The Truck at Junction Hostel – Makati City

I’ve been busy as a bee the past months that a weekend treat with my buddies has always been the highlight of my week. There was this weekend when we learned that a food truck was installed inside our favorite hostel in Makati – Junction Hostel. Of course, we wanna check it out. I immediately grabbed my weekend rucksack and headed to Makati for a weekend of staycation and, yet again, yummy treats.

The Truck
A real life container van!

Arriving at Junction Hostel on a lazy Saturday, we headed straight to its funky lobby. It was way different from the last time we were there. That English guy gulping his nth beer on the outside nook while checking his newest phone which he purchased a few hours ago, those yuppies who seemed to be so engaged in a heated discussion regarding interior design and all, that lone Asian girl reading on a corner somewhere while sipping her iced tea, and that huge container van cum front desk and diner. Everything and everyone was on a chaotic harmony. I loved it. It felt that after months of opening its doors to guests, the hostel achieved the vibe I was yearning for the last time.

We immediately settled on a coed dorm room and grabbed my laptop as I planned to finish some readings (graduate school sucks, big time) while lounging on a huge bean bag at the lobby. And I did. I tried reading a paragraph and was engrossed for a moment. The noise from everyone seemed to lull me into deep reading. And then I smelled the aroma of grilled meat from the Truck. I ditched my boring laptop and grabbed the menu list for the day. I was ready for our weekend beer sesh, at four in the afternoon.

My buddies joined me as I was checking out the food options. Chef Jason Feeney assisted us as we're contemplating on the unique dishes that he crafted. And then we ended up trying out everything.

Paper buckets of quesadillas, nachos, chicken wings, wrapped chili, beef salpicao and pork barbecue were brought to the battlefield in no time.

Snooping over the dishes, I was looking for its unique features.  

The quesadilla was filled with salted egg, tinapa flakes and kesong puti. The wrapped chilli had chicharon bits and cheese. The chicken wings were seasoned with special salt and spices. The nachos were topped with pork sisig. While your usual beef salpicao were skewered as with the pork barbecue.

Quesadilla with Salted Egg, Tinapa flakes and Kesong Puti - P130

Wrapped Chili - P120

Chicken Wings - P180

Nachos with Pork Sisig and Mexican Ground Beef - P100 each

Beef Salpicao- P195 | Junction Pork BBQ Special - P140

Just when we thought that it was all over, we were handed five unique dip concoctions that complemented our foodstuff; spicy jalapeño, yogurt cilantro, mornay cheese, spicy garlic vinegar and creamy garlic. Yum-O!

You gotta try these dips!

I super loved the chicken wings and nachos (well, I’m always biased with nachos), I wanted to finish it all but my buddies were drooling as I savor the bucketsful of nachos. The wrapped chilli was just okay, it should’ve been better if the chicaron bits were crunchier. The quesadilla would’ve also been better if the fillings were overflowing, well, I think that wouldn’t be a quesadilla anymore if the filling was oozing right? The beef salpicao and pork barbecue were yummy.

We grabbed some beers and enjoyed the last remaining chicken wings and nachos (plus the spicy jalapeño dip). And then we realized that we're yearning for more. So we ordered bucketsful of Pinoy street food favorites, still from the Truck. The price ranges from P95 to P115 which might hurt your wallets a bit but will surely satisfy your cravings for street food yummy goodness that you grew up with (or not).

Crab Meat - P95 | Loster Balls - P85
Crab Claw - P115 | Squid Balls - P75

Our fun food tasting cum beer sesh ended on the streets of Makati (check here for discounted tours, transportation and activities in Metro Manila). The backpacking district was filled with party weekenders. Me and my buddies grabbed a table on a diner somewhere and chatted till the dawn, with bottles of beer of course.

Junction Hostel – Makati City (book online)

Annex Matheus Building, General Luna Street,

Corner Don Pedro Street, Makati City, Metro Manila

Contact Number: (+63) 2.501.6575 | (+63) 2.501.6578

Email Address: booking@junctionhostels.com