The Korean invasion continues with the recent opening of Mr. Pizza, South Korea’s leading pizza chain with more than 500 branches worldwide.
Its Greenbelt branch offers 18 types of hand-tossed and grill-baked pizzas that diners can match with one of its seven signature edges stuffed with such ingredients as cheese, cream cheese, egg tart, “original,” “cheddarella,” “gold,” or sweet potato and mocha bun.
Apart from cheese, Mr. Pizza’s best-selling edge is gold, which goes well with such pizzas as Seafood Island 2, Potato Gold, Shrimp Gold and the strangely named Gesal Montand. Their thin crust allows diners to fully savor an explosion of textures and flavors.
“We can give suggestions on what pizza goes well with what edge,” said Mr. Pizza marketing manager Chanky Tiangco. “But diners are free to do as they please.”
Food servers take 15 to 20 minutes to serve orders; Mr. Pizza’s kitchen staff does everything from scratch.
Healthier
Tiangco said that since they’re all grill-baked, Mr. Pizza’s offerings are healthier than that of the competition. Unlike a solid tray, its specially designed grill allows oil to drip.
“If you look at the amount of toppings we put on our pizzas, ours is generous or full-hearted,” Tiangco noted. “The variety of toppings combined with our signature edges results in a play of surprising flavors and textures from the tip to the edge.”
Mr. Pizza also offers side orders like Mozarella Sticks, Crab Carbonara, Cajun Salad, and a plateful of crispy and slightly spicy chicken legs dubbed either as Mr. or Ms. Chicken.
They all go well with the restaurant’s cold and nonalcoholic signature drinks such as Aloe Ade, Citron Ade and Hallabong Ade.
To complete the K-Pop feel, the place features a video wall showing nonstop vignettes of Korean acts, including Psy of “Gangnam Style” fame.
Established in 1990 in Seoul, the homegrown pizza chain now also has branches in China and the US.
It’s exclusively represented in the Philippines by Dine Asia, which plans to open four more branches of Mr. Pizza before the year ends.