Twilight Bite packs in the grains and veggies with kara-age rice bowl

Twilight Bite, the food truck bringing Japanese comfort foods to Revelstoke’s streets, has two homes. You’re likely to find it parked in the Regent Hotel’s parking lot beside the bear statues that welcome folks to Grizzly Plaza, or right outside Rumpus on First St. East. Both locations and times are on their website, along with an order online option. If you’ve read my previous food truck review, you’ll know I spent a good chunk of time scouring the menu planning out what to expect from Twilight Bite.

As your food review friend with sensory processing disorder, a misalignment of what sensory input the body takes in and how the brain interprets it, getting a heads up on what to expect can make ordering food less of an anxiety thing. It gives me a chance to ask cooks about needed substitutes and even what could be subtracted all together. This time around that meant asking if we could skip the mayo that’s part of Twilight Bite’s kara-age rice bowl, the meal that claims to be Revelstoke’s favourite from the food truck.

“Anything is possible,” the staff told me with a warm smile. That felt like the biggest assurance in the world that my sensory peculiarities would not be entirely shocked when I opened my meal box, and I was right for the most part.

Similar to Tamariba Kitchen, Twilight Bite is determined to get some veggies into you before you hit the next part of your day. There is a healthy portion of purple cabbage, matchstick carrots, corn and tomatoes mixed in with the quinoa on top of a bed of lettuce. I asked for half the vinaigrette, the perception of soggy vegetables still a quick sensory nope in my books. Still, the sesame dressing is enough to give the veggies an added flavour and not bog them down.

Twilight Bite’s kara-age chicken sauce doesn’t quite pack the flavour punch I’d enjoyed from their twisted potatoes with spiced chicken kara-age a friend and I split the night before. That might be from me omitting the mayo sauce included, but the visual of the chicken kara-age had me thinking I’d be biting into something a lot saucier than what happened.

It’s easier to process and guess what sensory inputs food might give you if it’s separated and your eyes can get a good scan in before the first bite. While I no longer divide my plate so each food item has a logging road amount of space between them, I still greatly appreciate presentations that are sectioned. Twilight Bite’s kara-age rice bowl aims for that presentation, and I’m happy to give props to a well plated box, considering the cramped quarters food is going into.

Twilight Bite’s kara-age rice bowl mix of quinoa, veggies, rice and chicken combo should be good for a lunch and a light supper or late afternoon snack depending on how your day went. While I wasn’t able to follow it up with the cinnamon apple spring rolls or onigiri (a triangle of rice and filling wrapped in seaweed) those looking to fill up have lots of options to try out at Twilight Bite. Gluten-free options and peanut-free options are available through online ordering and at the truck.

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