PrintTop Ten Crazy Asian Pizza Crusts
Nothing gets the stomach juices flowing quite as well as a ring of shrimp with tails dangling in the air and heads swaddled in tubes of cheese-stuffed dough.
My idea of a pizza is rather basic: a flat round of dough covered in tomato sauce, dotted with mozzarella, and topped with a few basil leaves. But in the world of East Asian pizza chain pies, that would be some major weak-sauce pizza. Where are the shrimp, potato, and mayonnaise toppings? Where's the hot-dog-and-cheese-stuffed crust?
During my search for extreme Asian pizzas, I mostly noticed the range of unconventional crusts, ranging from those stuffed with hot dogs to crusts filled with sweet potato mousse. After the jump, check out my list of Top Ten Weird Asian Pizza Crusts, arranged from least weird to most bizarre.
1. Whole Shrimp Cheese Bite (Pizza Hut; Japan, South Korea)
For the pizza lover who also craves shrimp and cheese wrapped in dough, Pizza Hut has created the Whole Shrimp Cheese Bite. Because nothing gets the stomach juices flowing quite as well as a ring of shrimp with tails dangling in the air and heads swaddled in tubes of cheese-stuffed dough.
Website: pizzahut.co.kr/menu/R_pizza_tb.asp
The pizza in real life: gothambat on Flickr, Hannah Bae on Flickr.
2. Shrimp and Mayo Roll Crust (Pizza Hut, Japan)
Pizza Hut's Shrimp and Mayo Crust Roll is similar to its Whole Shrimp Cheese Bite except it uses shrimp nuggets instead of whole shrimp and is injected with mayonnaise instead of surrounded by gooey cheese. Think pigs in a blanket reimagined as cheese-oozing shrimp nubs in a blanket.
Website: pizzahut.jp/whatsnew/065_080107_gochisou/
3. German King: Sausage, Bacon and Cheese Crust (Pizza Hut, Japan)
The crust of the German King is folded over every few inches to encase a ring of sausage atop a layer of bacon. Atop a layer of cheese. The result is a visually appealing pattern of alternating pink sausage and golden crust and a flavor symphony of processed meat, pork, and cheese in every bite.
Website: Mr. Wake
4. Triple Cheese Pizza (Domino's, South Korea)
"How do we get more cheese into our pizza?"
I imagine that someone had to ask that question to prompt the creation of the Triple Cheese Pizza, a stack of three thin crusts, each slathered with a different kind of cheese: cheddar for the bottom layer, Camembert for the middle layer, and emmental for the top layer.
Website: dominos.co.kr/menu/menu010201.jsp
5. Mizza: Rice Crust (Pizza Hut; Taiwan, South Korea)
The Mizza is a healthy take on pizza that replaces the crust with a thick patty of rice. It's like a bowl of rice topped with stuff—except shaped differently.
Website: pizzahut.com.tw/English/menu/mizza.asp
More info: pinyin.info/news/2007/rice-pizza-mizza
6. Abalone Sauce Cheesy Lava Stuffed Crust Pizza (Pizza Hut, Hong Kong)
Admittedly it's not the crust on the Abalone Sauce Cheesy Lava Stuffed Crust Pizza that is so mindblowing but the whole package of seafood, abalone sauce, crayfish and crab roe dressing, chicken, and enoki mushrooms—along with the commercial below—that makes this pizza look like the ultimate symbol of today's cosmopolitan woman. ("She could be you!" Unless you're a man.) My favorite part is when the cheese—a combination of mozzarella, Parmesan, and cheddar—oozes out of the crust holes. I think that's how the pizza "breathes."
Website: pizzahut.com.hk/en/menu/dine_in/monthly.html
7. Shrimp Nude; Cream Cheese Mousse-Filled Crust (Mr. Pizza, Korea)
The crust of the uniquely named Shrimp Nude is slightly concave to act as a moat of cream cheese mousse around the spicy Cajun shrimp–topped pizza.
Website: mrpizza.co.kr/GLOBAL/eng/products/premium.php
(Mr. Pizza is available in Los Angeles.)
8. Rich Gold; Sweet Potato Mousse-Filled Crust (Pizza Hut, South Korea)
Pizza Hut's Rich Gold looks similar to Mr. Pizza's Shrimp Nude but replaces the cream cheese mousse with sweet potato mousse. It's two carbs in every bite!
Website: pizzahut.co.kr/menu/R_pizza_rg.asp
9. Sausage Crust, Mochi Crust, and Cheddar Sauce Crust (Strawberry Cones, Japan)
As part of its Spring Season Campaign, Strawberry Cones brings you three kinds of exciting crusts:
Mimi Kururin: Filled with "100% pork sausage."
Mocchi-mo: Made out of balls of mochi (glutinous rice paste).
Even the Crust Is Cheddar Sauce: Has a "sticky cheddar taste."
If the crusts aren't exciting enough for you, each pizza is divided into quadrants to bring you four kinds of topping combinations:
7-Variety Veggie Pizza: asparagus, corn, paprika, parsley, eggplant, zucchini, onions, pizza sauce
5-Variety Cheese Margherita: Camembert, Samsoe, Gouda, Steppen, Parmesan, fresh tomatoes, garlic, basil, parsley, pizza sauce
Milakoreno: hamburger, bologna sausage, fresh tomatoes, broccoli, onions, mayo, parsley, pizza sauce
Fluffy Prince and ChikichikiTeri: Charcoal fire-grilled chicken, egg, parsley, mayo, teriyaki sauce
Website: strawberrycones.com/campaign
10. Grand Prix: Cookie Crust Pizza Topped with Shrimp and Potato (Mr. Pizza, South Korea)
It doesn't contain shrimp. It doesn't ooze with cheese. It doesn't wrap around a log of meat. But Mr. Pizza's Grand Prix is my pick for the weirdest crust because ... it's made of cookie. A rather healthy sounding cookie that's sprinkled with sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and raisins, although, according to Mr. Pizza, it "tastes like European soft cookies!" If this doesn't sound enticing enough, the pizza comes with blueberry dipping sauce to slather the crust in after you're done eating the noncrusty part (which is topped with shrimp and potato—fairly normal for an Asian pizza).
The commercial shows a young female Korean pizza chef confidently making her cookie-crust pizza against some clueless-looking white male chefs.
Website: mrpizza.co.kr/GLOBAL/eng/products/grand.php
[Video via East Windup Chronicle]
Many thanks to our multilingual intern, Emily Koh, for helping with the translations. I'd also like to point out that, even though I label these pizzas as "weird," that doesn't mean I wouldn't want to eat them. Hell, I want to try every single one!
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29 Comments:
Nice! You know, I'd actually eat pizza more than once every year or two if I had easy access to these pizzas!! I love Japanese mayo with my stuff, so I'd be all over the shrimp and mayo crust roll. I do something similar except with squid and scallops, but you just gave me more ideas! The nori sounds interesting on it too.
I'm hungry!
Cassaendra at 7:27AM on 02/26/08
All this Asian pizza exposure this past week has brainwashed me into thinking that some of these might actually be really... um, tasty. I'm even willing to "forget" that I'm lactose-intolerant for the sake of taste-testing. You know. Take one for the team. Yeah...
I mean, c'mon. Cream cheese crust? Mochi crust? COOKIE CRUST?! Yum (?).
Emily Koh at 9:20AM on 02/26/08
Ok so there's a pizza in Singapore. It doesn't have and weird toppings ( not to my knowledge) BUT it's shaped like old chinese currency which is round with a square hole in the middle. Yes there are square holes in the middle of the pizza. I think it was a chinese new year special, and I'm pretty sure it's pizza hut. I saw it advertised at a bus stop in singapore. I wish this had come up earlier, I would have taken a picture. If you guys really want to see something weird you should check out what Mcdonalds is serving over here. Fish head soup Micky D's style anyone?
waterbaby at 9:21AM on 02/26/08
I meant it doesn't have ANY weird toppings. Singapore does have the pizza, not to confuse anyone.
*sorry.
waterbaby at 9:23AM on 02/26/08
You know what...I would try it. They look kind of so bad that they start to look good again. Like a mirror reflecting another mirror, this thought will continue in my head.
cakespy at 10:57AM on 02/26/08
@waterbaby: I've seen a photo of that pizza! ...But I can't find it. Argh.
"Top Ten Crazy Asian McDonald's Food" sounds like a good future post...
roboppy at 11:46AM on 02/26/08
That Triple Cheese Pizza looks pretty darn good.
bearsilber at 12:39PM on 02/26/08
does the triple cheeze pizza remind anyone of that faux ad from the onion: "Pizza Hut's New Pizza Lover's Pizza Topped With Smaller Pizzas?!?"
http://www.theonion.com/content/from_print/pizza_huts_new_pizza_lovers
mlo at 2:26PM on 02/26/08
I'd like to try the Bulgogi pizza on Hannah Bae's Flickr.
And I love that they serve what looks like pickles on the side! :D
Excellent, excellent article.
anglerfish96 at 3:15PM on 02/26/08
our pizza doesn't have enough swirly sauce decorations!
lethargarian at 5:13PM on 02/26/08
oh my god. #5 reminds me of mcdonald's chicken fan-tastic, which consists of rice patties instead of a bun:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/selva/176117529/in/set-72157594277803692/
mightypow at 5:15PM on 02/26/08
Speaking as an Asian, I'm actually strongly attracted to these, and I would buy them -- except I don't live in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, or Hong Kong...
Sigh...
Still... the cookie crust (#10) with blueberry sauce? A bit out of this world... I'd try it if I wasn't paying for it (i.e. someone's treat, LOL), but I'll stick to savory pizza crusts, thank you.
levinedym at 6:32PM on 02/26/08
Wow - this is unbelievably detailed and meticulous research. I like the Mizza...I want it now!
HippoParade at 7:08PM on 02/26/08
Holy...speechless...shrimp crust...I am actually hungry. I thought the cheese-stuffed crust was really SNL commercial. I can't believe this creative genius.
Southerngirl at 8:38PM on 02/26/08
What a great post. #6 is pretty mind-blowing.
I remember going to a Tokyo Shakey's ages ago, and seeing a pizza come out with corn and baby octopus on it.
Not sure if this link will work, but it's for a frozen Heinz Baked Bean Pizza, straight outta En-ger-land. Absolutely disgusting, and not all unusual pizza recipes come from Asia:
TikiPundit at 9:07PM on 02/26/08
The triple cheese pizza idea is like one of those Taco Bell concoctions that wraps a chalupa around a soft taco around a hard taco ...
I'd try all of these, too. And I'm kinda jealous that they can order their pizza with Gouda and Camembert on it ...
OneWallKitchen at 10:38PM on 02/26/08
hey robyn, don't feel bad!!! I HEART YOUR POSTS AND YOUR BLOG!!!These crusts caused a feeling of sick to rush to my brains (this is further emphasized by the fact that I'm currently in Shanghai and so I actually see these kind of things while walking around). The head-on tail-on shrimp one is kinda the scariest to me, because I can imagine being momentarily awestruck by the cheese not realizing that the shrimp are dangerously sharp and then biting into it leading to all sorts of mouth bleedingness. yup.
dead_brontes at 7:25AM on 02/27/08
*swallows hard* ummmm.
So I'm moving to Korea next month, and I've been there before, and I thought it was odd that the pizza sauce was sweet and had corn on it, but this makes me want to gorge myself on real pizza every day until I live, just to tide me over...
Abalone and shrimp on pizza?! Um. Interesting.
I'll see if there are any frozen ones that can be shipped when I get there, haha
machellebelle at 10:19AM on 02/27/08
I would actually eat any one of these pizzas. Nice post Robyn.
ag3208 at 4:12PM on 02/27/08
Gaah, there's not much there I CAN eat, much less WANT to with my Western tastes!
Christina at 10:03PM on 02/27/08
ummm....why did you guys take down Robyn's website link under "Serious Eats Family" links?
Ed: "wwwassssssupp wit tat????"
kkmdevelopers at 1:04AM on 02/28/08
It's kind of odd how much cheese these pizzas have on them considering that most Asians (at least majority that I'm friends with) are lactose intolerant (I'm one of the exceptions! Woohoo I can horde all the dairy I want!). Maybe I'm just drawn to people who are lactose intolerant so that I can befriend them then torture them by eating all the dairy goodness that are denied to them. (Yeah my friends love me).
veGieSatan at 2:44AM on 02/28/08
I was never interested in trying pizza when I visit Taiwan or Japan, but maybe I'll give it a shot for fun next time... the shrimp bites actually looked appetizing in the youtube commercial. then again, $25 for a Medium, and $35 for a Large? crazy!!
starrytear at 1:35PM on 02/28/08
kkmdevelopers: Robyn is still here and very much loved! More details on this thread.
Alaina Browne at 5:04PM on 02/28/08
Hi Robyn! This is a fantastic post! You should write a book on it, it would be delicious and unique! Never seen anything like it! We've have to go for the shrimp one, look at all those tasty critters!
White On Rice Couple at 1:55AM on 02/29/08
These combos might sound very strange to a North American but so are some of the versions of "Asian" dishes that get served up here. Much of the take-out from our neighbourhood Chinese restaurant are American-Chinese takes on the real thing. Only recently, have we become more adventurous and eaten in 'authentic' Asian restaurants. Hey, what's wrong with a little intermingling of cultures?
Raki5 at 5:36PM on 03/03/08
These combos might sound very strange to a North American but so are some of the versions of "Asian" dishes that get served up here. Much of the take-out from our neighbourhood Chinese restaurant are American-Chinese takes on the real thing. Only recently, have we become more adventurous and eaten in 'authentic' Asian restaurants. Hey, what's wrong with a little intermingling of cultures?
Raki5 at 5:41PM on 03/03/08
pizza #4 reminds me of this: The Chaser's War on Everything - Mega Cheese Crust Pizza
natamari at 7:54PM on 03/03/08
I was in Korea this past summer and I ate at both Mr. Pizza and Pizza Hut. I can say that Mr. Pizza's Hanchi Gold is vastly superior to Pizza Hut's Rich Gold (the Hanchi Gold has squid! And twice as much sweet potato mousse!). What was stranger than the pizza though was the fact that Mr. Pizza was marketed towards women --- as health food!
Sampson at 3:23AM on 03/04/08