Review of Joey Pepperoni Pizzeria (One E-Com Center, Pasay City)

I must confess I’m not into pizzas and pastas. They taste pretty much all the same, in all the restaurants. I mean for pizzas, the universal base would be mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce and the crust. They only differ in the proportions and types of toppings and condiments you can add. When combined, assuming the cheese has not gone beyond its expiration date, the crust is not stale and the tomatoes are not rotten, they don’t taste bad. At least, they are acceptably palatable; that’s why pizzas are one of the best chosen comfort food in the world.

On the other hand, pastas would always consist in either tomato sauce (red), white sauce (milky and creamy) or pesto (green) and the pasta noodles. Regardless the type of pasta noodles, they taste all taste also the same!

My amalgamated taste buds are in search of fresh and mixed flavors. Not many pizza-and-pasta restaurants receive good score from me. And certainly, Joey Pepperoni Pizzeria is one of those which failed the test.

Menu: Review of Joey Pepperoni Pizzeria (One E-Com Center, Pasay City)

Ambiance: ★★★☆☆

The place seemed laid-back. The couch was comfortable to sit on. The printed walls were dainty. There’s plenty of room for everyone. It can house large groups. Tables can be merged and chairs can be adjoined. The TV was left hanging but not turned on. There was no music playing on the backgound either. So it can be a good hangout place for friends to chit-chat for hours.

Service: ★★★☆☆

Service staff was quick but not friendly.  The service was three-star worthy — the attendant was able to give our food, drinks, napkins, toothpicks, and bill easily without a hassle.

Food: ★☆☆☆☆

Everything on the menu, as you can see above in the pictures, looked decent. We ordered three types of pastas: pesto, pasta al tonno (tuna) and carbonara. The pesto pasta did not taste like pesto at all. It came with beans and potatoes, which like the pesto, were very bland and absolutely had no flavor. Maybe the chef was inebriated? Maybe he forgot to add in salt and other spices? I’d like to think that way, but another reason could be that they just want to be enlisted as the restaurant which serves the top worst pesto pasta ever. Our own cooking is 10 times, if not more, better!

If my descriptions are not enough, try following these instructions to sample the dish yourself: Buy pasta and cook it according to package directions to al dente. Drain and set aside the pasta water after about 15 minutes. Add boiled sliced beans and potatoes and transfer them onto individual serving plates together with the pasta. Serve and eat. Can you expect to taste pesto in there? Of course not, because there was none. That’s okay. But in Joey Pepperoni, we could actually see the pesto bits. Unfortunately, it tasted as if there weren’t. I didn’t bother to finish this almost inedible food.

If I’d give the pesto pasta a rating of 0/10, the tuna pasta can take one point higher. The hint of tuna was more evident, but it was lacking some seasoning. Although, I must say that their pasta al tonno can be perfect as hospital food to suit patients whose appetite is impaired.

The carbonara was thick in traditional creamy alfredo sauce, topped bacon bits and parmesan cheese. Among the three, this was the most comestible. Still, it was ordinary and there was nothing to be really happy about.

Thinking that their signature dish is the Joey pepperoni pizza, we got it as a safe bet — big mistake! Joey Pepperoni’s overloaded pepperoni favorite was soggy and uninspiring; it was nothing like we’re used to. Like a microwaved day old pizza, it was doughy and also greasy. If the Joey pepperoni pizza has to be the indication of how good the rest of their offerings are, then I have to remind myself (and in part, all of you) to avoid going to this pizzeria and meet disappointment.

Price for Value: ★☆☆☆☆

The portion sizes were very generous. Not judging the taste of the food, prices were okay. But what’s the use of having plenty and huge servings of dishes priced at affordable rates when they are not any scrumptious? …None.

So this is the end of my review. You may check in another day and tell me how it fared for you. When you share the same judgment as me, the best you can do is drink more iced tea or grab anything from the drinks section. 🙂

Have you tried dining in Joey Pepperoni before? If yes, what do you think of their food and how do you rate the restaurant overall? If no, what pizza and pasta restaurant can you best recommend?

Joey Pepperoni Pizzeria (near McDonald’s)
Ground Level, One E-Com Center Harbor Drv. cor. Sunset Avenue, Mall of Asia Complex Pasay City, Philippines

UPDATE on December 9, 2012: This branch of Joey Pepperoni Pizzeria has closed down, after I wrote this post. 😯