordinary. sought after trucks around town. With competition like Perogy Boyz, Cheezy Bizness and Alley Burger, it’s not an easy task to break ahead of the rest of the crowd and make your mark (there are over forty active food trucks in Calgary right now). Owner/operator Aman Adatia came up with the idea for Naaco while he was spending time in Europe and living in Paris. “We wanted to do something that was unique, innovative and showcased Indian flavours in a way that hadn’t been touched in the past.” Adatia elaborates, “[Naaco] was based on our whole concept of ‘reinventing the Indian wheel’ and that is a mantra we are trying hard to promote. Early on, we made the decision to not stay stagnant, so we removed Butter Chicken from our menu - at the time our most popular dish.” Aman’s ‘mantra’ of keeping things fresh seems to be working well, as Naaco, since its debut in late spring, has quickly become one of the most
What it all comes down to, though, is the complexity of Naaco’s flavours. Aman and his team are able to stay true to traditional Indian flavours while layering upon these classic tastes with modern twists. Yes, you’ll find chickpea fritters and beef vindaloo on the menu, but not exactly in the manner you’d expect them. All of the neo-Indian style dishes served out of this truck are worthy of attention (and tasting). For example, one of the main crowdpleasers, ‘The Panchy Pig’ ($8.50), comes to your hand in the form of a warm naan, filled with pulled pork, saffron glazed onions, fresh sprouts, topped with apricot tarragon chutney and a date tamarind dressing. If that’s not the perfect lunch to enjoy on a brisk autumn day, then I don’t know what is.
“[We’ve] really put a lot of thought into the complete food truck package. Not only have we sourced some of the provinces’ premier products to create some of the best Indian-inspired naacos, but have also managed to keep our staff constantly smiling, and kept an incredibly high level of branding and marketing. Next year, we will take dining on the streets to a whole new level and start to create what we think defines street food culture.” If Naaco continues to evolve and offer our tastebuds something new to experience throughout the year, I expect nothing but success and smooth sailing driving for Aman and his team. Aman and The Naaco Truck will be featured on the new season of Food Network Canada’s popular series, Eat St., airing this spring. For more information about Naaco, complete menu listings and private event bookings, head to thenaacotruck.com or send them a tweet @TheNaacoTruck. culinairemagazine.ca •
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