Review: flying-pizza.de
Ferri's is good and great, but sometimes variety is nice. I might be the dream customer any Pizza house would ever want (6 pizzas in a row is no big deal), so I thought of 'expanding my horizons,' in the process also benefitting the Jacobs population (and perhaps any other Bremen visitors) by offering a small review of FlyingPizza.
First off is the convenience of being able to order online instead of by phone. It might just be a life-saver on a night when you really need a Pizza but don't have a calling card and your Skype balance is zero. Not that that has happened to me before, I am usually too well prepared for that kind of thing.
Second, the menu is good. It is a small annoyance having to pronounce the toppings you want in the clearest German accent you can fake so the Ferri's guy (or the lady) understands you mean Hähnchen and not Schinken. FlyingPizza has a vast range of toppings and pre-built pizzas available in 3 sizes (note: don't order larger than the 20 cm unless you know what you are doing - or have other people in your room) - all available online. Apart from pizzas, they also have a large selection of other stuff, noodles and all that. I decided to order their "Neue" Chicken pizza which comes with Hähnchen, Barbecuesauce, Zwiebel, Paprika und Goudakäse. Being really hungry, I went overboard and ordered an extra topping of Ei and Extra-Käse - on a 26 cm base!
Total cost: €10,40. Yes that's a LOT, especially in comparison to Ferri's five-buck-a-pop. I was determined not to let cost be a factor, considering this was perhaps the first tummy-filling meal I would be having in the past 2 days (sorry Aramark). What I should have realized is that a perfectly acceptable pizza could be 'crafted,' had I gone for a simple 20cm base with just cheese and sauce, and added my own toppings. The base starts at €3,90 so a 2 or 3 topping pizza would come at about €6 (their minimum delivery). Overall the prices were quite affordable, provided you are not foolish like me and know what pizza size you can handle.
The website is in German, but easy to follow for anyone who has taken A1.1 (proud pupil here). The website is easily navigable and adding a topping is quick (they use AJAX so the page doesn't reload on every click). Make sure you use the extra info field to type in the university name and your room number! The order is routed via another website so after you click Jetzt bestellen, you gotta wait about half a minute before it is confirmed.
Then the waiting begins. Delivery time was about 45-50 minutes, which is quite good considering it comes all the way from Blumenthal (Schwaneweder Straße or something) instead of from Grohn like Ferri's (who still manage 1½ to 2 hours at their whim). There was a once-in-a-blue-moon instance when Ferri's delivered in 20 minutes, but don't count on it. Considering that FlyingPizza probably aren't familiar with IUB (the bill had instructions printed on how to reach me), I was expecting a phone call and having to pick it up from the porter's or something (or in other universities: the front desk). Instead, the delivery guy rings the bell and it's delivered straight to your room. They speak English and are in uniform. All the more professional. But make sure you tip the delivery guy (I didn't and he was a bit taken aback as he counted the €10 note and two 20¢ coins I handed him).
The pizza: It was bulky. Yes, I repeat, don't order larger than 20 cm. Especially not with 5-6 toppings. It's a waste of money, as I found out. But the quality: delicious! Nice and juicy, unlike the dry cardboard that Ferri's calls pizzas (which we all have come to accept much like Aramark food). Yes it also does look exactly like the pizza photo on their website. My only gripe is that they don't slice the pizza for you. FlyingPizza is also the first pizza house which understood that by Ei I meant boiled eggs, sliced; not fried eggs scrambled in the middle of the pizza (unlike Ferri's who sent me a Peperoni pizza when I asked for vegetarian). It does taste a little sweet so even if you're not Asian, you might want to add some extra Scharf (60¢ extra).
Verdict: Just a tad pricey, but the good quality and fast delivery coupled with the ability to order online make FlyingPizza a very good alternative to Ferri's. Only downside is that they take orders only until 11:00pm.
MENU & SELECTION: 7/10
EASE OF ORDERING: 10/10
FOOD QUALITY: 8/10
PRICE: 6/10
DELIVERY TIME: 8/10
OVERALL: 8/10
www.flying-pizza.de
Now for this little advertisement, FlyingPizza, will you also offer me 5-10 free pizzas, like Microsoft did for tech bloggers.
First off is the convenience of being able to order online instead of by phone. It might just be a life-saver on a night when you really need a Pizza but don't have a calling card and your Skype balance is zero. Not that that has happened to me before, I am usually too well prepared for that kind of thing.
Second, the menu is good. It is a small annoyance having to pronounce the toppings you want in the clearest German accent you can fake so the Ferri's guy (or the lady) understands you mean Hähnchen and not Schinken. FlyingPizza has a vast range of toppings and pre-built pizzas available in 3 sizes (note: don't order larger than the 20 cm unless you know what you are doing - or have other people in your room) - all available online. Apart from pizzas, they also have a large selection of other stuff, noodles and all that. I decided to order their "Neue" Chicken pizza which comes with Hähnchen, Barbecuesauce, Zwiebel, Paprika und Goudakäse. Being really hungry, I went overboard and ordered an extra topping of Ei and Extra-Käse - on a 26 cm base!
Total cost: €10,40. Yes that's a LOT, especially in comparison to Ferri's five-buck-a-pop. I was determined not to let cost be a factor, considering this was perhaps the first tummy-filling meal I would be having in the past 2 days (sorry Aramark). What I should have realized is that a perfectly acceptable pizza could be 'crafted,' had I gone for a simple 20cm base with just cheese and sauce, and added my own toppings. The base starts at €3,90 so a 2 or 3 topping pizza would come at about €6 (their minimum delivery). Overall the prices were quite affordable, provided you are not foolish like me and know what pizza size you can handle.
The website is in German, but easy to follow for anyone who has taken A1.1 (proud pupil here). The website is easily navigable and adding a topping is quick (they use AJAX so the page doesn't reload on every click). Make sure you use the extra info field to type in the university name and your room number! The order is routed via another website so after you click Jetzt bestellen, you gotta wait about half a minute before it is confirmed.
Then the waiting begins. Delivery time was about 45-50 minutes, which is quite good considering it comes all the way from Blumenthal (Schwaneweder Straße or something) instead of from Grohn like Ferri's (who still manage 1½ to 2 hours at their whim). There was a once-in-a-blue-moon instance when Ferri's delivered in 20 minutes, but don't count on it. Considering that FlyingPizza probably aren't familiar with IUB (the bill had instructions printed on how to reach me), I was expecting a phone call and having to pick it up from the porter's or something (or in other universities: the front desk). Instead, the delivery guy rings the bell and it's delivered straight to your room. They speak English and are in uniform. All the more professional. But make sure you tip the delivery guy (I didn't and he was a bit taken aback as he counted the €10 note and two 20¢ coins I handed him).
The pizza: It was bulky. Yes, I repeat, don't order larger than 20 cm. Especially not with 5-6 toppings. It's a waste of money, as I found out. But the quality: delicious! Nice and juicy, unlike the dry cardboard that Ferri's calls pizzas (which we all have come to accept much like Aramark food). Yes it also does look exactly like the pizza photo on their website. My only gripe is that they don't slice the pizza for you. FlyingPizza is also the first pizza house which understood that by Ei I meant boiled eggs, sliced; not fried eggs scrambled in the middle of the pizza (unlike Ferri's who sent me a Peperoni pizza when I asked for vegetarian). It does taste a little sweet so even if you're not Asian, you might want to add some extra Scharf (60¢ extra).
Verdict: Just a tad pricey, but the good quality and fast delivery coupled with the ability to order online make FlyingPizza a very good alternative to Ferri's. Only downside is that they take orders only until 11:00pm.
MENU & SELECTION: 7/10
EASE OF ORDERING: 10/10
FOOD QUALITY: 8/10
PRICE: 6/10
DELIVERY TIME: 8/10
OVERALL: 8/10
www.flying-pizza.de
Now for this little advertisement, FlyingPizza, will you also offer me 5-10 free pizzas, like Microsoft did for tech bloggers.
