I may not be in the food blogging world for too long, but I've experienced enough to make me conclude that it's not all fun and games. The hunt for restaurants serving delicious food is just one side of the picture. Sometimes, eating the same dish from different restaurants over and over again can be tiring. And that's when I realized, if I really want to explore this field, I have to open my palate to a variety of diverse cuisines that may taste unfamiliar but boast extensive flavors. In this quest of mine, I discovered Jack's Joint in Banawe that serves Turkish cuisine for a reasonable price.

Welcome to Jack's Joint x Hobing Korean Bingsu!

This place is open until 3am, so you won't have to say no to your cravings. This means that it's also the perfect spot for you to drink your problems away or just casually hang out with your peers. Now let me walk you through some of the dishes you might fancy trying!

Ox Brain

Yup, you read that right. It's ox BRAIN! My first bite of the ox brain reminded me of eating a foie gras, probably because of its smooth texture. It's one of the dishes that look plain and unappetizing, something you think you won't appreciate, but quite the opposite once you've tried it.

Hummus

I have only tried hummus once. I didn't really enjoy it the first time because of its bland flavor, but I liked it better this time around. The "dip" was well flavored that it had a different, positive appeal to my taste despite the fact that it's just mushy chickpeas.

Kofte with Fries

Small, bite-sized, patty-looking and tasting meatballs served with a side of fries. 

Cheese Pide

A Turkish flatbread with cheese, and topped with tomatoes and green chili. 

A huge serving of pizza with 4 flavors: shawarma, margherita, blue buffalo, and four cheese. The dough used in the pizza is more of a bread dough, which makes it perfect to carry all those toppings. It's also the reason why you should consume it while it's hot, so the dough doesn't lose its moisture and turn firm. Out of all 4 flavors, I liked the blue buffalo most. The taste of the buffalo wasn't lacking, although it packed quite a kick of spiciness, which is challenging for those with weak tongues (like me).

Half-pound Burger with Cheese

Half-pound burger patty with gooey cheese sauce, lettuce, tomatoes and onions.

Special Kebab (Chicken and Beef)

Lamb Kebab

The kebabs might not be the highlight of my visit to Jack's Joint, but I surely enjoyed every bite, especially when paired with their white sauce, since it complements the Turkish spices so well.

Chicken Pirzola

The chicken pirzola was my favorite among the bunch. It tasted like your favorite grilled chicken dish, except that this one had that slightly unique of flavor. Definitely a must try.

Chicken Steak

Yogurt drinks available in mango, banana, strawberry, and plain yogurt flavor. I loooved their mango yogurt drink. There was a hint of cheese in every sip, which is a win for the cheese lover in me.

Save some space for dessert. This Jack's Joint branch is special than their other branches. They have tied up with Hobing Korean Dessert, which is located in the same unit as Jack's Joint in Banawe. You can have your kebab and bingsu craving fixed all in one sitting.

The coffee caramel was the messiest and most loaded bingsu we had on our visit. It's not difficult to understand why I loved this one. While it's true that I am not a coffee fan, the marriage of the coffee jelly and caramel in this bingsu will just make your heart melt. The presence of all those almonds, cashews, walnuts, cheesecake bits, and ice cream will made it even harder to resist each spoonful. You'll really get what you paid for.

Banana Mango

The banana mango is my second favorite amongst all the flavors we've tried, and it's because I loved how the banana was able to play as a balancing agent for the sweetness of the mangoes.

Choco Brownie

I liked the brownies in the choco brownie bingsu. It wasn't too sweet, but still moist. 

Choco Cookie

The choco cookie bingsu is for die hard chocolate fans out there. It's loaded with cookie crumbs, topped with whipped cream, more chocolate cookies, chocolate ice cream and chocolate syrup.

Mango Cheese

I was surprised that the mango cheese bingsu didn't win my heart by a landslide. Its recipe included mango bits lined around the bingsu bowl, cheesecake bites, some almonds, whipped cream, and a final drizzling of mango syrup.

Honestly, I find Hobing's serving to be huge! A regular sized bowl alone can already be shared by 2-3 people. I'm pretty sure I won't finish a serving on my own.

The affordability and the distinctive taste of the food items, plus the promise of yummy desserts to look forward to, are good enough reasons to drive you to Jack's Joint here in Banawe. 

Hungry for more,

Address: Jack's Joint x Hobing Korean Bingsu is located at 2/F BLC Bldg. Banawe Corner Don Manuel Agregado St., Banawe, Quezon City

Contact Info: 246-9069 ext. 761

Parking Options: In front of building (free); Basement parking P20 for the first 2 hours + P15 per succeeding hour

(Date of Visit: August 28, 2017)