Bonjour! Italian Delights 🍕🍝👨🏻‍🍳

Still my favourite pizza place in town and super worth it especially with entertainer’s 1 for 1 mains!! I can’t speak for the other flavors because we literally order the same 2 pizzas every time we come, i.e.: carbonara and laksa. The laksa pizza comes with a really legit laksa paste and abundant toppings like sotong, quail eggs, tau pok(I think), prawns, chili padi...and the whole agglomeration of doughy goodness is sprinkled with little laksa leaves!!!! Which really elevates the taste and sets it apart from laksa pizza from other establishments.

The carbonara pizza looks pretty simple with just a few strips of bacon and a runny egg in the centre but - CONTRARY TO APPEARANCES - is packed with so much flavor!! The garlicky bechamel paste is salty to the right degree and meshes so well with their thin dough. Break the yolk and spread it all around for more oomph!!!

If you’re a carb lover, get a serving of their toasty little dough balls with garlic butter, you won’t regret it!

Before you pig out, get an order of their signature ✨dough balls; just like mini pretzels, each blob has a browned crust encasing a piping hot pillowy core. The accompanying garlic butter is certainly VERY GARLICKY and will whet your appetite!

When it comes to restaurant names, the term “express” is usually associated with bland microwaved food...but please throw away these preconceptions when dining here!! Pizzaexpress’s pizzas are hand-stretched by trained pizzaiolos and come in many interesting flavors.

A must-get when dining here is definitely their ✨Laksa Pizza😍 Including even obscure ingredients like crispy tau pok & fragrant laksa leaves, each slice captures the essence of laksa in all its glory!! The ✨carbonara pizza came with a jiggly soft boiled egg and lots of bacon - nothing too special in terms of taste. Could’ve done with more of dat creamy béchamel sauce, but maybe that’s just my greed talking😋

Laksa Pizza $28
Carbonara Pizza $30

Trying out some of this specialty pizza chain’s more unique offerings: smoked bacon with red apples, and - a flavor that’s new on their menu - pesto chicken! Despite its sweet & fruity name, the former turned out to be of the savory variety; thick leaflets of glazed bacon overlay the abundant toppings of mushrooms, capsicums and juicy apple slices (that remind one of pineapple bits from a nostalgic Hawaiian-flavored pizza) coated in barbecue sauce. And when served on its doughy crust, the taste profile matches that of a revamped & upgraded version of Dominoes!😋 I do appreciate a good pesto base, but this one was quite underwhelming, owing in part to being overshadowed by the stronger flavors coming from the chicken, onions and other toppings. That aside, the pizzas were pretty satisfying. In fact, we were WOWed by the generous portions, where the medium size was as big as a typical large-sized pizza!!! Come with friends or be prepared to enter into a food coma!!

To silence the call of our dessert stomach, we were offered yoghurt jelly with fresh blueberries. Light, refreshing and a good end to a heavy meal. I can finally see why there’s so much buzz about this place; from sharing a long table with other guests to idly watching the chef bumble about in his element, the whole session is an intimate dining experience that will undoubtedly keep one coming back.

For the main, we got carbonara! The creamy pasta, touched by swirls of olive oil and covered first in crisp, juicy bacon, then a smattering of grated Parmesan was divine. On the first bite, I’d think even the most errr gastronomically-challenged person can intuitively tell that the pasta is made in-house; each strand is highly irregular, with a dense floury texture that is a welcome change from the mass-produced smoothness that we’re so used too! Coupled with the generous portion, we were surprisingly stuffed by the end!

What better way to end a week than with a meticulously prepared meal by one very talented individual at this cosy hole-in-the-wall restaurant? Still can’t believe impatient me actually managed to wait a MONTH to dine here...but I guess it made the lunch all the more satisfying😚

For starters, we were served a charcuterie plate comprising champagne ham, pâté (made with ground pork, cognac and pistachio) and a hunk of focaccia. The cold cuts did whet my appetite but what stole the show really was dat thick, doughy, chewy lightly oiled focaccia with a consistency true to European bread - I could almost taste the blood, sweat and TLC put into kneading and baking it (figuratively ofc, no one likes the taste of sweat). Next time I go, please serve me a whole basket’s worth ok?😉

Embarked on a journey to the far flung lands of Bedok just for a taste of this humble western coffeeshop stall helmed by ex-wooloomooloo chef Jimmy Teo. We were tempted to get the Wellington but eventually decided on the chicken chop! It comes plated simplistically and looking absolutely tantalizing; taste-wise, a little charred on the edges, but chomp through the crust and you’ll be rewarded with juicy, tender flesh that is simply oozing with juices! Yet, what really elevates the dish is the capsicum & pesto sauce - a zesty, loaded combination that cuts through the meatiness with its aromatic tang.

The sides were really enjoyable too, but chef Jimmy switches things up every so often so take note: you might not get what I had😚 Essentially microgreens & spinach leaves layered over some wedges and wild mushrooms that are sautéed to perfection. These baby fungi poppers “pop” in your mouth and you can literally feel the warm flavours spread across your tongue😍 You’ll definitely get a happy belly at the end of this meal!!

Contrary to its name, not the slightest hint of alcohol could be detected from this pizza. Shrimps were clearly of the frozen variety and zucchini cubes were incredibly plain. Quite a pity considering how the crust and base sauce had so much potential!

With barely any seasoning apart from garlic (lots and lots of it!), this pan of pasta - cooked aglio olio style - came across as refreshingly raw...and we surprisingly liked it! The veggie and finely shredded crab bits could be individually savoured alongside the al dente linguine. My only complaint would be the tiny portion size, unbefitting of the price tag.

Bursting with flavour, each bite - packed with risotto grains and mushrooms - was dense and creamy, loaded with both the aroma and taste of truffle oil 😍 Though I would’ve liked a thicker and cheesier texture, I’d still consider this dish pretty decent!

This dish was served atop a bed of crispy and fresh rockets. Absolutely loved how garlicky the tomato bruschetta was! Each mound was firm and managed to hold its shape, going very well with the toasted and lightly buttered baguette slices.