Spencer Williams, Contributor
Tucked snugly in a small 'hut' at lower Manor Park Plaza, Turo's Pizza ought to stick to just those! The servers are pleasant, and fairly accurate when they tell you that your order will take 30 minutes. The location is convenient for residents living in the area who wish to pick-up on the way home, and the opening times facilitate nearly all hours of hunger.
In fact, Turo's food, although it won't always satisfy your taste buds, will more than satisfy your stomach. A group of eight would be quite happy after spending about $4,000 altogether. These days you'd be hard pressed to fill that space with one 'nanny' a pop!
Unfortunately, either the chefs need to learn how to make better lasagnes, or ban them and stick to pizzas. The chicken version tasted as if the bird was left to sit in a spice rub that has been in a bottle, on the supermarket shelf, for a decade.
The sheets of pasta had been cut to fit a baking dish half the size, and had been so overcooked that is was difficult to distinguish between it and the melted cheese. The term 'al dente' got lost in translation.
The beef had a slightly better flavour, but could have done with more tomato or cheese sauce to ease its dryness. The pasta was equally bad. I have to wonder whether the chef boiled it first. Do you realise that pasta only takes nine to 12 minutes to reach the correct stage, depending on the type? A lasagne gets baked for longer than this, so why would it be necessary to cook it in water first?
Pies and Pizzas
The pies get a better grade for the most part. The shrimp pizza is actually quite good, but like all of this genre of cuisine, it's wise to consume it immediately. Surprisingly, creamy cheese with these little crustaceans, spread over soft bread dough, is rather tasty. A similar emotion was felt in my mouth from the beef and pineapple variety, but was dispelled when I left, what I thought would be, the best for last. Pepperoni and mushroom is usually my fail-safe choice. This is one pie that cannot, and should not, be messed up ... or so I thought. The slices of cured pig were like rubber, and the fungi were blatantly plucked out of a can.
They deliver
If you do decide to order from Turo's, (they also deliver in Kingston but the driver seemed willing to go anywhere by the way, but check first), and there's only one of you, then you must ask for a Pansoratti. This is a folded pizza that resembles an oversized Jamaican patty, or a very large Cornish Meat Pastie. The dough is fairly thick but there is enough filling to compliment it all. I'd particularly recommend the ham and onion, which is accompanied by hot and oozing cheese and tomato, and together makes for one of the most delicious fast-food items on anyone's menu. This dish must be the reason for Turo's slogan 'Taste the Passion', because very little on the list has nearly as much passion as it claims!
Turo's Pizza, Shop 20, Lower
Manor Park Plaza, Kingston 8
Telephone: 924-1523, 969-8242
Facsimile: 905-1541
Opening Hours: Mondays-
Thursdays 9 a.m.-midnight;
Fridays-Saturdays 9 a.m.-1 a.m.;
Sundays 11:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m.
Look to Spend: About $500 per person if in a group; $970 on a pizza for two people; $570 on a pansoratti; $550-$650 on beef, chicken or seafood lasagne.
