Tube Station: Your Final Stop for Hearty Pizza

With voting in the Final Four of the Pizza Cup closing tomorrow night (Nov 20), our minions have been running around Beijing tasting pizzas from competing restaurants. This time, it's the behemoth pies from Tube Station that get put through their paces:

At first taste, Tube Station's pizzas appear to be an upgraded version of Pizza Hut's. The crust is slightly puffier and more difficult to chew than that of other pizza places, and the ample loading of cheese provides a certain lingering familiarity of comforting oiliness and plenty of flavour. The resulting taste brings the kind of pizzazz needed for an unbeatable pizza night in or out. 

One cannot go to Tube Station and neglect to try their house specialty at least once. The Tube Station Special is a combination of pepperoni, salami, ground pork, onions, mushrooms, and black olives. ‘Tasty’ is the first word that comes to mind. But the real magic comes from the mushrooms – the strong essence weaves itself beautifully throughout the entire slice, rendering it capable of producing drug-free highs. 

The Philly Special, comprised of beef, onions, green peppers, mushrooms, basil, and cheese, is the closest you can get to a classic Supreme pizza – and the more-is-more serving of beef makes it perfect for the meat lover in your group of friends. 

What really delivered on the surprise factor, though, was the Cherry Dessert Pizza, part of the new dessert pizza range for those with an uncompromising sweet tooth. It looks mildly appetizing at best, but one bite will leave you mystified. Created with vanilla flavored cream cheese, a ‘secret spice’ mix, cheese and Andros fruit fillings, it tastes like cheesecake with the crushed biscuit bottom instead exchanged for a doughy base. And with other fruit flavored options of strawberry, raspberry and mango, this might just overtake the Big Mac as the go-to midnight home delivery order for Beijingers. Be sure to share it with your roommates, though – like any other dessert, one slice is enough to keep any sweet snack cravings at bay.

Tube Station is rather appropriately named because it kind of resembles one – the cozy interior is packed with people, and it’s pretty a convenient one-stop-shop for your tastebuds. Still pleasantly steaming when they reached the table, the pizzas are reminiscent of sitting by a fire with loved ones, sharing memories and enjoying a distraction from the outside cold. They might not be as ‘out of the wood-fire oven’ home-style as The Kro’s Nest, but there’s a reason why Tube Station knocked its rival out of the water in this year's Pizza Cup – nothing can beat good taste and good times, and what it lacks in gourmet, it supplements with comfort in spades.

Photo: The Beijinger