Jeremy Silkwater | August 24, 2021
Warehouse Pizza
Atrium at COCOPark, 268 Fuhua 3rd Road, Futian District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. Take Exit D at Shopping Park station.
Phone: +86 0755 8279 2127
Info: [email protected]
Delivery: +86 40 0833 1128
This weekend, I had my first meal at Warehouse Pizza in COCO Park. Warehouse opened in April and boasts Chef RJ Sonsing, “one of the top chefs in Asia.”
Having been brought up by two New Yorkers in the Midwest of America, I have been raised to be somewhat of a pizza snob. No pizza in middle America will ever compare to a slice in New York City, let alone that of “Nino’s” on Henry Street in Brooklyn. This is a fact in my father’s household; you would be wise not to question it. That being said, I grew up in Michigan and have come to accept most variations of pizza as it fails to achieve New York City status. What can I say, I am open-minded.
Things started out in the correct style; you must order from the register, take your number, and sit where you please while you await your food. This process was slightly extended by the two groups of customers in front of me who did not seem to understand the concept of perusing the huge menu on the wall prior to approaching the cashier. Instead, they asked for a menu once they got to the register and took their time deciding what to order. Thank god for bilingual menus.
I was with two friends. The first attempted to order the lasagna, but was deterred when the waitress informed him that this was a poor idea. This may strike some readers as a red flag, but not for me – this is China, if the waiter tells me not to order something, I am grateful for their honestly and I heed their advice. She suggested instead that he try the spaghetti with meat sauce (60 CNY), he acquiesced, and was fully satisfied with the results: good flavor, noodles al dente, plenty of meat in the sauce. “Thank you fuwuyuan, you saved the day.”
I am a simple man, so when I go to a pizzeria you will find that I tend to order pizza; pepperoni (30 CNY). My second companion followed suit, ordering a slice of everything pizza entitled the “New Yorker Colossal” (45 CNY).
(16” Spicy Amigo Pizza)
I have one question for you readers out there, “When is the rest of the world going to adopt this idea of eating greasy foods with plastic gloves on?” No need for a pile of thin and useless paper napkins; hand me a glove, one napkin to seal the deal at the end of the meal, and I am set for life!
One relieving thing about the food at Warehouse was the portion size. When eating at Western restaurants in Shenzhen the tiny portions awarded to customers often annoy me. Sometimes I feel it is as if all foreign foods are regarded as delicacies and thus the amount of food on your plate ends up being half of what you expected. At Warehouse, the slices of pizza were huge and sold at a reasonable price. The crust is about eight inches long and the length of the slice is about a foot long. This is a great deal for 30-45 CNY, especially when considering you could cross the street and pay 30 kuai for a slice of pizza at Sicilia, the size of which is smaller than my hand.
Yes, we enjoyed our food. Although my pepperoni could have used a little more cheese, although I had to be brought to the seasoning cupboard to figure out if they had red pepper flakes – they do not but they do have parmesan cheese and basil flakes – although I felt it took a little too long to heat up an already prepared slice of pizza, I must admit that I enjoyed my meal and I will be returning.
The food was acceptable at Warehouse. Quite frankly, I would probably be distraught if I had anything terrible to say about a pizzeria. However, the ambiance is most noteworthy.
Located on the second floor of the COCO Park atrium, you are surrounded by lights and activity. They play good music and project the music videos on a wall across from the seating area. I could not have been more satisfied as I sat there eating my huge slice of pizza, glove on, watching and listening to “Shake That” by Eminem on the wall in front of me. Next time my father comes to visit and says he is craving a good ol’ slice of pizza pie, I know where I will be taking him.
Food: 4.0/5.0
Environment: 5.0/5.0
Service: 4.0/5.0
Cost: 3O CNY – 75 CNY/head
-Jeremy Silkwater