The vegan eatery adventure continues this week, and this time with the popular pizza chain Pizza Express.
Now given that cheese is a pretty staple ingredient of pizza, you’d be forgiven for discounting this well-known eatery in the ‘where-to-eat-when-you’re-vegan’ equation.
Here’s the good news though... Pizza Express has an entire Vegan menu to cater for the growing plant-based (but still pizza-loving) population.
By far the highlight of the menu has to be that it hasn’t bypassed what is arguably the highlight of visiting Pizza Express... DOUGHBALLS!
They come with a smoky tomato harissa or hummus on the side, which lends such a new dimension to this menu classic, that you might just forget the garlic butter typecast that we all know (knew!) and love!
The mains menu surprisingly also still has some of the more well-known favourites, including the Veneziana (pine kernels, capers, sultanas), Margherita, Padana (caramelised onion & spinach) or Giardiniera (the veggie one), all of which have been reinvented with vegan mozzarella.
Any seasoned vegan will know that cheese can be a struggle, but Pizza Express has succeeded in finding one that has the right taste, look AND texture... and all thanks to the power of sprouting brown rice!
The dessert menu might be small, but it is perfectly formed to cater for the typical post-pizza pud procrastination, which often leans towards something light...something these three options (Chocolate & Amaretto parfait, Sorbet or carrot cake) definitely are.
The final tick for Pizza Express is that they do also offer Vegan wines. It’s not typically something you’d think about, especially when first starting out on a plant-based lifestyle, but the fining agents used in some wines include casein (a milk protein) & albumin (egg whites).
Across the board, this was one dining experience that you wouldn’t necessarily know to be vegan, if you didn’t know, so to speak.
It’s a good port of call, therefore, for those finding their plant-based feet this Veganuary, or for anyone who thinks they don’t like vegan cheese. This menu might just prove you wrong!