Dining on the go

If you are looking for quick and adventurous dining this summer, Marination Mobile is a fun food stop you can’t afford to miss. Once you’re there though, you’ll be able to afford plenty.

This food truck features Hawaiian and Korean cuisine at recession-friendly prices. Nothing is more than $5.

Marination Mobile opened a couple of weeks ago and has been quite a hit in the area. When I visited, the food was cooked fresh and served hot with a rather short wait, but a line quickly formed behind me as the restaurant opened. It serves customers at various locations and times as posted on Twitter, and the food has sold out in less than two hours in the past.

I have always wanted to try taco trucks but was turned away by reports that called them “roach coaches.” However, Marination Mobile gleamed in its navy blue paint and steel and looked very clean inside as well, putting fears of germs to rest.

Marination Mobile is known for its saucy Korean meats with a Hawaiian kick. They offer foods like kimchi kalua pork quesadillas and SPAM musubi.

I tried their kalbi beef and miso ginger chicken soft corn tacos, topped with their signature tangy slaw. The food tasted fresh, with the right amount of spice and marinade. I also had a SPAM slider; Marination Mobile grinds the SPAM into a seasoned meatloaf-like patty, topped with coleslaw, that melted in my mouth. For the main entrée, I ordered the kimchi rice bowl served with a sunny-side-up egg and a choice of meat or tofu.

It was a tasty blend of a spicy and slightly sour punch from the kimchi, a traditional Korean pickled cabbage, and the savory marinade of the meat.

Marination Mobile is definitely a delicious and affordable place to dine if it happens to roll through Capitol Hill the next time you’re exploring the area.

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Old-school dessert

Summer is finally here, and the last thing on anyone’s mind is school (even for those enrolled in summer quarter), but an exception can be made for Old School Frozen Custard, which opened its second location in Capitol Hill last month.

The décor of the shop put me back into the good ole days, as historic photos of local high schools hang on the lime green walls, and the menu is written in chalk on a blackboard.

Even the names of the signature sundaes are reminiscent of earlier times, such as The Principal’s Office, which is made up of five scoops of fresh frozen custard, three mix-ins, a homemade fudge brownie, banana halves, sliced almonds, whipped cream and a cherry on top.

I tried The Recess, made with three scoops of fresh vanilla frozen custard with Reese’s cups, warm caramel and hot fudge. I remembered recess in elementary school being like heaven, and this sundae represented its name very well.

I also sampled The Playground, which has two scoops of fresh chocolate frozen custard, Oreo cookies and gummy worms. Fond memories of worm dirt dessert cups from class parties came flooding back with every bite.

The consistency of frozen custard is much creamier than ice cream because it is made with egg yolks. At Old School, the frozen custard is prepared fresh daily and is served 18 to 20 degrees warmer than ice cream, giving it a rich, smooth taste.

If you are looking for an alternative to ice cream and frozen yogurt this summer, the silky texture of frozen custard may just make it the new teacher’s pet.

Reach reporter Carolyn Yuen at arts@dailyuw.com.