Mr. Pizza, Korea's #1 pizza chain with outlets in China and the US, opened its first store in the Philippines last May 15. Located at Greenbelt 3, Mr. Pizza Philippines is its 505th store worldwide. This pizza chain popular for its playful flavors and crusts offers lots of unique experiences for the Filipino palate — in a country where pizza is served in many ways, forms, cuisines and styles, that promise is enough to pique the interests of pizza fans all over the metro.
'There is nothing in the market that is similar to our top-of-the-line pizzas – Eggta, Seafood Island, Potato Gold, Gesal Montand, Macho Grande, and Secret Garden,' says Tony Son, Mr. Pizza Korea's Director for Global Division. A quick browse of their menu, which lists the same kinds of flavors and food as branches abroad, will overwhelm the most avid of pizza monsters — the pizza flavors are named quite differently, toppings so plenty, and crust options quite crazy — that the first visit to the restaurant will be an education of how Koreans enjoy their Mr. Pizza pizzas. Arrive open and eager to experience pizza differently to make the most out of your stay at Mr. Pizza.
Mr. Pizza has a 300% Principle that is displayed all over the restaurant: on their walls, framed, and printed on the menu. The 300% breaks down to three key components. All pizzas here are 1) 100% Hand-Kneaded (you can see for yourself the cooks kneading and tossing the dough at their open prep area) 2) 100% Full-Hearted Topping (toppings placed with the 'same sincerity and dedication as farmers plant seeds', in short: wholeheartedly prepared) and 3) 100% Grill-Baked (using screen grills, which reduces oil amount, which means less greasy fingers when you eat the pizza).
Truly, their signature flavors are unlike any other that Manila is offering — Mr. Pizza encourages palates to be adventurous and playful with their food selection, given their crust and topping options. To begin your pizza feast, choose a crust for your pizza; there are seven to choose from, which are the following:
1. Original – the default crust of premium pizzas, which comes with a garlic dip
2. Egg Tart (P100) – edge of the pizza is lined with a sweet custard (think of those small round egg tarts, but in a pizza)
3. Cheddarella (P100) – edge is coated with mozzarella and cheddar which melts into the crust when baked
4. Gold (P100) – with sweet potato filling, quite smooth and sweet that it's close to the texture and flavor of red bean paste
5. Cream Cheese (P200) -with cream cheese filling
6. Mocha Bun (P100) -dough is infused with mocha flavor (think of those round coffee buns, but in pizza crust) and its edge is filled with cream cheese
7. Cheese Cap (P200) -filled with cheese mousse
It may get a bit dizzying to learn about the types of crusts for your pizza. I was at a loss at where to start: do I prioritize the toppings over the crust? Or other way around? So for starters, the menu displays the flavors available for Premium pizzas, and suggests the best crust pairing (we stuck with the menu's suggestions). All premium pizzas are available in 2 sizes — Regular (R) and Large (R), and to help you visualize the size, their menu is circular in shape and has a guide of how big the actual size will be.
Want to have Mr. Pizza the way Koreans love it? Try the top flavors of their homebase, which our friendly server suggested: Potato Gold (Regular: P630/P730 Gold Crust, Large: P830/P930 Gold Crust) which has buttery potatoes and bacon, Eggta (Regular: P800/P900 Egg Tart, Large: P980/P1,080 Egg Tart) topped with camembert cheese and beef steak, and Macho Grande (Regular: P630/P730 Mocha Bun, Large: P830/P930 Mocha Bun) loaded with round steak, and potatoes. We noticed the fascination for potatoes as pizza topping (talk about double carbo load!) and one Korean chef of Mr. Pizza just nods and explains that they love their potatoes. As it was my first time to try these curious crust-topping combos, first bites were quite tentative and hesitant; the potatoes were actually a welcome texture, however will fill you easily so order the pizzas with potatoes if you're really hungry. The sweet edges of the mocha bun and egg tart crust I treated like a mini-dessert: after biting on the pie's savory body, I nibbled on the crust last. Potato Gold with the Gold Crust is my most preferred crazy-Korean pizza, because of the hefty amount of toppings (so that's why it's "Full-Hearted Topping"!) it can render me stuffed in two slices. And also–bacon!
Not quite bold enough a palate for unusual crust flavors? Then choose among the pizzas in their Smarty line, thin crust pizzas in original flavor, for pizza lovers wanting more minimalist, less indulgent pies. They have Gorgonzola (P330) which is a personal favorite, combining gorgonzola cheese and mozzarella in a pizza with walnuts, then dipped in sweet honey. Other thin crust flavors include Crab Cream (P330) with crab meat, roasted garlic, crunchy streusel and cream sauce; Spicy Meat (P330) with pepperoni, tomato sauce and ground beef.
Aside from pizza, there are savory side dishes, risottos, and pastas on their menu. Most recommended is the Chicken Spicy Cream Pasta (P280), while I greatly enjoyed the spicy and tomatoey oven-baked Oven Cheese Seafood & Kimchi Spaghetti (P280) which had shrimp, scallops, and lots of ooey gooey cheese on top. Koreans are highly popular for their take on fried chicken, and Mr. Pizza offers a handful of options: Mr. Chicken (P230, 8pcs) for a little spicy kick, Ms. Chicken (P230, 8 pcs) for those who prefer it sweet, and Hot Wings (P230, 8pcs) for an extra heat that lingers in every meaty bite.
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Mr. Pizza Philippines' first branch is now open at Greenbelt 3, Makati, daily from 11am to 12mn. Follow Mr. Pizza Philippines on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (mrpizzaph), and visit www.mrpizza.ph
