Considering that Pizza Pizza takes pizza so seriously that they doubled up the word in their name, I’m scratching my head somewhat at their recent expansion into non-traditional foods. The Italian sandwich menu I can understand, but I felt like chili was starting to push it a bit. Then, my local Pizza Pizza rolled out a massive poster for poutine, priced at $3.99.
I acknowledge that it’s necessary to temper expectations when ordering a regional delicacy from a massive fast-food restaurant chain, but Pizza Pizza managed to trample all over whatever modest hopes I had that this product might be half-decent. Their fries are nothing to write home about in the first place, but it’s kind of hard to mess up deep-fried potatoes…unless you smother them to the point of sogginess in bland, soupy gravy and toss flavorless cheese curds on top.
My poutine was reduced to mush before I was halfway done, and after another couple of halfhearted bites, I decided enough was enough and it was time to put this experiment out of its misery. If you’re at a Pizza Pizza and you have $3.99 to spend, you’ll be much better off spending it on the food the restaurant is named after. Leave the poutine for pubs and specialty restaurants, unless you have absolutely no standards at all.
Rating: 2 out of 10
