"My friend and I met up in Hale for pizza/pasta Piccolino and Cibo seemed a little too dressy for lunch, Dante appeared a bit quiet, and then I found an O2 Priority offer on my phone: 2 mains at Pizza Express for £10! We headed inside and the restaurant was busy for a weekday with quite a few tables occupied, including a party of mums and their five children. I would have liked to have sat round the back where it was a little quieter, but the waiter clearly wanted to seat us near the front windows (maybe to create the impression of business?? . It was a little cramped, but fine. We were served by a waiter who was clearly experienced, very efficient, and never made us feel rushed, but lacking in a smile...ahaha : My friend ordered the vegan pizza and I ordered the legarra penne but asked for it with aubergine, courgettes and mushrooms in addition to the peppers that come in it. (I later found out that I had been charged an additional £4 for these ‘extras’, which kind of negated the whole point of visiting Pizza Express for a £5 lunch, but oh well, at least they were accommodating . Table water and a Coke Zero were both brought out very swiftly, and the food was quick to arrive too, even though the waiter had actually informed us beforehand that there was only ONE chef to cook for the whole restaurant!! My pasta was beautifully garnished with rocket on top (which I usually don’t eat but I mixed it into the pasta and it was delicious and, most importantly, absolutely PIPING hot (maybe because the bowl was warm, which is very important too !! I could tell that the pasta had been cooked al dente (as it should be as a couple of pieces of penne were ever so slightly hard, but, on the whole, this pasta was absolutely delicious. The portion was generous, the sauce wonderfully thick and ever so slightly spicy (in a good way , and the chef had managed to pack in lots of vegetables for me. My friend also enjoyed her pizza I had a couple of bites of the crust myself and the dough was as good as ever. Even though my additional requests for the pasta and my friend’s Coke Zero prevented us from paying only £10 for lunch, the bill still came to less than £17 in total, which I think was excellent value for such fast service, an accommodating kitchen, generous portions and delicious food!! If you’re in Hale and fancy a more casual Italian, I reckon Pizza Express is your best bet."
