We try the pizza that shocked the world and get a jolt of our own.

Domino’s Pizza Japan’s official Twitter account, as you’d naturally assume, writes its posts in Japanese. A notable exception occurred this week, though, when they responded to a tweet from Twitter user Mark Emlyn Evans regarding the chain’s new Crispy Fish and Chips Pizza.

Unfortunately, since he lives in London, Evans hasn’t been able to take Domino’s Japan up on their free pizza offer. However, we’ve got multiple branches within delivery distance of SoraNews24 headquarters in Tokyo, and so our Japanese-language reporter Tasuku Egawa decided to order a Crispy Fish and Chips Pizza and see how the concept that’s sent shockwaves around the world tastes.

At 4,200 yen (US$38) for a 33-centimeter (13-inch) large, the Crispy Fish and Chips isn’t a budget-priced pizza, but Tasuku decided to splurge. Despite the unusual toppings, it didn’t take longer to arrive than any of the more orthodox pizzas we’ve had delivered to the office, and soon enough he had the pie in front of him.

Visually, it was impressive, and actually looked even better than the somewhat drab-colored photo from Domino’s mobile order app. Leaning in for a closer inspection, Tasuku saw that each slice has a piece of battered fish.

It’s also nice to see that the pizza’s chips/French fries are of a nice thickness, and not just some haphazard spud shavings.

The reason Tasuku had drawn taste testing duties is because while pretty much everyone we have on staff likes pizza, Tasuku is the biggest fish and chips fan in the office. Let’s take a look at his post-tasting notes:

“OK, time to dig in! Hmmm, I see. The pizza has both tomato sauce and tarter sauce on it, but the tomato has the stronger flavor, so the tartar sauce provides a subtler accent than I’d expected. The pieces of fried fish are a little on the small side, but since you’re balancing them on a pizza slice, this was probably the right call. It keeps the slice easy to eat, but you can still really taste the delicious fish, and so all of this works great together.”

The Crispy Fish and Chips Pizza isn’t perfect, though. Tasuku’s notes continue:

“The lemon slice toppings are a problem. I like squeezing a lot of lemon juice on my fish and chips, but I didn’t like having lemon slices, including the peel, on a pizza. I think this is what’s really going to make the Fish and Chips Pizza divisive, like how pineapple on pizza is usually a love-it-or-hate-it kind of thing, without much middle ground.”

Because of that, Tasukus’s actually got some suggestions as to how he’d make the pizza better.

“If you’re like me and don’t think you’d like having warm, tart fruit on your pizza, when you order you might want to ask Domino’s to hold the lemon slices. Aside from the citrus, it’s a really well-balanced pizza in terms of flavor, and if you’re wanting something with a bolder taste, maybe you could add some extra tartar sauce or a splash of malt vinegar after they deliver it.”

So in the end, Tasuku feels like fish and chips pizza really isn’t all that weird, but lemon pizza definitely is. Still, he ate the whole thing and didn’t leave a slice for me, so overall that counts as a thumbs-up.

Top image: SoraNews24
Insert images: Domino’s Pizza mobile order app, ©SoraNews24
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
[ Read in Japanese ]