Restaurant review: the new Autumn menu at Pizza Express

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll already know about my love of Pizza Express. So when an email dropped in my inbox asking me if I wanted to try out the new autumn menu, I obviously said yes! So I invited the best friend and we trotted along to our local branch for an evening of pizza, wine and an almighty catch up putting the world to rights.

Offering a range of drinks, starters, mains and desserts with a bustlingly autumnal feel, it was a hard decision to decide what to try. In the end I opted to start with Risotto Fresco, literally a comforting hug in a bowl. Piled high with fresh peppered salmon, juicy tomato, crunchy red onion and a splash of chilli oil, it was absolutely delicious. I almost wish I had sized up and ordered it for my main but alas I was here to try the pizzas. I drooled over my friend's portion of a creamy mushroom bruschetta with lashings of béchamel sauce and sharp balsamic vinegar.

For our main, curious by the thought of ceaser dressing on a pizza I pumped for the Rustichella Romana. Served on a thin and crispy base, the pizza boasted salty pancetta, creamy mozzarella and roasted tomatoes before being topped with a handful of peppery rocket and shavings of strong hard cheese. I'm a massive fan of rocket on a pizza as I think it helps to add a little freshness. I've had many pizzas in the restaurant over the years but I think this one has to be one of my favourite combinations!

Finally to end the meal we were tempted by the chocolate fondant with a melted rich chocolate middle alongside vanilla gelato and the intense honeycomb cheesecake with a layer on salted caramel on a biscuit base. I'm not usually a chocolate fan but this just popped out to me and I'm so very glad it did. That warm melted chocolate alongside the cold gelato was a match made in heaven.

Once again Pizza Express have pulled out some corkers for their new autumn menu. Everything I tried was delicious and it's so nice to see the menu switched up a bit. If you only have one thing, make sure you go for the risotto. I'm dying to go back and try it again!