(March 2017)
PIZZA Express is a brand recognised for quality and has become a staple of most town centres.
But, despite our family’s familiarity with this, it had admittedly been a long time since our last visit.
So, it was with a renewed appetite of anticipation we accepted an offer to return to the chain’s Warwick restaurant to reacquaint ourselves with the PizzaExpress dining experience.
Last week it reopened with a new stylish look and the team are keen to show it off – along with some of their current menu Specials.
The revamp sees new pendant lights, chairs and jazz-themed decor inspired by the PizzaExpress heritage and bringing a bright new look to the Jury Street eatery.
The restaurant is also laid out in such a way that areas can easily be sectioned off for private parties, including the popular children’s pizza-making parties.
But what matters most to diners is, let’s face it, the taste experience and we weren’t left disappointed here.
Garlic bread with Mozzarella starters delivered what they said on the tin unfortunately a smaller sized ‘tin’, but perfect as a taster before the sizeable portions to come.
Dough Balls Doppio was a more generous portion of a the Italian favourite to share with a choice of dips, but it was my choice of Classic Italian Antipasto which delivered most wow factor. The appealing plate of Italiam meats, olives,
artichokes, roasted tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, sweet Peppadew peppers and dough-baked with Gran Milano cheese accompanied by garlic butter and pestorissa spiced tomatoe dip was polished off with gusto. Delicious. But only start with this if you have a healthy appetite.
Mains next and I could rely on my sons – both pizza fanatics – to give an honest appraisal of the restaurant’s signature dish.
The American Hot (Pepperoni, mozzzarella and roquito or jalapeno peppers) and Margherita Classic were given ten out of ten.
And extra ingredients were happily added upon request.
My husband’s slightly more ambitious Barbacoa Romana pizza was heartily enjoyed. (Pulled Barbacoa beef, spicy chipotle salsa, garlic oil, mozzarella and tomato with red onion and coriander.) All pizzas are available in a choice of Classic or Romana (thinner and crispier).
Moving away from the pizza theme, I thought it only polite to sample some of what else the mwenu has to offer. And, another traditional Italian dish, my Lasagna Classica did not disappoint. It was piping hot and full of flavour. (But I was already starting to regret opting for the huge starter!)
That said, I cleaned my plate and, after a short breather, decided we could not leave without asuccumbing to the temptations (and there are many!) of the dessert menu.
Salted caramel gelato was a big hit for two of our party but Chocolate Glory – appropriately named – was made short work of by my eldest son.
Finding room for the vanilla gelato, chocolate sauce, chunks of chocolate fudge cake and chocolate straw was never in doubt!
Perfect for those of us without such capacity though is the Dolcetti range of options – a smLL portion of dessert of choice accompanied by a hot drink.
This proved the perfect sweet treat to seal the deal.
The PizzaExpress menu is extensive but, as the name implies, does favour the pizza fan. So if pizza is not your thing, you may find alternatuive choices a tad limited. And it is certainly not the friendliest on the pocket. But food quality is excellent and the PizzaExpress brand is one you can confidently rely on. I suppose that comes with a value in itself.
Certainly this family left more than satisfied with its lot – and vowed to return.
