Entree Kibbles: Pizza 4P's @ Saigon Centre in Ho Chi Minh City [Vietnam]

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Pizza 4P's @ Saigon Centre in Ho Chi Minh City [Vietnam]

Pizza 4P's - it was strange when I first heard of the name as the Great Kon declared quite a number of years ago that it was the best meal he ever had at Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC); yes, I would have assumed it was Vietnamese cuisine he was referring to but the word "pizza" was pretty telling!

A few years had passed since the Kon's declaration of love and the eatery had now expanded to 32 branches, with two in Cambodia and 14 in HCMC. Our plan was to patronize only on day three of four of our trip but we found a branch at Saigon Centre, decided to have dinner there instead. p.s. photo was taken at closing time.

We left it to the Great Kon to order as both Alex and I were first-timers, and our dear friend knew exactly what to pick given he will dine at Pizza 4P's whenever he is back to the city.

Chilli oil I can understand but why would there be a bottle of natural honey? Was it a sweetener for tea or coffee? You would find out the answers shortly.

Sapporo Beer - this small glass of draft beer cost just 39,000 dong (about S$2.20) whereas non-alcoholic drinks like orange juice was priced at 55,000 dong! The first sip - shiok!

Basket of Bread - honestly, I believe these were baked pizzas without any toppings! Whatever the case, our group was famished and it's nice to have something warm to fill the tummy while we awaited the arrival of the main dishes.

A bit burnt; no complaint though.

Homemade Artisan Cheese Platter - I don't profess to be a cheese connoisseur but since having the cheese platter at Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas; I have at least turned into a cheese lover. Specifically when I had them with nuts and chutney!

I still don't recognize the types of cheese even though I enjoyed most of them except for the thick one; the rest had this interesting smoky flavor. By the way, the cheese were made using "fresh milk from cows that grew up in the rich nature of Da Lat" in Vietnam.

Burrata Parma Ham Margherita - this was said to be a visual pleaser given the huge white dollop of burrata cheese, which I wouldn't know how to handle. Should I use it as a dip or eat the pizza first and take a scoop?

Staff to the rescue; of course you have to cut it up!

And then spread them out. So much for being ignorant.

Would you have expected burrata cheese to be rich with an intense flavor? I did and given the high expectation came disappointment. There wasn't much of a taste even though I had to admit that texture wise; surprisingly soft and moist. I wouldn't count this pizza as being spectacular in the taste factor.

4 Cheese Pizza - this was the pizza that got the Great Kon hooked to Pizza 4P's. Comprising of mozzarella, parmesan, camembert and blue cheese, you can also opt for a 5-cheese version if you enjoy raclette.

I prefer pizzas with toppings and this plain, simplified version didn't get me excited. Bread with cheese would simply be too boring for my palate but I was so amazed by the intensity of cheesiness, which also cleverly avoided by being too overwhelming.

Personally, this was still a tad too much cheese for me, and this would be the moment where you make use of the honey! The touch of aromatic sweetness brought this to an entirely different level that I didn;t think was possible. Maybe we can prepare some honey the next time we had pizzas!

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This late dinner was no doubt satisfying, and we cleaned up every single morsel. Alex was impressed, and you know what happened when Alex was impressed? We went Pizza 4P's again on day 4; this time to its branch near Ben Thanh Market! I shall explore more about the name then. Good night!

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