Credit Crunch Lunch: Pizza Express

Oct 30 2009 With Richard McComb

Pizza Express, Corporation Street, Birmingham. T: 0121 236 0221

Why Go? Unique opportunity to feast on pizza while watching the city’s legal community at play. Spied on a nearby table was m’learned friend Timothy Raggatt QC (if you find yourself in the dock and he’s prosecuting you’d better pack your toothbrush, a change of knickers and a copy of War and Peace).

Magistrates’ court veteran Steven Jonas (did he once have a ponytail?) sauntered past, as did pathologist Peter Acland. I’ve never dined with a pathologist but imagine it must be unsettling, like having Hannibal Lector round for a bite to eat.

The other reason for eating at Pizza Express, of course, is that the pizzas are generally pretty good and standards fairly consistent for a chain.

The Price: Starters from £2.45 – if you fancy dough balls, which people do, although I don’t know why – to £8.90 for sharing platters of antipasto, which is much more like proper food. There are also dishes like porcini mushroom risotto and Caesar salad.

Pizzas are in the £6-£10 category, which means if you don’t go heavy on the dough balls it’s possible to get a starter and main for two, and a modest pud, for around £30-£35. Pinot Grigio, the rocket fuel of pizza consumption, is £15.95 a bottle. Peroni is £3.35 for a bottle.

The Meal: I decided to road-test Pizza Express’s new autumn menu with Big M. I love Big M, although not like my wife, but he’s one of these irritatingly slow eaters. You have to keep coaxing him, or you risk starvation.

Or, you do what I do – and eat his food. We nibbled on rustica tomatoes (£2.10), which would have been good if they hadn’t been left in such a cold fridge. They’d nearly iced up. Refrigeration is a menace when it comes to Mediterranean nibbles. Among the new starters is formaggio bread (£3.50), described as baked dough (DOH! sorry, it’s a Simpsons thing, puerile) topped with fontal cheese and caramelised onions.

It was fine. Also new is Arancini (£4.35) – crispy risotto balls filled with porcini mushrooms, served with rocket and a red pesto dip. This was less good, with an odd taint. If the balls were deep fried, the oil needed changing. I decided to go for the new Al Tirolo pizza (£9.65), which should have had porcini among the “medley” of mushrooms but didn’t, because they’re weren’t any left.

This was on a Monday lunchtime. Is it that hard to get porcini in Brum? We’re not in Tipton, after all. The pizza was okay, but no more than that. According to the blurb, the “bold flavours” are meant to stand out on the Romana bases (which are good). I’d suggest more boldness then. Big M had an entry level mushroom pizza and said he enjoyed it.

I finished eating two hours before him, obviously. We drank Coke, which is becoming a disturbing lunchtime trend. I wanted a Caffè Merenghina (small lemon tart topped with meringue), a new menu dish – and they’d sold out. On a Monday. So I had a Semi Freddo Reale and an espresso. Nothing more than average. But very pleasant staff.

The Verdict: Good service and setting let down by some kitchen fluffs.

Rating: * * *