Tacos, burritos, quesadillas. What do these amazing dishes all have in common? Tortillas. This fantastic invention from Mexico is all corn goodness. They are so delicious and can hold so many things. As tortillas traveled around the world, different ingredients were added to the corn like wheat flour or dehydrated corn flour. These different ingredients alter the taste of a tortilla greatly.
Here in Ibaraki, it is a bit difficult to find tortillas but it is gradually getting easier. I talked about Tres Club before, which has excellent tacos, and you can find tortillas at your local Kaldi. There is one more place you can find tortillas but with an interesting Japanese twist. This traveling tortilla food car is called Happy Tortilla Arthur.
Happy Tortilla Arthur
Happy Tortilla Arthur is a traveling food car that goes all around Ibaraki. You can usually catch the food car at the Tsukuba Village Market, but I have seen this food car at different events in Hitachi, Moriya, and different prefectures as well. The food car is run by a friendly tattoo artist who has an amazing logo. I would have never thought of a sexy pineapple as a logo to sell tortillas, but it is awesome either way.
The Menu
The menu is very simple and has three items:
You have the chili con carne tortilla which means chili with meat, the cheese and maple syrup tortilla for you dessert lovers, and finally the chicken tortilla. There are special menu items that come out once in a while like taco rice or Mexican-style dessert.
I always visit this food truck to get some unique tortillas and an amazing Mexican dessert. But first, let me talk about the chili con carne.
Chili Con Carne Tortilla
Chili con carne or as it is called in Japanese, chilikonka, is chili with meat. This is the main seller from Arthur and a popular tortilla with Japanese customers. But how is it for a foreigner like me?
First off, forget about everything you know when it comes to tortillas when you order this. I know it is hard to do and it might not even feel right but just trust me. Second, and a few of you hardcore tortilla fans may riot when I say this, Arthur's tortilla is a hybrid of corn and Japanese rice. The first time the owner told me that, I took a step back but then told myself to give it a try. The owner made my chili con carne tortilla and handed it to me.
The first thing I noticed was the tortilla was thick, really thick. I took a bite and automatically felt weird but intrigued. The tortilla tasted like I was having a huge wrapped omelette at first but then I started to get the hints of tortilla. The more I got into the tortilla the better it got. Then I arrived at the chili, vegetables, meat, and cheese and somehow it all worked with this delicious weird tortilla. All the ingredients mixed into my mouth like an international party of flavors. This was a tasty tortilla which I still order sometimes when I see Arthur at an event.
Taco Rice
Arthur's taco rice is not always available, but when it is, you should try it. I have had taco rice in many restaurants and food trucks around Japan. To be frank, those places usually serve me white rice, with flavorless ground meat, and Tobasco. This amazing taco rice has the right amount of spice, a lot of meat and veggies, and a fried egg just for good measure. Dipping my fork in there and getting some fresh rice with that chili meat from Arthur is a lovely experience. Get a little bit of egg in there and you got yourself a delicious party in your mouth.
Tajin
This dessert right here, this is THE dessert to have on a very hot day. I had this Mexican-style ice cream during 30° weather when I was ready to pass out from the heat. This dessert kept me very cool and refreshed while the summer heat beat down on me. This cup of delicious goodness has vanilla ice cream, frozen mango pieces, a slice of lemon, and tajin lemon spices on the vanilla ice cream. I know some of you might be backing away from this post after reading that, but that whole combination works like a dream. I order this amazing dessert all the time when I see Arthur's yellow car at any event. I even recommended it to some friends of mine and all of them gave it the thumbs up. The owner told me that in Mexico, the people there usually have this awesome dessert instead of an energy drink to keep cool. After eating this fantastic dessert, I can see why. The vanilla ice cream with the frozen pieces of mango and the spices is just something that everyone in the world should experience. It is a transformative event that will get you hooked on this dessert, especially when it is a hot summer day.
I am always happy to see Arthur's bright yellow car at any event I am attending. It is a lovely experience to talk to the owner and grab some interesting tortillas. The tortillas are great, and the tajin is something that I still want to eat all the time. I hope to see Arthur again sometime soon. Either at the Village Market or any other event.
So if you are at a food event around Ibaraki and see a bright yellow food car with an interesting logo, why not give Arthur's tortillas a try? Who knows, you might see me there, holding a tortilla in one hand and a tajin in the other.
Enjoy!
For more information about Happy Tortilla Arthur, check out their Instagram page:
Comments