Spice up your summer with speedy shawarma as 'authentic' food truck visits Fife

The Courier

2 days ago

Upon arriving at Fife's Craigtoun Country Park, I find it hard to believe that a food truck serving authentic shawarma is only a few hundred metres away.
Thanks to the chilly air, and a zealous medieval re-enactment that's taking place in the field next to me, I seem more likely to stumble across the Holy Grail than well-made Middle Eastern food.
And yet, the latter is what Troff on The Go – a food truck that is now enjoying its third year of operating – is said to offer.
'I chose shawarma as the concept because it was different. No one else was doing it,' Will Blake, the man behind Troff on The Go, says.
'During my days in the Middle East, that's what we used to eat a lot of.'
Will spent 20 years working in in the Sultanate of Oman, specialising in marketing and sales for various hotels.
Upon returning to Scotland, he worked in catering for five years before opening a bistro-cafe, The Troff, in Leven. It was in 2021 that he began thinking about opening a food truck.
Will says: 'I wanted to expand and do something more mobile. Street food was becoming really big.
'I bought a horsebox, completely ripped it back to its shell and spent six months doing it up.'
And thus, Troff on The Go was born.
'We can serve a shawarma in less than a minute,' Will says. 'The key is in the prep.
'When you go to these events it's all about speed.'
Then he duly proves his point, serving up a chicken shawarma before the knights in the field next to me can pour themselves another cup of mead.
But the food isn't just about efficiency.
'What differentiates us is that it's not your standard kebab shawarma,' Will says. 'Ours is very authentic.'
Admittedly I have never been to Oman and therefore can't attest to the validity of Will's statement.
What I can say is that if they don't have chicken shawarma like this in Oman, they're missing out.
Numerous ingredients are stuffed inside the flatbread, including jalapenos, red cabbage and a mountain of chicken.
Impressively, Will finds a way to make this combination work. Each ingredient complements the others.
Thanks to being marinated overnight, the chicken itself is moist and full of flavour. While soft, the flatbread keeps its structure and never becomes soggy.
At £10, this shawarma offers good value for money.
But those who don't eat meat will be relieved to learn that they can enjoy the same dish with one difference – falafel takes the place of chicken.
Whether meat or vegetarian, the food truck's shawarmas come with a choice of three homemade sauces – sweet hot sauce, garlic mayo or yoghurt and mint.
The hot sauce runs a little too sweet for my taste, but the heat it provides is a welcome addition to the shawarma.
And those who like the sound of the shawarma will have many opportunities to try it over the coming months.
During summer, Troff on The Go food truck will be serving up shawarma across Fife, Tayside and beyond, including Silverburn Street Food Festival in Leven on Saturday June 28 and Saturday August 30.
The food truck will also be in St Monans during July and St Andrews in August.
'We've gone from just doing the chicken shawarma to getting a bit more creative. Now we cater to vegetarians, people who are gluten-free, dairy-free, vegans,' Will says.
The current menu also includes falafel salad (£5), chicken salad (£7) and loaded fries that can be topped with either (you guessed it) chicken or falafel (£10).
On occasion, Will serves smash burgers and morning rolls.
Of course, I try everything – barring the smash burgers and morning rolls, which Will isn't offering on the day I visit.
While similar, each dish has its own high points.
The chicken-topped salad offers an array of moreish textures. I quickly demolish it. Thanks to the large pieces of falafel, the vegetarian salad is even more satisfying.
The chips are of a standard fast-food style. By themselves, they wouldn't set the world alight. However, when topped with the sauces and chicken, the chips are transformed.
In this dish, the hot sauce's sweetness is welcome. Acting like a fiery ketchup, it breathes life into the fried pieces of potato.
Will's daughter is currently studying nutrition at university.
As a result, he has a good understanding of his food's nutritional values and is keen to share the information.
He tells me the chicken shawarma contains just 471 calories and an impressive 42g of protein.
While Troff on The Go's food might not promise eternal youth, its rare combination of positive nutritional profiles and great flavours mean it is a holy grail of another kind.
And to think it was right under the knights' noses all day long.
Address: Customers can keep fully up to date with Troff on The Go's movements by visiting their Instagram.
Email: [e-mail]
Website: https://troffonthego.net/
Price: £42 for one chicken shawarma, one falafel shawarma, one chicken loaded fries, one falafel salad and one chicken salad.
Accessible: Yes
Dog-friendly: Yes
Scores:
Food: 4/5
Service: 5/5
Surrounding: 4/5