Spencer Williams, Contributor
Located at several places in Kingston, one in Portmore, and another in Mandeville, Domino's Pizza claims that they are "delivering a million smiles a day"! While I am sure it makes many people happy, does this pizza parlour really rule casual dining?
The Collins English Dictionary's definition of pizza is, a dish of Italian origin consisting of a baked disc of dough covered with cheese and tomatoes, usually with the addition of mushrooms, anchovies, sausage, or ham. And one meaning of domino is, from French, from Italian, perhaps domino! Master, said by the winner.
Pizza has been popularised around the world and is sought after by those hosting events like children's sleepovers, football games in front of the television, lunches and late-night binges, as well as those who want to grab a quick slice while shopping. Eaten cold first thing in the morning, it has even been known to 'cure' hangovers!
Over-indulgence
Although I am able to demolish a whole one all on my own, a pizza pie is more often than not shared among friends as it is so filling. And for those who wish to sample a variety of tastes, the more people sharing, the better. The eyes tend to be bigger than the stomach, and you might find that over-indulging in this food has negative effects. That is exactly what I have found in my 'studies' of late! That old expression, "I will never do that again", comes to mind. Truth is, I am sure that I shall be placing an order in the future, but now I have choices of toppings and crust.
The cheesy bread reminds me of the one a bakery in Ocho Rios used to supply some years ago. The epitome of comfort food, which could satisfy any starving man's hunger, it consists of thick stodgy dough with just enough melted cheese on top. It comes with a marinara sauce which one may dip bits of bread into, but I wouldn't recommend that you do. Similar to a bottled concoction, like Ragu pasta sauce, one can taste the chemicals which are clearly used for preservation. Sure, it lasts a long time in the fridge. However, doesn't that tell us something about how much additive it contains?
The hot chicken wings are horrendous. Sorry, but they are. Stick to the barbecued ones if you must have fowl. But to be honest, the barbecued chicken pizza has scarcely a spoon of dried-up meat (dehydrated bacon bits one can buy in the supermarket comes to mind) scattered over it, that I'd leave the birds to the jerk joints across the country.
Canned pineapple
The Hawaiian selection is okay, but I still have a problem with the canned pineapple, especially when we have the fresh fruit growing here. It might have something to do with standardising the product though - cans used in foreign, therefore must also be used in Jamaica.
The meat feast, with ham, pepperoni and beef, lacks oomph, but sprinkle a sachet of the crushed red pepper over everything, and it goes down a treat. And if, by chance, the temperature is on the tepid side when it gets to your home, re-heat in the oven at 350F for about 15 minutes. Microwaving will turn your beautifully crisp thin crust into a soggy mess, and anything thicker will only be worse.
While Domino's is not the king of take-out, their Extravaganza variety manages to get to that inner spot each time I take a bite. With mushrooms (albeit from a can), green sweet peppers, black olives, crispy onion, pepperoni, sausage and bologna, this pie could indeed be categorised as the master of pizzas.
Domino's Pizza:
33b Hope Road, Kingston 10; Tel. 920-3996
Shop #2, 151 Constant Spring Road, Kingston 8; Tel: 941-1708
Boulevard Super Centre, 45 Elma Crescent, Kingston 20; Tel: 934-2378
Port Henderson Plaza, Portmore; Tel: 998-5411
51/2 Caledonia Road, Mandeville; Tel. 961-0115
Look to spend $4,500-$5,000 on a full meal of sides, pizzas and sweets for six to eight people
