I went to Pizza Express for the food and returned with an experience.
Who doesn’t love a good pizza? It’s cheesy, delicious and as comforting as your favourite blanket on a rainy day.
When I decided to make a reservation at Pizza Express, that is what I was expecting. After a long week of work and then hiking for two whole days in The Lakes, I thought a meal with my husband would be the perfect ending to the Platinum Jubilee celebration.
And boy, am I glad I picked Pizza Express.
Making my way through the sea of people at the food court in Trafford Centre, the first thing that caught my eye was the beautifully designed sign of the restaurant. Being a design and typography nut, I absolutely loved it. And I must admit, the stunning logo and the smiling hostess who greeted us set a high expectation right from the beginning.
Since it was the bank holiday weekend, I expected the restaurant to be crowded but there were a lot of tables available. We were seated at a table near the counter.
A waitress attended to us pretty quickly after that, asking us for our drinks and starters order. We picked an IPA and Emilia for drinks, Hot Jalapeño Dough Balls and Baked Garlic Mushroom for starters. I think the waitress was new and still in training since she seemed a little confused about operating the device on which she was taking the order. We didn’t mind though because she was courteous and friendly.
The background music was perfect. The volume was high enough that we could hear the song but low enough that we could have a conversation without raising our voices. My husband who is an acoustic engineer definitely appreciated this little point. With spacious tables and good lighting, the ambiance was top-notch.
We were served the drinks right away and did not have to wait long for the food either. The Baked Garlic Mushroom was yummy and full of flavour. And the dough balls were loaded with jalapeños. The salsa added extra heat.
For the main course, we ordered Cannelloni and Fiorentina. The Cannelloni was filled with cheese, smelled heavenly and tasted delicious. Plus, it was definitely filling. I usually have a small appetite and don’t finish the food, but I liked the Cannelloni so much that I ate it completely. My husband had ordered the Fiorentina. He said that it tasted as beautiful as it looked.
Then, something unexpected happened.
Along with the main course we had asked for a repeat order of the same drinks. My husband got the IPA right away but my drink, Emilia, was taking a lot of time. I could see the waitress and another person talking to each other near the bar. After a few minutes, they both walked to our table.
The man said to me, “I’m sorry there has been a mistake. You had ordered Emilia and I mistakenly made you a Hugo. My apologies.”
He told me that he can prepare Emilia for me (since I had ordered it a second time) and repeated that he was sorry for the confusion.
I ended up ordering the Hugo (the drink I had received) because I liked it.
He stressed how sorry he was and proceeded to inform me that the Hugo is slightly more expensive than Emilia and asked if that was ok. The first drink would be charged at a lower price since the mix-up was their mistake.
I had no problem with that and ordered a Hugo. I loved that he was honest about the mix-up and apologised for it. I probably wouldn’t have noticed it anyway since it was the first time I had tried either drink, but I appreciate the gesture and integrity.
All this definitely made it an experience to remember.
Will I go back? Definitely.
The food was great. I loved the ambience and background music. The restaurant was spacious. The service was good, our waitress always had a smile on her face and made us feel welcome.
What I didn’t like so much?
That we were seated very close to the counter. There were many waiters and staff standing around the counter talking while waiting for the food, it was a bit crowded and chaotic. They weren’t overly noisy or anything, just too many people near our table.
Oh, and the Tiramisu wasn’t available. Sadly, this was informed to us after we had placed the order. I would’ve preferred if we were told about it before.
Other than that, it was a good experience. I look forward to having more pizzas at Pizza Express soon