If ever there were a truly classless food, it would be pizza. Depending on where it's bought from and where it's eaten, it ranges from the nadir of greasy, salty sustenance to highly respectable fresh, healthy, middle-class fare.
You can rely on Pizza Express to opt for the latter market and try all it can to differentiate itself from lower-brow, gaudier rivals, from its dislike of thinking itself a "chain" restaurant (it prefers "necklace") to its light, airy surroundings. But nowhere is this upmarket desire shown more clearly than in its new summer menu, the big draw of which is its Romana pizzas - huge, thin spicy things, and a world away from the deep pan stuffed crust.
Have you eaten there? Send us your views on this story by clicking here. Your opinions could be used on this website or in the Courier or Weekly NewsBut more of that later. My companion and I opted for variations on bruschetta for starters: mine smothered with mushroomy creaminess, hers a neater affair with red onions and tomatoes. Both were tasty, although my choice was perhaps a touch richer than one would normally go for so early in a meal. What hers lacked in opulance it made up for in tanginess and cleanliness, perhaps proving the better option.
And then came the Romano pizzas. Goodness. You could almost play cricket on the things, so expansive were they. Aside from its hefty diameter, the appearance of mine - the Pancetta Pomodoro - was unconventional in its blandness and dryness and absence of cheese. It was also unusually spicy, with chilli aplenty.
My partner's Campo di Fiori was similarly vast but rather more standard, bedecked with artichokes and onion, with fewer taste surprises.
But there seemed quite a flaw with these pizzas' design: they were very tough to cut. Piercing the thin yet hardy crust required some strength. This, along with their size and spiciness, made them quite a chore to get through after a while, and we both left much of ours uneaten.
Desserts were welcome and pleasant:a strawberry glory (strawberries with vanilla ice cream) for my partner and a refreshing lemon sorbet for me. It was all accompanied with a hearty Chianti, and we still felt full for most of the following day.
So, Pizza Express safely remains a few cuts above the rest, and all for a bit under £50, including wine. But when in comes to pizzas, don't necessarily do as the Romans do.
Pizza Express, The Parade, Leamington
7/10
