JJ Wonton Noodle House - Restaurant Review No.10
If you want to make the acquaintance of your dinner before you ingest it, this is not your place.
Unlike the hundreds of Chinese restaurants I've dined in, JJ's Wonton Noodle House dispensed with the predictable crab and lobster tank in the front lobby. Wait a sec, there is a "fish tank" of sorts at the back of the restaurant but it contains no crustaceans, only three or four very busy chefs. Almost the entire back wall of the restaurant is a large window where diners can see and smell all the goodness that this restaurant is known for.
The dining room is no nonsense with simple chairs and tables, mostly bare walls save for a two landscape pieces. Jasmine tea comes quickly to the table accompanied by menus. For the most part, service is quick and to the point. This should not be taken as unfriendly. Whether you're visiting JJ's for lunch or dinner, a line-up out the door is normal. The wait staff have many people to serve and the "pick-up!" bell that the chefs hit when a dish is ready, chimes feverishly.
I can say with great confidence that everything on the menu will rock your world. My favourite dishes are the black bean beef with garlic and mixed vegetables, the garlic and ginger prawns with snow peas and the cashew chicken. Wait, the ginger fried beef is also super savoury, crisp with a wisp of sweetness. All dishes are priced moderately and the "crustaceans" are sold at market price.
Head chef Joseph Wong has travelled all over China and the world and has accumulated many recipes and experience over the last 20 years. From the different regions of China, he has learned how to prepare some of the most exotic and exquisite dishes. Joseph's' signature dishes are Shark Fin Soup, Creamy lobster and Szechuan Style Rack of Lamb.
I have frequented JJ's many times over the last 10 years or so and without fail, the service has been professional and the food quite excellent. What are you waiting for? Grab your keys, drive down there and get in line.
JJ's Wonton Noodle House
1012 Fort Street
250.383.0680
Published March 16, 2010
Kurt Marhue writes from a sunny place in VIctoria B.C.
