In recent years, Mallorca has embraced the street food trend that has hit Western Europe, with food festivals popping up at various events around the island. This new found love went to the next level, as the first weekend in June saw Barcelona’s legendary VAN VAN make its debut trip across the Spanish waters to Palma’s Parc de la Mar, next to the city's iconic cathedral.
I decided to drop by on Saturday, June 1st for a late lunch. There were 20 colourful trucks filling the air with a whole host of mouth-watering aromas, and queues of people yearning for their foodie fix. Here are just some of the treats that were on offer.
Walking up to the first truck (which was, in fact, a converted campervan) I saw that, above it, there was an eye-catching sign saying ‘EAT MY SAUSAGE'. Upon closer inspection, this food stall was in fact called CHUCHY Hot Dogs and had a string of people queuing up to get their hands on one. These were no ordinary hot dogs, there were a range of flavours on offer including smoked bacon, Tex-Mex, spicy devil and pulled pork.
If you prefer your fare from the sea, another truck called Pulponeta focussed on fish. Here you could choose international favourites like ceviche, tacos and lobster rolls as well as more local dishes such as a fried calamari sandwich with sides like patatas bravas.
Looking around, the most popular cuisine appeared to be burgers, and there were a couple of trucks selling the beloved patties. Like with the sausage truck, there seemed to be all manner of different versions available. BBQ, Tex-Mex, goat's cheese, vegetarian, mushroom, teriyaki pulled pork and more. Canalla’s burgers caught my eye, but I was eventually seduced by the Gala Urban Food truck and their Tex-Mex number.
Wanderlust served up some impressive looking fish and chips. Meanwhile, Q Street Food seemed to specialise in all things ‘pulled’ – Malaysian Pulled Chicken, Vietnamede BBQ Pork, Korean Pulled Beef all featured. This kind of place is dangerous territory because you end up wanting to try a bit of everything.
For those in the mood for something sweet, the usual street food culprits featured with a couple of stalls selling all things naughty – waffles, crepes and gelato appeared to be the biggest attractions. The event even catered for those in need of a caffeine fix thanks to Arabay truck, solely dedicated to coffee. Expressos, Lattes, Cappucinnos, however you liked your coffee you could find it here.
Estrella beer was one of the main vendors selling drinks in the middle of the feast, they also provided some comfy looking deck chairs for people to relax amongst the action. Picnic tables lined the waterfront, where people could sit and enjoy their food, and those looking to escape the sun sat on the grass under the palm trees.
The evenings saw a range of bands come in and put on some spectacular performances, including surf rock, techno and 80s music. And, rumour has it, the event transformed into a festival-like party.
Whilst the island is no stranger to food festivals this was a particularly exciting affair, where locals and tourists came together in the name of reasonably priced gourmet food. I do hope VAN VAN will be making a return to Palma next year – check our Events Calendar for updates.
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Van Van Street Food Festival 2019 Review