Last week I decided to take in The Bannock Factory Truck, another one of the newer food trucks on Winnipeg’s streets. Every year the appearance of new trucks is one of the marks of the ever growing food scene in Winnipeg. Not only are new trucks showing up on the street, but they are showing up in new locations as well. Broadway has gotten a little crowded at times, and it’s good to see the new spaces.
The newest location is along Israel Asper way at The Forks. The Forks serves as a good location since, even with many food vendors there, there is still room for trucks to offer different types of food. During the summer 11 preselected trucks will be alternating their time at this location, with 3 to 4 trucks being on site on any given day. You can find a list of all 11 trucks on the Peg City Grub blog.
The Bannock Factory truck is an extension of the Bannock in a Box products created by Farboz foods.The Bannock Factory features a variety of dishes, almost all of which feature bannock at the heart of the dish. Much like I did with Better than Baba’s I made a two lunch trip to give The Bannock Factory a try.
Value:
The menu has a wide range of prices. From $2.50 for Bannock and Jam or butter, to $8.50 for some of the sandwiches and the Bannock Chip Taco salad.Bannock wrapped hot dogs are $4.00 Canned drinks are a $1.50 the typical price. I found the Bannock Chip Taco Salad to be the best value of the lot. I had the fuggedaboutit pork sandwich, but thought it could use a little more filling for the price. 4.25/5
Bannock Factory Selection:
All the items with the exception of the fries and monkey tail dessert have bannock as part of the recipe. Yet, they have managed to add variety in which the bannock itself is prepared. This will give you the chance for various experiences with the truck. 4.25/5
Quality:
The first item I tried was the monkey tail. Keeping true to the old maxim whenever you can have dessert first do so. This was a quite delightful treat. A whole frozen banana on a popsicle stick covered with lots of chocolate and sprinkles. What I really liked was that the one I received was frozen solid and not already halfway towards melting. The hot dog was well cooked and rather moist from being wrapped in the bannock. The Fuggedaboutit sandwich was my least favourite in that the tomato sauce was rather sweet and overwhelmed the pork. I really like the bannock chips in the taco salad, and that the salad had a good balance of ingredients. 4/5
Portability:
The hot dog was well wrapped in tinfoil, while the sandwich was served in the top half of a recloseable container. The Monkey Tail was straightforward on the stick. The taco salad came in a recloseable container, but you need to break down the pieces of bannock chip to close it. 4/5
Service:
The first time I went, I was the first customer in line, so I got my order very quickly. The second time I went there were several people in front of me, but I still received my order quickly. The service was friendly and well-informed. 4.5/5
The Bannock Factory Overall:
This truck is going to be a good addition to the street scene in Winnipeg. It would be nice if the sandwiches were a little more thriller and less filler, but the product is fresh and the quality reasonably high. The bannock dog makes a nice change from the hot dogs you get at most carts in the city. Whether at the Forks or on the street or at festivals, The Bannock Factory is worth stopping by.