Pizza Express

What words come to mind when you think of Pizza Express? Fast food, chain, bland, stodge… You wouldn’t be wrong, for I’m not about to reveal that hidden on their menu you will find a dish that replicates summers in Tuscany or the smell of a Sardinian harbour. No, there is nothing here for the adventurous palate, however the popularity of Pizza Express is undeniable; not only is there one on every other high street, each of the branches is of considerable size, and often at full capacity.

What is their secret? Well, it’s easy to please families and work outings with their inexpensive, middle of the road take on Italian-influenced cuisine. The emphasis is on making money, not good food – a quick look at their innovations over the years includes a range of “leggera” pizzas where the fat content is reduced by cutting the middle portion out and replacing with salad, so you effectively get half the pizza for the same price, but hey, it can be marketed as containing less calories!

The Strand branch of Pizza Express is huge, sprawling over two floors, and containing very few empty tables. Despite how busy it is service is quick, as thankfully there are two dozen waiters at work, as the more staff the quicker the turnover.

The bruschetta originale, bread topped with tomatoes, red onion, garlic and pesto, and bruschetta salami, with various cured meats, mozzarella and rocket, are stodgy and on the greasy side, the latter being a tad more successful than the former due to the salty meat cutting through some of the doughiness. The Fiorentina pizza is actually quite tasty, smothered in spinach and grana padano cheese with a fried egg in the middle and black olives, but the base is thick and heavy with a very oily topping. The pollo verdure salad is ordered with the hope it will be a “light” alternative, however it’s debatable whether the chicken and chargrilled vegetables in a honey and mustard dressing served with dough sticks is any less calorific than a full size pizza. Furthermore, the chicken is dry and the bitter-tasting vegetables look sad, as if they’ve been forgotten about in the fridge for days until a dish is ordered that requires them.

On the plus side, it’s hard to go wrong with cheesecake, even if it isn’t lovingly homemade by an Italian grandmother, and the creamy mousse, rich biscuit base and fruit coulis is a tasty dessert.

There is no disputing the fact that Pizza Express is cheap – a three course meal for two with wine is £50, but the money could be better spent at one of London’s many informal Italian eateries.