Domino’s Pizza in Japan puts pizza ingredients not on top of pizza dough but on rice instead —.
You might think this is a joke about the Japanese’s love of rice, but this is for real.
Domino’s Pizza Japan spent a year developing a Japanese menu - the “Pizza Rice Bowl”! It is described on the official website as a bowl of butter rice topped with 100% mozzarella cheese and toppings baked in the oven to savoury perfection.
You there! The one snigerring about how “this is right up the Japanese people’s alley”. I’ll have you know that this product is, frankly speaking, crazy even from a Japanese person’s point of view.
“I’ve never thought of eating rice with pizza,” says one of WeXpat’s Japanese staff members. Incidentally, this person also said, “I like rice burgers (hamburgers whose buns are replaced with rice) though.” What’s wrong with his taste buds…
And so! We tried Domino's “Pizza Rice Bowl” that even Japanese people cannot imagine what it tastes like. As it turns out, it was so delicious (almost touchingly so) with a “certain flavour” that is unique to Japan.
“How is it good?!” The Pizza X Rice Combination that We Can’t Help But Laugh At
As of May 2023, there are 7 flavours of Pizza Rice Flavours available. This time, we chose the world famous “Domino Deluxe” and Japanese-style “Charcoal Grilled Chiki-Teri” flavours. We started with the Domino Deluxe.
As soon as you dig the spoon in, the hot melted cheese stretches out. At a glance, it looks like an AI generated photo for a prank, but what on earth does it taste like? The reaction of our WeXpats members who tried it was…
Unexpected laughter.
What is this !!! What’s with this ridiculous taste !!!
As soon as you put some in your mouth, the familiar taste of tomato pizza sauce explodes in your mouth, followed by the richness of the butter rice. How do we say this, the combination is nonsensical, but somehow it tasted so good our minds became a mess.
If it had been ordinary white rice instead of butter rice, the pizza sauce would have tasted too strong and ruined the balance. As expected of Domino’s Pizza. The taste is undoubtedly junk food pizza, but I ended up laughing because I could feel the same level of attention to detail found in haute cuisine.
On the other hand, the "Charcoal Grilled Chiki-Teri" is an authentic and tasty Japanese flavour! The flavour of soy sauce from the teriyaki sauce is, of course, a perfect match with the rice.
For this one, everyone gave an unanimous and genuine high rating, saying it was “すごく美味しい (sugoku oishi)”. Some of our staff, even though they said “I’m so full” kept on having more. The chicken is tender and moist, which is another reason why it was so hard to stop eating.
The WeXpats editorial team was surprised by the perfection of the Pizza Rice Bowl, but another shock awaited us after.
Writer's Pick
A Taste that Will Change Your Image of Domino’s Pizza !? Japan Limited “Char-Grilled Beef” Flavour is Too Good
Actually, this time, apart from the Pizza Rice Bowls, we also ordered a Japan-only pizza. The “Quattro Nippon” - a combination of 4 different flavours with a focus on ingredients unique to Japan.
The “Spicy Mayo & Mochi”, called “Mentaiko Mayo Mochi” (!?) in Japanese, and other flavours were delicious, but the “Char-Grilled Beef” flavour in particular was totally different from Domino’s Pizza’s usual taste!
When people think of meat on pizza, they probably imagine pepperoni, ham, or similar processed meat. However, the ingredient for this pizza is real beef meat. And, even though we got it delivered, the meat was still tender with fat melting on our tongues. How can this be !?
The savoury smell of charcoal grill was also super appetising. The elegant aroma of Japanese-style barbecued meat, different from regular barbecue. Perhaps, this flavour would go well with the Pizza Rice Bowl…?
Not able to resist, and extra order was made for “Char-Grilled Beef Pizza Rice Bowl” !!!
This… was just as great as I imagined it to be. There’s no way the grilled beef wouldn’t go well with the rice. It’s so delicious as a dish. I have to say though, it doesn’t taste like pizza anymore!
WeXpats Conclusion is .... *cue drumroll*
WeXpats recommends the Japan limited “Char-Grilled Beef Pizza Rice Bowl” !
Domino's Pizza Japan's official website is also available in English. Whether you live in Japan or are visiting on holidays, if you have a hankering for a slightly different taste of Japan, order some.
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