Pizza Express: Belmont Street, Aberdeen

EXHAUSTED from a long day in town I couldn’t be bothered with a sit down restaurant – so I did the next best thing and took the meal home.

Don’t head to Pizza Express if you’re expecting a typical takeaway – it’s not. It is all the elegance of a restaurant tucked into a box and taken home.

We started with dough balls and garlic butter (£2.30) and a pesto-laden bruschetta (£3.95), which were both light and very more-ish. There’s no sign of a deep-pan or stuffed crust here. The dough is a step change away from the sort of places that are still open at 2am. It’s tearable and tasty rather than crusty like a piece of biscuit.

And the toppings are that little more imaginative. I opted for a fiery Diavolo (£8.75) a superb mix of spicy beef, pepperoni, onions, Tabasco, and a choice of green or Jalapeno peppers.

It was a contrast to the slightly disappointing “old classic” the Margherita (£5.75) which was a tad bland.