[Edaily Reporter Han Jeon-jin ] I’ll try just about anything and report back to you. I’m open to both new products and products making a comeback. I avoid simple reviews. I’ll also explain why a product is popular and why it was launched. From gum to steaks at high-end restaurants, I’ll try it all without discrimination. If there’s something to eat, I’ll go anywhere. These are “self-funded” reviews —I pay for everything out of my own pocket. <Editor’s Note>
I bought rice cake at a pizza place. I happened to stop by Pizza Hut to pick up takeout pizza and spotted an unfamiliar item called “Pizza Seolgi.” First, rice cake shops started imitating pizza—has the era now arrived where pizza places are making rice cakes? When I visited the store as evening approached, there was only one left. Perhaps word had already spread—as soon as I ordered the last one, it was sold out. I decided to pay an extra 3,900 won to see what a rice cake made by a pizza brand would taste like.
“Pizza Hut Pizza Seolgi,” launched by Pizza Hut Korea on the 8th, is a dish consisting of two layers of seolgi—a traditional Korean rice cake made with domestic short-grain rice and milk—topped with sauce and toppings. It combines tomato sauce and pepperoni with a trio of cheeses: Gouda, Provolone, and mozzarella. This is a reinterpretation of the “Pizza Seolgi,” which has recently gone viral on social media and emerged as a popular item on the “rice cake pilgrimage” circuit. It can be ordered at stores nationwide, through official online channels, and on major food delivery apps.
The product, served in a foil cup, was about the size of a cupcake. The portion was roughly a handful, which seemed reasonable given the price of 3,900 won. The surface was topped with pepperoni, meat, bell peppers, olives, and cheese. At first glance, you could easily mistake it for a small cup pizza. The white rice cake was hidden beneath the toppings. Part of the fun of choosing this menu item was peering at it with the person I was eating with and asking, “Is this really rice cake?”
When I scooped up the top layer with a fork, some of the rice cake came up along with the cheese and toppings. The first bite was surprisingly familiar. I first tasted the familiar pizza sauce and cheese, while the rice cake provided a chewy base, much like pizza dough. It felt like more than 80% of the flavor came from the pizza. I had expected the rice cake (?) to be dry and dense, but it was fluffy as if it had just been steamed, becoming chewier the more I chewed it. The pizza and rice cake blended together more naturally than I had anticipated.
The bottom part was a bit of a letdown. As the toppings thinned out and the white rice cake became visible, the flavor gradually became a bit bland. When eaten on its own, the seolgi wasn’t overly sweet and had a mild, plain rice cake flavor. The rice cake itself wasn’t bad. However, once the strong flavors of the sauce, cheese, and meat toppings faded, it felt relatively lacking. It was like eating pizza on top and rice cake on the bottom. The balance between the toppings and the seolgi wasn’t quite right to maintain the initial flavor combination until the very end.
I tried dipping the remaining rice cake in hot sauce. It wasn’t particularly off-putting, but it didn’t really bring the flavor to life on its own. When I paired it with a dipping sauce like garlic sauce, the sauce’s flavor permeated the rice cake, making it much more enjoyable. It was similar to dipping the crust of a pizza into sauce, but with a chewier texture. Eating the toppings on top and the rice cake below together from the start, or pairing it with sauce, made the experience less bland until the very end.
The portion size was just right for pairing with pizza or pasta. For 3,900 won, it was satisfying to experience this unusual combination, and it was definitely worth trying at least once. However, I was a bit hesitant about whether I’d order it again. I imagine many people would prefer to spend that same amount on upgrading their pizza or on other side dishes.
It’s encouraging that this has reignited curiosity about familiar pizza brands. In particular, this is a much-needed initiative for specialty pizza shops struggling to compete between frozen pizza and budget brands. The timing was also good, as it quickly capitalized on the current trend. It’s as if a new option has appeared on the familiar menu that makes you wonder, “What does this taste like?” If they continue to introduce menu items that showcase the pizzeria’s cooking and topping expertise, the fun of ordering out of curiosity about new products will only grow.
Just as the “rice burger”—which replaced the hamburger bun with rice—has now become a standard menu item, there’s no reason why the idea of swapping pizza dough for rice cakes should be limited to a single cup. Someday, we might even have a whole pizza made with rice cake dough delivered to our doorstep. While tastes will vary, I never imagined I’d end up choosing rice cakes at a pizza place. This time, I sampled a 3,900-won dose of curiosity. I’m curious to see what new combinations will pop up next.
