JL Grill Shack: A Taste of Home
- Danie
- May 20, 2019
- 4 min read
With two years of serving the El Paso community with hearty, homemade Filipino cooking, JL Grill shack hits the spot every time. It's a local favorite dishing out like pancit, mami noodle soup, and lechon kawali to hungry customers. I decided to hit up this food truck over the weekend, and boy, I left with a full stomach and a happy heart.
The truck is owned by Junar and Jasmine Lasala, the cooks and masterminds behind the food. My family had known the Lasalas for quite some time, they are an amazing couple who is devoted to bettering the community through church activities. But on Fridays and Saturdays they're giving the best the Philippines has to offer through JL Grill Shack.
Pulling into the parking lot, smoke was spewing mightily through the vents. An aroma that only can be perceived as Filipino food drifted through the air. I felt at home.
It's a Friday, around seven-thrity pm. College students, parents and their children crowded around the truck, hungry. Tito Junar and Tita Jasmine are working busily to finish up the mami noodles and lumpia. It's a hectic night.
"I didn't expect it to be so busy tonight!" Tito says, as he drops the noodles into a steaming broth. Tita Jasmine begins to quickly bag the to-go boxes as she tends to even more orders flying out the window.
"Two orders of halo-halo please!"
"Do you have sisig?
"How long are you guys open tonight?"
"Can we order one more please?"
"Can we just have the lumpia?"
As I observe this whole environment, I'm astounded with the community this food truck attracts. Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike seem to flock to this place to get one thing- good food. Not only is this a way to display a different culture to the El Paso society, but also bring a whole community together.
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There's something about Filipino food that just makes you feel right at home. Perhaps it's the attention to care and detail that goes into the cooking or even the quality of the ingredients. In my opinion, it's the love that goes into the food that makes it so soulful. Through the business and the hustle, care is still taken into every dish they serve.
That's probably what makes this place so special.
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Halo-Halo is probably the strangest dessert I've ever had the pleasure to describe on this blog. Just think, coconut jelly, preserved beans, mangoes, topped off with a blend of condensed milk, shaved ice, corn flakes, and ube ice cream (ube is a purple yam, a popular flavor in many southeastern Asian cultures). Mix it all together (halo-halo literally means "mix-mix") and there- you've got a delicious crunchy, soft, sweet, tangy explosion in your mouth.
JL Grill sells a killer halo-halo, I highly recommend trying this satisfying concoction.
Another incredible dish that JL Grill Shack serves up is their BBQ pork skewers. Filipino barbecue has a distinct umami flavor. Levels of sweet and savory both compliment a soft bed of rice. As I was observing the hustle inside the truck, I noticed Tito Junar, glazing the pork as it sizzled on the grill.
Who knows what's in the sauce? But the customers can all agree - it's gooood.
There's something quite distinct about barbecue, if you char it just right, it exudes a smokey well-versed flavor. The skewers that JL Grill Shack serves has just the right amount of savory that's heavily smoked to perfection. This is another item I highly recommend trying if you are just getting accustomed to Filipino cuisine.
All the meals served at the grill shack come with white rice, pancit (described below), and complimentary sinigang (a deliciously sour soup).
I asked some of the customers lined up outside what they would recommend. A lovely lady named Bri said, "it's really good, the *pancit is probably my favorite."
*Pancit is a traditional Filipino-style stir-fried noodle. It's tossed with vegetables such as green beans, carrots, and garlic. It's typically flavored with soy sauce, chicken broth, and calamansi (Filipino lime).
A student named Jeremiah, hearing about this place from a group of friends decided to try JL Grill Shack for the first time that night. "My mom made a lot of Filipino food growing up, so it's really nice finding out there's a restaurant."
This is another beautiful way to see how this food truck is helping people connect to home even if they're a thousand miles away.
I came across a sweet family, waiting at the pop-up dining area, accompanied by their loyal dog. "We heard from *Nilou! That a food truck comes here every Friday and Saturday."
*Owner of Maharlika, I wrote a blog post about his store : https://dkangleon.wixsite.com/desertoriental/post/maharlika-a-little-piece-of-the-philippines
This family was visiting JL Grill Shack for the first time, big, beautiful smiles were spread on their faces. Filipino food really makes people happy!
I placed my order for mami noodles and took a few last pictures that night. The sky was a deep blue, and the full moon gleamed over-head. Smoke bustled strongly from the vents.
It really touched me to see Tito and Tita work so hard to feed the community with delicious Filipino cuisine. Not only were they feeding our stomachs, but feeding our souls as well. From taking us back home with a simple dish, to helping us recollect our memories from childhood, they really do deliver.
Directions:
1580 George Dieter Dr.
El Paso, Texas
Phone: (915) 539-3517
Business days/hours:
-Friday 4:00 pm-8:30 pm
-Saturday 12:30 pm-7:00 pm
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