Campus Caf
Lansdowne campus
Pepperoni and mushroom pizza
$4.58
Presentation and service
Jason: Every time you walk into the cafeteria there’s that dry, overcooked, sad attempt at pizza getting pulverized by heat lamps and hot plates. On top of that, there’s that ridiculous price written on the sneeze guard that will make you feel very violent for no apparent reason.
Tyler: I think the reason is apparent and, as it happens, Jason actually did get violent. He was asked to leave. Fortunately, I had a summer job on campus so I’ve had all summer to establish a rapport with the staff… I was also asked to leave.
Taste
J: I’ll be frank: there wasn’t any. Tyler covered his piece in Sriracha sauce, but he practically drinks the stuff. The mushrooms were like eating erasers, except chewier, the pepperoni had no flavour, and the whole-wheat crust wasn’t so much bread as it was corrugated cardboard. I honestly could get the same flavour experience at Staples, and probably for a fraction of the price.
T: It’s not good pizza. Eating it feels bad, man. But I’d probably still eat it if it was a couple bucks a slice. At over $4.50, forget about it. I was going to say “fugheddaboudit,” but Jason is Italian and I wouldn’t want to say it wrong.
Hot House Pizza
2865 Foul Bay Rd.
Pepperoni and bacon pizza
$3
Presentation and service
J: The people there are super friendly. The pizza by the slice is kept under heat lamps, but it’s obviously a step above the glorified table lamps at the cafeteria. The pizza here at Hothouse actually looks appetizing and fresh. The slices are a bit smaller than at the Camosun cafeteria, but, really, not by much.
T: The girl who served us the pizza was a sweetheart, but it’s ‘za on a paper plate, so I guess to those who are given little, little is expected?
Taste
J: Ah, flavour, I’ve missed you. I could actually determine the toppings this time by taste and not just by colour. The sauce is good. It tastes like tomato. Imagine that: tomato sauce that tastes like tomatoes. I’m not saying it’s the best pizza I’ve ever had, but with fresh toppings, soft crust, and a good price it leaves me wanting another slice.
T: Really, this is a pretty stand-up slice, all in all. The best pizza houses in Victoria are The Joint, Brickyard, Ali Baba’s, and, the crown prince of them all, Pizzaria Primastrada. So, while Hothouse isn’t a heavy hitter, their pizza is cheap, fresh, and consistently good; you know, it’s reminiscent of a young me.
And the winner is… Hot House, and it’s not even close.
Verdict: No contest here, and not because Hot House is amazing. Really, it’s just quite good, but because the cafeteria pizza is so atrocious, Hothouse shines in comparison. The Camosun cafeteria serves an overpriced slice of disappointment which lives in a place only brave student warriors should tread. It’s not our intention to slam the cafeteria every issue, but, man, is their pizza ever brutal.