I assure you that this blog post is perfectly safe to read for anyone of any age.
I am
not writing a review about an escort service or any other in-appropriate service one may think of when they hear the words "Pick Up".
I'm also not writing about blind dates or designated drivers either.
Feeling better now? Keep reading!!
Last night was one of those exhausting nights where the kids were hyped up, I had forgotten to put potatoes on the stove so they were happily sitting in a bag on the table ...or maybe the floor...and I was getting stressed about my up-coming Restaurant Day (which is tomorrow...and here I am blogging while hubby helps empty the dishwasher!)...and decided let's just order take-out.
We normally order pizza on Friday nights to go with out sauna night - a nice way to end the work week and the kids are used to it and it's a good rhythm. But it was Thursday...and it was so close to 8pm that many restaurants stop delivering at 8pm. I got online and checked with a friend of mine who suggested "Pick Up JKL" - she hadn't eaten there before and wasn't sure if it was good or not - but why not?
Pick Up Pizzeria not only sells pizza - but they also sell Chinese food. Had I not been to New York before and seen something similar in one restaurant, I would have thought this was an insane idea. For Jyv�skyl� - it kind of is...but with so many pizzerias around - it's a unique concept and I'm sure that's why they have survived so far.
Here's how the order placing conversation went:
"Hi, are you still delivering?" -me
"Well, where do you live? Yes well, we can deliver but depends how much you order!" - her (please note she was screaming into the phone and the background noise was minimal...)
"Oh well, we just wanted two dishes...for my husband and I." - me
"Well, my car is broken...so you need to order
at least three - then I can deliver to you. AND there is 3� delivery fee." - her
So I agree to order a pizza for the kids (and to try it out myself) and I gave her the address, she confirmed they accept bank cards and she'll be there in an hour.
I rushed around finishing up some cheesecakes for tomorrow (I haven't even started anything else really!) and pedaled my bike (I walked beside it while my lovely bike handles carried the cheesecakes) to my Restaurant Day location (Laajavuorentie 5B)...I got some posters and had a quick chit chat with my friends when suddenly my phone began to vibrate and ring...
"I'M LOST! I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GO! WHERE ARE YOU?"
Very professional lady....so I advise her where to turn and how to get to my building...2 minutes later...
"I DON'T SEE YOUR NUMBER! I SEE 34!! HOW DO I GET THERE?! I CAN'T DRIVE PAST THE SIGN!"
I said I'll be there in a jiffy but I can't ride and talk on the phone at the same time AND cross the street safely...
I get there and she found my door after all. She had a huge Styrofoam box and when I apologized for keeping her waiting, she asked where I was looking for her at. I told her that I was at a friend's house PRIOR to her coming over and was on my way.
"Why did you go to your friend's home when you knew I was coming here?!" - and the lecturing began....
Finally I lock up my bike, she digs out the food and as I'm digging for my bank card she said:
"So where are you from?"
"I'm from Canada." -me
"Well, you look Asian!" - her (Apparently Canadians cannot look Asian...fantastic. Hello stereotypes.)
"Yes, I get that all the time." I managed to say this with a straight face and no hint of humour at all - because let's face it - I'm sweaty, grumpy at her for numerous reasons and hungry.
Eventually I "confess" she's right, I have a Chinese-Malaysian genetic background...then she wants to know if I speak Chinese or Malaysian...nope....
"So, your husband is Finnish?" - her
"No, he's also Canadian." -me waiting for her to go so I can rush the food upstairs...
"Why you live here then?!"
Apparently it's a crime to leave one's home country...? "My husband is studying here."
The conversation continues as she asks if it's my first time ordering from her and I said yep and that was that.
"CAN'T YOU SEE THE INTERNATIONAL LOOK OF STARVING ON MY FACE?!" is what I wanted to ask her...
Finally, she is satisfied with my answers and payment - then she leaves happily...in her vehicle that clearly works.
A friend suggested perhaps she borrowed her boss's car - but I think she IS the boss...anyways...
So! The food quality?
Hubby ordered Beef Szechuan sauce and deemed it, "It's okay..." which translates to: Not really the best and I've had way better.
I ordered the Beef with Mushrooms and Bamboo...it was a bit peppery - which is fine...the mushrooms were from a can - big pet peeve as I love fresh white mushrooms...the sauce - not so amazing. The bamboo was in excessive amounts and that's all I remember about it. For the amount of bamboo that was in it - they could have cut back by about 1/4-1/2 and added a bit more beef...which tasted weird to me...can't put my finger on it.
I also tried hubby's food and it wasn't very spicy and missed that Szechuan taste I'm used to from every other Asian restaurant I've ever eaten at.
It was pretty late so I didn't bother trying the pizza - but it had real pieces of chicken (various sizes and looked shredded nicely),
not the cubed stuff you buy in the grocery store...the kebab meat was probably frozen and the ham was the little match stick pieces of ham that looked more like salami (dark red) to me...I tried some the next day and it wasn't amazing.
My general opinion? 1/5
-
Customer Service is quite sad...I felt
bullied into buying the 3 dishes when I really only wanted 2 - and then on top of that she was going to charge me the 3� delivery fee anyway. If you have a minimum order amount to match the 3� delivery fee - then why not list that on your site? Slightly misleading if you ask me. Maybe it was my phone - but the screaming has to stop...I held my phone away from my head a good foot and a half and still could hear her perfectly fine. (It really may have been my volume on maximum...)
-
Food Quality - portion size was good for both the Chinese and the pizza, but the flavour was quite bland. Could have been more meat on the pizza I think...not so spread out so that the pizza toppings look even thinner (less) than what there was.
I have gotten better taste and quality at Sakura Gawa for my money's worth.
ONLY BONUSES: Our food was piping hot - despite her being late...that Styrofoam box did wonders. And they accept bank card as a payment option at the door. And they use real chicken pieces on their pizza...
Would I order from there again?No. I'm sorry but I was quite disappointed overall and would not recommend
Pick Up JKL. Perhaps eating in the restaurant would be different - but the take-away service was blegh.
Sure there's "Well, it's better than nothing!"
Honestly, had we known this experience could happen like this - we would have just had grilled cheese sandwiches for supper.
