Moonlite Express

There is no reason to eat at any of the food trucks at CMU other than for either price or convenience. They all serve bad food. That being said this is the most popular of the lot and probably the best (only marginally). The portions are nice sized but the quality of the meat and vegetables is poor. The best things are the fried dishes (salt and pepper chicken and general tso’s chicken). The dishes all have way too much salt. The one redeeming factor is that the portion size to price ratio is good. Please don’t come to eat here, only do so if you are stuck with the limited choices on campus.

I recently ordered Szechuan tofu, the small portion cost me $ 6 and change plus tip. The rice was nice and fluffy instead of sticky and clumped together. The veggies still had crunch and the tofu was fried nicely. Dress all that deliciousness up with a sweet and spicy sauce and you’ve got yourself fantastic meal! The service was extremely friendly and fast.

I come to the food trucks almost every Wednesdays for lunch, and Moonlite Express is definitely the spot with the most customers. Although the prices are decent for a poor college student, the food quality is a bit sub-​par. The first time I ordered from Moonlite, I got chicken fried rice. I was surprised when I took a bite and I tasted this strange orange spicy sauce they put all over the rice. I don’t really know what is was, but it wasn’t horrible, just not what I expected as «fried rice» as it just looked like the rice was covered in the sauce and passed off as fried rice.
I got the phở a few times from Sunlite, and it was okay. They have a lot of options, and their phở is definitely a step up from the one I had at Lulu’s (never again) I only wish they gave a bit more meat and noodles for the price.
I tried their most popular item today, the Salt and Pepper Chicken and was satisfied. The chicken was crispy and nicely seasoned and was served with a side of cabbage. The only problem I had was when I took a bite of a chicken piece and cabbage piece and got a sodium overload. It seemed that area was oversalted. Otherwise it was an okay meal.

Salt and pepper chicken, a staple of mine for *years*. Graduated a year ago, and any time I go back to CMU, it’s on the top of my food list. That stuff is ridiculously yum.

This was my first CMU food truck experience. On the school tours, I was told over and over how the food trucks lined up on Morrison St. were a ‘must try’ for all students, since the food is relatively cheap and fast. So, after my morning meeting, I headed on over to Morrison St. and walked past all the trucks to see what my choices were. In the end, I opted for Moonlite Express since they already had a few students lined up to buy their food.
I thought, «Ok, this must be the best one.»
Let me just say… I was not impressed.
First of all, yes, I know this isn’t quality food here (the «chicken» was fried bits of something which were neon pink/​orange in color)… but, I’m pretty sure I can get better quality Chinese takeout for about a $ 1 more.
I don’t know. As an undergraduate student, who’s broke, hungry, car-​less and naïve, this may do it. But as a graduate student who’s broke, hungry, able to drive elsewhere, and aware of some better options… it just doesn’t cut it.
PASS.