Stuck for somewhere to dine on a gloomy lunchtime, GILL HARRIS and pal head to a reliable old favourite

“LET’S do lunch,” I said. “Great,” said my pal. “Where?”

We formulated a plan and a few hours later, we met on the pavement on a drizzly lunchtime.

We could have met in the restaurant but the problem with Monday lunchtimes — or evenings for that matter — is that restaurants don’t usually open, it being their traditional day off after a busy weekend.

We’d forgotten about that. Keen to get out of the rain and by now hungry for some fine repast, we mooched along Wood Street, peering like street urchins through darkened windows, optimistically trying door handles... to no avail.

“You know where will be open?” I said. “Pizza Express.”

“Ooh, yeah,” said the pal. “Let’s go there.”

Good old Pizza Express. It’s long-standing with good reason — it’s reliably excellent and, better yet, it opens on Mondays.

Taking a window seat (“We can pretend we’re in Italy,” I said, glancing outside at the giant, grey puddle that was Victoria Road under a gloomy sky.

Every time I’ve been to the Old Town restaurant it’s been rammed, but this time it was surprisingly empty... perhaps everyone assumed it would be shut, what with it being a Monday and all.

Service was prompt and friendly and before we knew it we were trying to curtail our choices from the simple but alluring menu so as not to be overly stuffed. Eyes bigger than the belly is a common lunchtime faux pas, I’ve found.

We decided to share the classic Italian antipasto, one of the new items on the menu. The sharing portion was £13.75, but we didn’t fall for that and chose instead to order just a single person portion for £7.40, which was more than enough.

The plate was fresh and appetising with glistening varieties of salami and Calabrese sausage, succulent artichokes, sweet, spicy Peppadew peppers and deliciously moist yet crisp pieces of dough baked with Gran Milano cheese, plus perky leaves of rocket and a heady harissa spiced tomato dip.

To be honest, I’m not a big fan of the charcuterie board, having done it to death over the years. All too often it’s heavy, greasy and unimaginative but this was anything but. It was just enough to send the tastebuds zinging without making you feel overloaded and the additions of the peppers and artichoke lightened up the whole affair perfectly.

For mains, I chose the pollo salad (£10.90). I love the pizzas at Pizza Express but I have to say, I love a good salad too — and I find good salads can be hard to come by. Limp ingredients, cliched combinations and cloying dressing are the death knell to what should be a complex balance of simple, refreshing goodness and harmony of flavours.

The pollo is made up of moist strips of chicken, two types of goat’s cheese, red Roquito pearls (sweet, spicy, tiny bursts of pepper), tomatoes, black olives, croutons, mixed leaves (seasonal!) with a delicious, creamy dressing and dough sticks so as to make sure it’s not so healthy it’s boring.

What can I say? Perfect ingredients, perfectly balanced, each mouthful exploding with flavour. Just what a decent salad should be like.

My companion, meanwhile, decided to try the cannelloni (£10.70).

I was so engrossed in my own meal I almost forgot to ask her how hers was (rude, I know) until she said: “This is excellent, by the way.” Thanks for asking then, her eyes implied.

The delicate tubes of pasta were crammed with spinach and ricotta, and baked with passata, bechamel, mozzarella, topped off with garlic oil and Gran Milano — and a healthy sprinkling of fragrant black pepper, courtesy of our helpful waiter.

It was, my friend says, creamy, rich and “absolutely spot on in texture.”

All in all, with wine, our meal came to £48.65. Not exactly cheap, but excellent nonetheless.

The thing about Pizza Express is it’s been a fixture on our high streets for so long, it’s easy to forget about. And trust me, it’s worth remembering. Especially on a Monday lunchtime.

Pizza Express

5 Bath Road, Old Town, Swindon SN1 4AS

pizzaexpress.com/swindon

Parking: No

Disabled access: Yes

Our ratings:

Food: 10/10

Choice: 7/10

Decor: 9/10

Customer service: 9/10

Main course prices: £10.55-£13.75

TripAdvisor rating: 3.5/5