It’s no secret that my little flock love Pizza (who doesn’t), so when the team at Pizza Express, INTU, Derby invited us to see their new refurbished premises and have a bite to eat we all jumped at the chance. I love how pizza express have their kitchen open so you can see the makers at work, and I always smile when I spot a small child enthralled by the process.
There is a great open, light, airy feel to the premises at INTU, Derby and this is further enhanced by the neutral tones on the banquette seating and the warm tones of the wooden flooring. This is contrasted really well by the dark granite effect dining tables, so the overall effect is welcoming with a bright modern feel. Mike, the duty manager who was our host for the evening, showed us to our table which overlooked the hustle and bustle of the lower shopping area and the food court so the Chick and I had great fun people-watching.
To bring in the start of the weekend I had a cheeky glass of Sauvignon Blanc and The Man had a large bottle of Peroni lager; the Chick just wanted some water. On our last visit to Pizza Express we had the Classic Italian Antipasto to share between us adults and enjoyed it so much that we decided to have it again. The entire selection was superb: meats, cheese, vegetables, dips and garlic bread - even the Rocket leaves were crisp and nicely chilled. Nothing went begging on our plate, and it was the same with Chickadee and her Dough Balls.
For the mains my Chick chose her favourite Carbonara Romana pizza, she loves the base sauce on it and always saves the egg in the middle until last. I decided to try the new Nicoise Romana pizza which I have to say was absolutely delicious and crammed full of toppings: Tuna, Anchovies, Surfine Capers, Olives, Free range hardboiled Egg, and Mozzarella, finished with fresh Rocket, lemon and Parsley.
I was fully expecting The Boy Wonder to have his usual choice of American Hot, but he surprised me and plumped for the Pollo Forza pizza, which is still quite fiery but has a great variety of flavours to it: Chicken with smoked Chilli, Garlic oil and dried Chilli flakes, red and yellow peppers, Roquito peppers, Mozzarella and Tomato, finished with Gran Milano cheese, Parsley and Chilli oil. Not a single crumb remained so I think it safe to say that all three Pizzas hit the (hungry) spot amazingly well. We also polished off a side order of Polenta Fries, and they were lovely and fluffy and I loved the Honey Mustard dip that came with them.
At this point The Chick was full-to-bursting so she declined dessert; however the Man and I had saved that all-important “bit of room” for pudding and ordered Honeycomb Cream slice and Tiramisu. When I ventured to my local Pizza Express with the girls I had the Honeycomb Cream slice for my dessert, so I knew the Sweet Honeycomb and Chocolate pieces in the light cream topping on top of a layer of Salted Caramel and the crunchy biscuit base would just be right up The Mans street. My instinct proved to be correct, and it got eaten at a pace Usain Bolt would be proud of.
I love Tiramisu ever since one of my fellow nurses used to make it for us to gobble up on night shifts, so when I saw that Pizza Express had a new version made by La Donatella, using traditional Veneto methods and ingredients, I decided to try it. The layers of Ladyfingers, Mascarpone cream, coffee and Cocoa were an absolute dream to eat, it wasn’t at all soggy and the coffee flavour was nice and subtle so that it didn’t dominate the whole dessert but rather left a velvet hint on the tongue.
To finish off we had a couple of Latte coffees, but I had the Vanilla version for a change which was really nice. We had a fantastic evening in lovely clean premises with smart, polite staff and I just want to give a special mention to our server, Jade H, who takes customer care to a whole new level. Her service, not just to us but to all the tables she was allocated, was exemplary; her enthusiasm for her job and the food she was serving was very much evident, and she was taking a genuine interest in the conversations she was having with all her customers. Thank you Mike for inviting us to your premises, we had a great evening with you. Hot Wings to team Pizza Express, INTU, Derby.
