Kat's 9 Lives

The time has finally come that I put up this post. HW has been raving about Jack's Bakery since I met her and I never had the time to check this place out. So on a Saturday afternoon, just for HW, I got up to meet her there. Later on that day I had plans with PK for sushi, so I phoned her up to see if she would like to join us and I'd pick her up. So it turned out to be a girl's day out. HW was already there and in the kitchen! She took this really awesome video of how their Kuftes are made. Once she loads it, I will link it on my site too ^_-.
Since this is like a second home to HW, we were all given a nice piping hot cup of tea. As many of you know, I am not a big fan of teas nor hot drinks. Still, I can't be rude and I am always willing to try new things out so I kindly drank the whole thing. Of course I added tons of sugar, but the tea was very flavorful and packed a heavy cinnamon flavor. Jack was very sweet and didn't charge any of us for the tea since we were guests with HW. =)
They have very colorful menus allowing you to see which dish looks most appealing to you. HW knew what she wanted and has been there many times, it is like a second home to her. lol She chose to order 2 Kuftes. You can order them by the piece. Inside was well-seasoned ground meat and other ingredients. They make the dough into a hollow shell, fill it, and then fried. It goes great with fresh limes.
Another favorite of HW was the Lahmajun, which was like an Armenian Pizza. PK and I tried a bite and we both really enjoyed it. The crust was very thin and had just the right texture. Everything was very well-seasoned and covered the entire crust. The best part was that it only costs $1.50! So of course I added an order after we tried it. Why not!? lol
Last but not least, HW ordered the Spicy Cheese Boyreg. It's a nice thing layer of dough folded to envelop the spicy homemade cheese. This was nice and flavorful. It was much better than the cheese bread we ordered because there were more levels to taste. I also liked that it wasn't as buttery. Did I mention that I love cheese! lol
For our cheese bread, we got the Cheese Manaish. When I saw the photo I had to get it because it seemed like there would be a ton of cheese on it. The dough was a lot thicker on this and there was a good amount of cheese. It was more of a buttery taste that overpowered all else. I wished it was a little more saltier or spicy to give it that extra kick. Still, it was good.
PK and I shared the Shawarma Sandwich. This was different from the regular shawarmas I have had in the best. There are a lot of pickled vegetables inside that give it a different texture and a bite to the whole thing. The meat was flavorful and well-seasoned.
As a pair we tend to try almost everything, haha. We also decided to share the Adana and Chicken Combo. This comes with their homemade Hummus that was very flavorful and packs a great kick. Adana reminded me of a Beef Koobideh, but with a slight different taste since this is Armenian cuisine. The chicken was very tender and flavorful. Everything went great with the Armenian Rice. I mixed in the fresh slices of Purple Onions and roasted Tomato to give every bite a special kick. They give you bread on top that goes great with the hummus.
All in all the food was delicious and Jack is very sweet. He gave all of us free Baklava at the end and asked if we wanted more. I wished they were made with pistachio but they were made with Walnuts. Still, they were flaky and good. Did I mention that they photograph beautifully! ^_- The prices are very reasonable and so much more to try. It's a very cozy and warming environment. Jack is always fun to talk to and I love coming with friends. Did I mention that I have been back another 2x already with HW? haha Keep checking for more about those trips! lol

Jack's Bakery
10515 McFadden Ave
Garden Grove, CA 92843
(714) 775-6773