This new truck on the block began serving soul food eats on Temple’s campus starting in 2017. Although there are two other trucks serving soul food on campus—Caribbean Feast and Jamaican D’s—Soul D’lysh serves up soul food with a twist, and a secret weapon called Jerk Salmon Alfredo.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

My first visit to this truck happened back in 2017, when I first noticed the truck on the block and it was open. I was enticed by the Buttermilk Fried Chicken sandwich because, good fried chicken is always a good thing in my book. I ordered the combo with fries for $7.

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Location: On 12th and Norris Streets (across from the SERC building)

Pay:  Credit or Cash

Cuisine:  Soul food with a twist

What I tried: Buttermilk Chicken Sandwich with fries, Fried Flounder with candied yams and green beans, and Jerk Salmon Alfredo

Delivery: They cater events

Phone: 610-466-5661

Instagram: @souldlysh

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoulDlysh/

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The chicken was nice and crispy and it had some kind of spicy sauce on it (a remoulade, perhaps?), which I enjoyed. The only thing that I didn’t like was that it was served on a kaiser roll, which is my least favorite bread vehicle for any kind of sandwich. It always seems to soak up all of the moisture in the sandwich and just ends up tasting dry. But, that’s just my quirky hangup. And if you’ve read this blog, you know how I feel about steak fries. Pass.

My next visit I ordered the Fried Flounder, which came with two side dishes. I opted for the candied yams and the green beans. (Other choices included mac & cheese, collard greens, french fries, or yellow rice).

Click on menus below to enlarge.

The candied yams were delicious! The fish was tasty but could have been a little more crispy. It was kind of chewy, although I did enjoy the breading which appeared to incorporate cornmeal. Perhaps the skin left on the fish caused the chewiness? I did not enjoy the beans. They tasted like they were either canned or very overcooked. I prefer my string beans to be crisp and crunchy with just a little seasoning. The brightness of fresh green beans were missing on this plate and most of mine went untouched.

While waiting, I struck up a conversation with the guy who ordered before me, who walked straight up to the truck and ordered the jerk chicken alfredo. I asked him if he thought it was spicy and he replied that it was not spicy at all, and it was in fact the best thing they served on the truck. After this glowing review, I decided I would make one more trip to Soul D’lysh to try the jerk alfredo. Boy am I glad I did.

The truck was closed on the day I wanted to try it, but on the following day they were open and the owner happened to be working that day. I was not in the mood for chicken, so I ordered the jerk salmon, one of the pricier items on the menu for $12. I chit chatted with her for a moment or two while she prepared my meal. And then I was presented with this amazing thing:

In my head I was picturing fettuccine with a whole salmon filet on top, but that did not affect my opinion of the dish. In fact, the penne held the sauce better in the grooves and tube of the pasta. The salmon chopped up allowed it to be redistributed evenly amongst the noodles. The cheesy sauce was perfectly portioned. Hints of fresh parsley brighten the dish. And no, not a tad bit spicy. The most prominent flavor I tasted on the fish was thyme. The salmon was seasoned nicely and paired well with the creamy sauce. This is a definite must have, and I’ll be back for more. If $12 is a bit rich for your blood, there is also the jerk chicken alfredo which comes in two sizes, $6.50 for a small and $9.50 for a large.

There are many other selections as well! Wing Wednesdays offer up $1 chicken wings with your choice of sauce. Choose from Buffalo, BBQ, Lemon Pepper, Old Bay, Sweet Chili, or General Tso. Meatball Subs and Flounder Po’Boys are other sandwich offerings.

I am not sure if this truck will be open over the summer, but I’ll definitely be back for some more alfredo. Even during the academic year, they were not open all the time (they do run a catering business as well, so following on social media can help plan when to visit), so it is possible I’ll have to wait until fall to enjoy it again. The truck is seems to still working out its kinks being the newer truck on the block, but one thing is certain, the owner of the truck is a food lover and puts a lot of passion into her food, which is a key ingredient in soul food!  I’m sure the food will only get better with time. I’d like to check out the wings on a future visit too. I’ll update this blog when I have a new review to report!

Alas, graduation has just happened, which means that many of the food trucks are starting to shutter their doors for the season. I’ll need to start traveling a bit to continue posting on this blog. I’m starting to follow lots of other trucks on the Mobile Munchies twitter and instagram accounts. Tweet @MunchiesPhilly or on instagram @mobilemunchiesphilly any other trucks you think I should follow, especially in University City or Center City.