There are some nights where you just don’t feel like cooking, right? Well, last week we had one of those nights. Things have been particularly stressful recently, so we decided on an impromptu dinner out at our local Pizza Express on Jubilee Street, Brighton to cheer ourselves up and take the stress out of cooking for the evening. I’m a big fan of Pizza Express as you know exactly what to expect and it’s tasty, fresh food that suits all palettes. I also like how they have voucher deals which make it a bit more affordable for the naughty unplanned nights out when cooking just isn’t on the agenda.
We were greeted by the super helpful and friendly staff and seated quickly. I really like the layout the restaurant, the glass makes it feel bigger and more spacious, and I enjoyed watching our food being prepared in the large open kitchen. There is a big terraced area outside for some al fresco dining but we opted for a lovely little spot inside by the window.
To start I would usually go for the dough balls (classic!) but decided to stray away from my usual option and go for the Mozzarella and Tomato Salad, which was served with basil, pesto and olive oil for a quite welcome change, Vee went for the Sundried Tomatoes. Both starters were delicious and packed with flavour, the sundried tomatoes were so moreish, so far so good!
For main course, we both opted for pizzas. I went for a favourite of mine, Fiorentina, topped with free range egg, spinach, mozzarella, garlic and black olives. I love this pizza, the egg in the centre was cooked to perfection! Vee went for the Padana, this included Goats Cheese, Caramelised Onions and spinach however didn’t have such a great experience as unfortunately her base was burnt, giving the pizza an overall strange taste, which was a bit of a shame. Even when the staff saw her picking out black pieces of burnt pizza base they didn’t say anything, which was a shame.
Luckily, pudding saved the day. We decided to share a pudding as the portions are always so generous, so we enjoyed a large slab of creamy rich Tiramisu with a latte to finish off the meal.
Overall, we had mixed feelings about our dining experience at Pizza Express, I still think it’s good value for money but the food was a bit rushed which ended up in it being burnt. The atmosphere was busy and quite cold (freezing cold) which didn’t make it the most pleasurable experience either. However saying that on a positive note our starters and puddings were delicious, and the staff friendly too. Of course I would go back to Pizza Express now, it’s a classic place to go for a naughty dinner out, and I’ve had many good experiences there too, so I think this could have just been a one-off. To be honest, with two pizzas, starters and a desert we had more than enough food between us, we had a lovely evening and I was just pleased we didn’t have to cook!
