Straightforward yet intimidating, I knew that taking on this article would be a heavy responsibility.
The brief? To review Domino’s newly returning mentaiko pizzas.
Image via Domino’s Pizza.
Because of the special place mentaiko and Domino’s holds in the hearts of many Singaporeans, underestimating the gravity of my words on public perception would be both foolish and an utter disservice to readers.
In a bid to steady myself for this huge undertaking, I rounded up the most promising mentaiko fanatics I could find in Mothership and formed the “Mentaiko Loverz Association”.
Together, this sacred group would congregate at the office pantry on a work day to try out two of Domino’s mentaiko pizzas and attempt to provide as objective a review as possible of these hallowed creations.
With the Telegram group chat created and delivery timing set, all we had left to do was wait till 5pm on Thursday…
D-Day
“The pizzas are here!” bellowed my colleague Adele, as 4:53pm rolled around on that fateful October Thursday.
Even before laying eyes on the pizza, strong wafts of mentaiko fragrance infiltrated my nostrils, giving me a tease of the gastronomic delight that awaited me.
My eyes lit up as Adele handed me the boxes of pizza, my other hand furiously typing in the group chat to inform everyone of the tantalising fare that had finally arrived.
Screenshot via Melanie Lim.
Colleagues soon streamed into the pantry one by one, and then in pairs, finally followed by the remaining stragglers who had to be hurried into joining the rest.
As eyes darted around and finally landed on the boxes that I had nestled on two chairs in an empty space at the pantry, we slowly but surely formed a circle around the pizzas to pay homage to them.
We aren’t unhinged, I swear. Image via Melanie Lim.
Without so much as a word or a giggle, the “Mentaiko Loverz Association” came together in clasped hands and bowed heads, uttering a thanksgiving for the culinary masterpieces we were about to partake in.
Just as soon as we exchanged words and stood up to ready ourselves, a flurry of hands swooped down from all angles like eagles ready to devour their prey, eager to snag a slice of pizza for themselves.
The Review
Prawn or chicken - the choice was clear for each of us, but perhaps not clear enough, as members of the association were quickly divided into denominations: team prawn versus team chicken.
Chicken Bon-taiko Pizza and Prawn Bon-taiko Pizza. Image via Melanie Lim.
Supporting team prawn, Khine Zin, 23 said: “I'm not a huge pizza lover, but the mentaiko made me want to get more. Also, prawns and mentaiko never go wrong together.”
1 Bite 5 Words: The only cult I'd join.
Khine Zin with her slice of prawn bon-taiko pizza. Image via Melanie Lim.
On the other hand, mentaiko-on-pizza sceptic Andrew Koay, 29, was team chicken:
“Though I've always enjoyed mentaiko on food like sushi and french fries, I must admit that I was slightly sceptical about how it would do on pizza. Well, it turns out that my cynicism was misplaced. The creamy taste of the mentaiko was a nice foil for the chicken chunks and the melted cheese.”
1 Bite 5 Words: Creamy and cheesy equals great.
The “men” in Men-taiko Loverz Association. Image via Melanie Lim
Rei, 26, and Huisi, 29, were full of praise for the mentaiko sauce that drizzled the pizza.
In Rei's words: “The mentaiko was not overly fishy and had the right amount of creaminess paired with generous toppings and a crispy, fresh crust. 10/10 would buy this for myself.”
However, Huisi wished that there was more sauce drizzled on top of the pizza as a finishing topping.
Two association members, Joni, 28, and Khidir, 29, were fans of both the mentaiko sauce and pizza dough respectively, with Joni being particularly ecstatic about the mentaiko and cheese pairing.
“Can mentaiko and cheese ever go wrong? NEVER!” the serial mentaiko enthusiast hollered.
1 Bite 5 Words: Mentaiko cheese pizza dreams REALISED.
Khidir “haunting” Joni from the back with his pizza. Image via Melanie Lim.
Adding on to Joni’s review, Khidir felt that the mentaiko pizza was “incredibly delicious with its fluffy bread and delectable toppings.”
“Eating it felt like a dream, and I was almost on the verge of a full-scale blackout from sheer satisfaction. Overall, I would definitely purchase it again and share the experience with my family.”
1 Bite 5 Words: I think it’s not bad.
As for me?
I tried both the prawn and chicken bon-taiko pizzas and loved every bit of it.
Each bite was like a symphony of sparks going off in my mouth, with all the dots connecting in my brain as the bonito flakes did a little dance in my mouth and explosions of umami goodness from the mentaiko sauce provided a potent flavour boost to the overall pizza.
Whoever came up with the idea of a mentaiko pizza must be a genius because everything about it just made sense.
My only gripe was that Domino’s could have been more generous with the prawn and chicken toppings.
1 Bite 5 Words: Mentaiko on pizza = great combination.
Domino’s Chicken Bon-taiko Pizza and Prawn Bon-taiko Pizza now available till Nov. 26, 2023
If it isn’t obvious by now, Domino’s Pizza Singapore has brought back their popular Mentaiko pizzas for a limited time till Nov. 26, 2023.
The Chicken Bon-taiko Pizza and Prawn Bon-taiko Pizza are priced at S$15.95 and S$17.95 respectively for a 9” Regular.
Both pizzas are also available in 12” Large and 15” Extra Large sizes at all Domino’s outlets islandwide and online.
From now till Nov. 26, customers can look forward to the following line-up of offers:
- Flagship 50 per cent promotion when you order the Mentaiko pizzas with a surcharge of S$3 for the Chicken Bon-taiko Pizza and S$5 for the Prawn Bon-taiko Pizza
- Redeem a free Regular Pizza when you place your first order via the Domino’s Singapore app
- Pay only S$5 for a Regular Chicken Bon-taiko Pizza when you order via the Domino’s Singapore app for self pick-up
- Get one Regular Chicken Bon-taiko Pizza + one side at S$17 when you order via the Domino’s Singapore app for self pick-up or delivery
Besides these deals, Domino’s Singapore will also be running exciting challenges on Instagram where participants can stand a chance to win attractive prizes.
To find out more, keep an eye on Domino’s Facebook page and Instagram page for further information.
This sponsored article by Domino’s Pizza Singapore allowed this writer to eat mentaiko pizzas with pizzazz.
Top images via Melanie Lim