RocketNews24

Domino’s Pizza, one of the world’s most well-known home delivery pizza services, has recently released a new luxury pizza in Japan- an exclusive to the pizza fast food market.

Priced at 5,800 yen (about US$66), however, you’d be right to think twice before parting with your cash; after all, this is essentially just a circle of baked dough with fancy toppings. Sure, after piling all of your favourite toppings onto a pizza pie, one might hit the 5,000 yen mark, but a large-sized pizza starting at 5,800 yen?!

This had better be something very special…

Regardless of price, if the product adequately tickles the taste buds I’m sure none of us will complain. On the other hand, if it’s the same as chewing on a piece of cardboard, or is no different from a low-price frozen pizza sold at a local supermarket, even the most optimistic of us will be left frowning with displeasure, and on this occasion considering the price maybe even going so far as to boycott Domino’s Pizza entirely.

Curious food fanatics that we are, the RocketNews24 team plucked up the courage, pooled our New Year’s money and placed an order for one of the pricey new pizzas! Here’s what we thought.

Domino’s beef-infused offering is officially known as the “Kobe Beef Steak Pizza” on its menus. As many of you may be aware, Kobe is a city located in Western Japan which is renowned for high quality, highly priced beef. As well as featuring Kobe beef endorsed by a dedicated organisation that promotes its circulation, the pizza is topped with potato, onion and deluxe steak sauce. I’m salivating as I write this, so I can only imagine the rest of you moaning with sudden pangs of hunger as the drool drips from your half-open mouths…

The use of first-rate beef creates high expectations, but just how much can a pizza tantalize the taste buds? Moreover, can it really justify the hefty price tag?

Arriving in the traditional dice emblem Domino’s Pizza box, the pizza didn’t strike us as anything special at first. On peeking inside, however, we were pleasantly surprised! The careful arrangement of the generous chunks of beef alone was enough to whet our appetites, and the combination of cheese and potato buried in between the meat was a genuine sight to behold. With no further delay, we dived in.

As for the taste…

“The pizza was filled to the brim with flavor, so much so that it was almost too much for me to handle! It took me back for a while, and I was admittedly a little lost for words; such culinary expertise in a pizza has got to be a first!” exclaimed one member of staff.

He added “When taking a bite, the juices from the meat spill over into the surrounding ingredients, blending in with the oil from the cheese to create a sense of flavoured harmony. At first, the idea of mixing cheese from a junk pizza with high-grade beef may make many a little hesitant, but the combination of the two and the taste that lingers on the palate are spot-on!”

Particularly worth noting is the sheer volume and texture of the fat-marbled meat. No pizza is complete without it, and meat’s natural oils arguably adds to the taste of pizza.

“The beef here really is sublime! From the first bite, the pure tastiness of the ingredients sets off a chain reaction inside the cerebral cavity. Before you know it, you find yourself entering into a state of pizza ecstasy,” commented our reporter.

On a negative note, with the beef being the focal point of the pizza- and let’s admit it, the meat is what will be impacting on your taste buds the most – it actually detracts a little from the traditional notion of what makes a good pizza. We found ourselves swept away by the beef itself, and it is conceivable that avid pizza fans may be left feeling that they have nibbled on great beef on a pizza base rather than a great pizza with beef, if you know what we mean. It is this lack of balance between pizza and high-grade meat that could leave some feeling disappointed. Moreover, with the expensive Kobe beef given the starring role, the other ingredients seem to have been neglected somewhat and are on the modest side.

But is it worth splashing the cash?

It really depends on what you’re looking for in a pizza: for those of you seeking a new dining experience and taste bud titillation, we highly recommend laying down the extra yen. For those who prefer a pizza with plentiful toppings and the overall sense of balance inherent with traditional pizzas, it might be better to opt for something from the existing range. And if you find yourself sitting on the fence? Well that’s what half-and-half combinations were invented for!

If you get your Kobe pizza on this week, let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or via our Facebook page!
[ Read in Japanese ]