Any sane person would raise their eyebrows at this. A durian… pizza? The Italians, the original creators of pizza, might be legitimately angry at this gastronomical abomination. I, on the other hand, was intrigued. Pizza Hut’s Cheesy 7 Durian Pizza was made to be groundbreaking at best, perhaps attention-seeking too, but hey, you’re here reading this right? Shock factor aside, it’s actually a pretty good pie — but first, what goes into this strange concoction?
The new creation is part of Pizza Hut’s 10th Cheesiversary celebration, and is the latest in a string of pan crust pizzas that celebrates cheesy goodness, the culinary kind, while featuring 7 types of popular cheeses.
Here, the Cheesy 7D pizza is loaded with provolone, mozzarella, gouda, cheddar, monterey jack, romano, parmesan, and cream cheese, then topped with generous dollops of real durian flesh. You’ll also be sinking your teeth into a fluffy pan crust pizza with a crispy edge.
TASTE: Durian pizza tastes way better than it sounds!
As a person who’d willingly try the weirdest flavours of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans, just to know how bad ‘earwax’ tastes, I sometimes wonder if I’m in the minority. Probably. Hence, durian pizza would certainly be right up my alley — I had to try it, just to know how it’d be like. The pizza also came highly recommended by the brand’s PR representative, for obvious reasons, but I have to say, she convinced me to be excited for this one.
First impressions — wow! No kidding. The pizza came delivered still piping hot, which definitely added to its enjoyment, but more than that, the flavours went surprisingly well together. The cheese was generous and savoury, and since the pizza was still warm, it still had that perfect oozy texture when I pulled apart my first slice.
Those hearty flavours blended really well with the dollops of fragrant, sweet durian, which had a light char on the outside from being baked in the oven. Still, the durian pulp was soft and melty, perfectly enhancing the savoury notes of the cheese, while the cheese served to elevate its aromatic flesh, making for an unlikely but complementary duo. I wouldn’t say that the durian was pungent — it had a mild sweetness that wouldn’t be off-putting to the average person.
What I particularly enjoyed were the varieties of cheese as well. Some bites were slightly more savoury than others, while I loved those salty chunks of cheese (I think it’s cream cheese) that was scattered randomly atop the pizza. As for the dough, this one was rather thick in consistency and felt more like a bready crust than the thin, crispy crusts I usually go for. The cheese did melt into it though, while the edges kept their crisp, so there was still that nice play of texture with every bite.
VERDICT: It’s a better Hawaiian pizza.
I don’t like Hawaiian pizza. You might completely agree or scoff at my opinion — it’s one of those things that divide the Internet. I can imagine the sweet and juicy texture of the pineapple pairing well with ham, though it’s often disappointingly baked dry, or just unwisely paired. I have to say though, the Cheesy 7D Pizza makes sweet-savoury combinations winsome again. Both cheese and durian are rich, full flavours that complement instead of clash against each other, which makes for an overall enjoyable experience, even if you’re not a durian lover.
Pizza Hut Cheesy 7 Durian Pizza, $26.90 (Reg) and $33.90 (Large) for dine-in and $36.90 (Reg) and $44.90 (Large) for takeaway and delivery. Available from 3 September to 27 October 2020 for dine-in, takeaway, and delivery. pizzahut.com.sg
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