Pizza Express Review

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Let me begin by addressing the fact I am reviewing a chain restaurant when in every other blog I’ve written so far I have mentioned the importance of supporting local and small businesses. Jim and I were given a restaurant voucher as a gift at Christmas, which I think is a brilliant idea, who doesn’t love to dine for free? AND, seen as we have chosen to use the voucher as our first foodie outing of 2019 I thought, why not do a little review? I will be looking at how extensive the alternative menu is and how well they accommodated my intolerances.

Eating out with intolerances can be daunting and off putting; hidden ingredients, menus bathed in garlic and onion, don’t even mention the word italian if you are gluten free. However, I refuse to be beaten back into my bland fussy cupboard, so we have chosen to try Pizza Express, somewhere usually, I would avoid with GF and allium sensitivities.

Pizza Express was founded 53 years ago by Peter Boizot, who only passed away last year. He came to London and opened his first restaurant in Soho, creating simple and fresh recipes. His passion for good food and good times saw him open a Pizza Express Jazz Club, where stars such as Ella Fitzgerald & Amy Winehouse both performed. The company has a partnership with MacMillan Cancer Support, a charity close to my heart as they did a great job of looking after my grandad in the last few years of his life. Alongside the charity, they run a Lean&Green programme which enables collaboration in logistics and guides the company towards a less wasteful and more sustainable future. I love that they do this.

I always check menus online first, for nutritional and allergen information. Pizza Express is one of the only restaurants I have come across to include garlic and onion on their allergen sheets. VERY IMPRESSED. Additionally they have a separate gluten free menu, where most of the pizza and pasta dishes from the main menu are easily transferred. If anyone is doing Veganuary, there is a again another separate menu.

Now for the best bit.. taste test. I ordered a GF florientina pizza, the base was really good, could hardly tell it was GF, it was light and tasty, held together well, didn’t rip or crumble when picking up a piece. It wasn’t as big as an ordinary size non GF pizza, Jim ordered a wheat flour base, his was clearly a Large, where as the GF base was more Medium, nonetheless , I was pleasantly full and satisfied. The GF pizzas come out on a piece of black slate, wheat flour based come out on a white plate, this trick helps to make sure there are no mistakes or errors made from kitchen to table. I mentioned to our waitress that I’m unable to have garlic or onion, the pizza I ordered had garlic oil listed in the toppings, it came with neither. V PLEASED. The condiments, unfortunately, are mainly allium based; alioli, garlic oil, chilli oil, the staff kindly offered me a pot of green pesto which went with my pizza perfectly.

To conclude, I would absolutely recommend Pizza Express to any allium or GF intolerances, they have an extensive menu and staff are happy to adapt and accommodate any change you need to make.

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Published by bydevaney

Hello, my name is Harriet Devaney and welcome to my blog. First things first, here is a little about me. I am 28, I used to work for West Midlands Ambulance Service until I met my boyfriend. Jimmy is a DJ and I now get to travel around the world with him photographing his career. We are based in Cheshire most of the winter and Ibiza through the summer months. I am a HUGE foodie. Always have been. My love for food begins with my mum, she is a caterer for a whole host of events and I grew up trying and tasting foods for small dinner parties to 500 person weddings. It wasn’t until I reached my late teens I noticed I felt ill or uncomfortable eating certain foods, I went to the drs and was told it was up to me to work it out with trial and error. I tried everything I could think of to try and solve what was making me swell. This was VERY FRUSTRATING!! It has taken me the best part of my twenties to learn and understand my intolerances within food. It’s been a long old, frustrating road but now I finally go for months without bloating, heartburn, gas, or just a general nausea feeling. I used to dread agreeing to go out to eat or round to someone’s house, because of the aftermath that would occur due to hidden ingredients in the food. Even when asking for ‘no onions’, plates would come out covered in chives or a spice used would have onion and garlic powder in. In turn I would then blow up, to the point I would look 6 months pregnant, sometimes for up to three days after the meal. So uncomfortable!! Alongside my sensitivity to all in the allium family, I am also gluten free. To a person with no intolerances I am a very fussy person but actually over the last 9 years I have learnt to cook dishes bursting with flavour, and these are what I want to share with you, to help those with the same or similar problem and to give ideas to those who are interested in learning about alternatives. This blog will take you on my journey, my food knowledge and how I cope with a life built around avoiding shit. #ANTIALLIUM I hope you love it!!

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