Pizza Hut Trumped Shakey's .... BIG time !!!

Not too long ago, Shakey's Pizza was opened in Tesco Pengkalan, in Pasir Puteh. Memories of happy childhood times at Shakey's at BB Plaza in KL (which has since, ceased operation ...) flooded me the moment I saw the sign belonging to Shakey's Pizza, indicating "Opening Soon" over at Tesco Pengkalan. Yippee! Least we have another option, other than the giant conglomerate (THE Hut) dominating the pizza scene in Ipoh ....

And so we went for lunch, one fine day .....

Watery (dunno) chicken or mushroom soup .....

We should've heeded the hint before entering. Peak lunch hour, with value-for-money sets being offered, yet the place was near empty. Solitude's fine, for a quiet lunch, yet eating in a fast food settlement without the clanking of cutleries, and rapid flow of patrons, food and staff zooming in and out, plus a boisterous crowd, just ain't gonna cut it.

The soft & soggy Parmesan Bread Sticks .....

As there were four of us (KYT, TallGal, Mr Z and yours truly), it was a no-brainer on how to order. Much alike The Hut's set meals, there are sets for one, for two, four and six (I think, couldn't be bothered to check, really). We had the set for four, which came with the complimentary (compulsory's more like it!) soups, bread sticks, soft drinks and of course, pizzas.

Pizza #1

Pizza #2

The soup was tasteless, diluted, and starchy. The bread sticks were soft, and when dipped into the cold soup (yup, it was FAR from piping hot!), became soggy. And the soft drinks were diluted and tasted nothing like what they're supposed to. REALLY! Suspected they add water, or lots of ice into them. Hmm, but can the pizzas save the day?

Obviously, judging from the pics above, no. HELL NO !! The cold pizzas, with an unidentifiable cheese topping (it was hard, tasteless, and tasted artificial), and sparse ingredients (even the chicken sausage and filament sticks were horrible), successfully made the pizzas = INedible. It was THAT bad, I did not bother to jot down the names, nor keep the receipts.

But the meal roughly costed us RM50+, and we vowed never to return. Whatever happened to Shakey's Pizza? I still remember way back then, in KL, the Shakey's was so good, with generous portions of ingredients, oozing cheese, and different flavours from Pizza Hut. Sigh .....

The Other Pizza Experience

Good things are meant to be shared? Canned chicken soup, but warm, and satisfying


Good service, & attentive staff bringing the all the condiments you'd probably need

Fresh from the oven - Parmesan bread sticks

Hawaiian Supreme

Hawaiian Tuna

And the CNY special : Golden Fortune Cheese Crowns (or something ....)

Tried and tested, among all the Pizza Hut outlets in Ipoh, the one in Ipoh Garden South serves the BEST pizzas among them. Just brace yourself for the wait on certain days, as they're short-staffed at times.

Hot pizzas, with crispy crusts, and melted, oozing mozzarella cheese, as well as all the parmesan cheese powder and Tabasco sauce you could ever want, I felt right at home here.

Of course, Ipoh ONLY has Pizza Hut, and the tragic Shakey's to satiate our pizza cravings. This, in terms of fast food and affordability, not including those pizzas from other restaurants. We do not have Canadian Pizza, or even Domino's, for that matter. Pathetic, no?

(P/S : Gratitude & accolades to KYT+Mr Z+FCOE for the FREE lunch !!!)

So, do you have any pizza experience(s) to share?