Saturday night was the first McCoppin Theme Night: Hot Food/Cold Nights (aka the spiciest street food event ever!). Being a diehard spicemonger myself, it wasn’t surprising that I jumped on the GrubPass – $30 for an especially spicy dish from each of the five trucks that were there.

For those of you who were otherwise engaged that night, I’m here to share photos and thoughts of the spicyliciousness that went down. First up, Little Green Cyclo and their Spicy Grilled Pork Patty Banh Mi.

This adventurous mouthful of a Vietnamese sandwich was chockfull of fresh veggies – carrots, daikon (white radish), cucumbers, cilantro, tomato, and the errant jalapeño for a bite of spice. I had a feeling that the well-seasoned pork patty could have been the kicker, but sadly it was hiding underneath all that veggie. Oh well, next time Little Green Cyclo!

Spicy verdict: * (mild, but never fear, for Sriracha hot sauce is there!)

Next up, Toasty Melts and their Papa-rizo!

This saucy number oozed deliciousness with all-jack cheese-encompassing papalote (roasted tomato) salsa, bits of chorizo and cilantro lime dressing. The melty cheese was the perfect carrier for all of these elements, and sandwiched between heartily crisped toasts? A complete drool-fest. And the cheese-tomato sauce-crispy combination reminded me of gourmet pizza all mellowed out. The peaches were a nice finishing touch.

Spicy rating: ** (but actually mild because of the cheesiness)

While I was queuing at Toasty Melts, the girl in front of me asked for some not-spiciness to put out the fire in her mouth. She said urgently “I feel like I’m gonna die”. Of course I demanded to know what she had eaten and from where. And that lead me to TomKat, and their “POW in the face” Korean Duk Bok Ki (Rice Cakes).

The redness you see is all numbing spice. I believe I had to put this dish down between bites so I could suck in gulps of air and fan my mouth furiously in vain attempts at countering the spiciness. Despite the ridiculousness of that, the dish was very fulfilling – the rice cakes were sliced thinly and chewy in this satisfyingly gelatinous way, the beef slivers were earthily smoky, and the onions and scallions and bean sprouts freshened it all up.

Spicy rating: *** (a veritable POW in the face, and maybe a kick in the pants too – TomKat doesn’t joke around)

Holding my numbed mouth together, I scampered off to Chaac Mool, for some possible relief in their Chiles Güeros Rellenos Con Chimole de Res.

The first thing I saw was that this place held lettuce. It screamed NOT SPICY and believe you me, I gobbled that all up. Once the numbness subsided, I got to eating the stuffed guero chile. Juiciness abounded, and the shredded beef inside was dry in contrast, though it gave the dish some grounding. The mini tortilla flat and the slice of avocado rounded out what would have seemed more like an appetizer.

Spicy rating: ** (or, as the vendor lady said, “um, I don’t know, delicious?”)

Time for the last taste! Senor Sisig and their Lechon Kawali Noodle Salad.

This dish was poppin’ – first of all, it looked like a party. Second of all, it was a party in my mouth, what with all the textural elements going on – crunchy fried pork (meat and skin and fat), juicy bits of tomato, slithery cold sesame noodles, zesty bits of water spinach stem. All the flavor elements were there, sweet and sour, salty and spicy, though the sourness really stood out. Still, a refreshing end to the spicy tasting.

Spicy rating: ** (so don’t cry home to your Filipino mama)

With that said, this concludes my take on what went down at McCoppin’s first theme night: Hot Food/Cold Nights. Hopefully you all got a taste of spicy, whether in-person or vicariously through this blog. What would you like to see/hear/read/taste next? What should the next theme night be like? Comment back or write on our wall – you’ve heard from me, now I want to hear from you!