JJ's TASTE OF ITALY

JJ’s TASTE OF ITALY

This Blog is of course mostly about the casual eating about one does when out shopping, so one of the many food shop selections at WESTFIELD MARION seems very appropriate. The Quarterdeck offers a wide range of food types one must walk past in order to reach one at the very far end, that offers a range of Italian style food. That’s JJ’s TASTE OF ITALY and it has quite a nice display of mouth watering dishes.

I have in the past really enjoyed the Chicken Florentine but as my wife decided to order that, I decided to try something quite different. I settled on the Pasta Penne in a nice meaty sauce and ordered a large Italian meatball to go with it. There was no waiting as all dishes were pre-cooked and arrayed in a warmer with glass counter display. Serves are quite reasonable for price, were presented on trays along with the various accoutrements.

JJ’s share a corner with McDonalds and a Chinese food stand so the seating area was pretty busy. None the less we found a fairly quiet spot and sat down to enjoy the food. The first obvious thing is that in the years we have been visiting the shopping centre the Chicken Florentine has not changed much. But then why should it? Its tasty, it’s well made and a darned nice meal. With accompanying vegetables it is also quite a large serve that my wife struggled to do justice too.

My Penne was quite good. It must be pretty hard to keep the pasta at an al’dente state but the pasta was really great, not at all over done. Taste was quite good too. Perhaps not what one would get and of course expect to get at some top Italian Restaurant, but it was certainly OK. The meatball was good and considering other Italian Meatballs I’ve eaten in the past, above average. Certainly far more taste than my recent introduction to Swedish Meatballs at IKEA and considering size, probably more meat in that one than in the ten at that Nordic establishment.

Its a hole in the wall eating place in a major shopping mall. You would be silly to expect a five star meal, but all things considered JJ’s TASTE OF ITALY is a decent meal for a fair price. Well worth checking it out on a busy shopping day.