PERHAPS it is to do with Mrs FM's most recently-found working independence that she has been insisting on doing what she wants to do, when she decides to do it? The Boy passed a remarkably intuitive comment the other day, as he took a brief break from mowing the lawn, while I maintained a low profile and enjoyed a small snifter in The Potting Shed. Where was Mrs FM? Out and about, having issued domestic instructions and left us to our own devices.

Therefore, it came as something of a surprise, later in the day, when she proposed that we should dine out in Newark and that she had spotted a pleasant little Italian restaurant that might be worth a try. Naturally, I was game for this, although a second shock arrived, when she suggested that we would use her car to get there and she would drive.

For whatever reason, the premises was closed for the evening and, relying on my knowledge, Mrs FM decided that I should know of an alternative. Having given the Trent-side town a moderate going-over in the past couple of years, to be frank, I was starting to feel a touch disappointed that we may have been repeating a visit rather too soon, until I recalled a Pizza Express outlet down at the waterside, with very convenient Pay & Display parking on its doorstep.

We entered the pleasantly stylish premises and were directed to a ground floor table in the round tower. The large single sheet menu is predominated by pizza variations (which is unsurprising) a moderate number of starters and some desserts. Mrs FM chose a first course of Caesar salad with anchovies, to be followed by a chicken-topped pizza, while I opted for a mozzarella cheese, tomato and basil leaves starter and tagliolini fungi for my main course. As Mrs FM was carrying out the driving duties, I ordered a Peroni lager, while she had a Coke.

Service was pretty good, which meant that only a few minutes passed before our stylishly served starters arrived at the table. Mrs FM's Caesar looked splendid; an array of cos lettuce leaves, sprinkled liberally with gran padano cheese, the creamy dressing, croutons and the aforementioned salty anchovies served in a moderately deep bowl. My five buffalo mozzarella cheese slices were fresh enough, separated by slices of sweet, ripe beef tomato, drizzled with olive oil and green pesto but, sadly, only a solitary basil leaf. I requested a few more to accompany my ultimate, traditional Italian antipasti.

Unfortunately, Mrs FM's salad tasted as though the cos was several days old and the croutons were stale. She also described the dressing as too acidic. Now, with a healthy number of basil leaves, my starter was fine. This simple and beneficial dish should be creamy and ultra-fresh, to reflect the colours of the Italian flag. It worked.

We moved on to the main courses and, as they arrived, it was clear that the pizza was going to live up to expectations. It consisted of a thin, crispy and tasty base, which, to all intents and purposes had been hand-tossed in the kitchen. Its topping of rich, herbed tomato sauce, with red onion slices and torn chicken breast was almost complete. Sadly, although it was eminently flavoursome, it lacked the piquancy of the promised cajun spices and it was hard to spot the peppadew sweet peppers that should have also been scattered across its fourteen inches of surface area.

My pasta was served in its oven dish and consisted of strips of the egg tagliolini, various woody mushrooms, the clear flavour of Italian truffles and a moderately creamy sauce. It was topped with shredded parsley and finely grated Parmesan cheese, accompanied by four lightly crisped, fresh bread sticks. It was well presented and very tasty but it seemed to lack any real substance and I did feel that it had emerged from a frozen, portion-controlled pack.

It needs to be said that a "genuine", as opposed to a "pseudo" Italian eatery, does deliver a characterful and often emotional connection to its kitchen. The Pizza Express chain, while managing in many ways to meet expectations, can seldom fulfil that promise. Yet, that makes it only slightly less enjoyable to the purist. At least the produce is predominantly edible.

For dessert, Mrs FM chose a slice of the traditional coffee-based tiramisu trifle, while I ordered the yogurt ice-cream topped with fresh strawberries and blackcurrant syrup. While my sweet was uncomplicated and fine, Mrs FM's slice of tiramisu looked old and pre-packaged. Mind you, it tasted okay. As though to prove that some traditions can be upheld, while aspects of independence can be ignored readily, as the sainted Mrs FM rummaged in her handbag for the car keys, I was left to settle the averagely acceptable bill. I suppose that some aspects of modern life remain unsullied.

WHERE: Pizza Express Newark, The Wharf, Newark, NG24 1EU

TELEPHONE: 01636 703 073

FINAL BILL: Caesar salad – £4.30; trad. mozarella, tomato and bay leaf salad – £4.75; pollo ad astra pizza – £8.85; tagliolini fungi – £9.45; tiramisu – £4.70; sotto zero blackcurrant – £3.40; large Peroni beer (x2) – £5.95; small Peroni – £3.40; Coca-Cola (x2) – £2.10

TOTAL: £54.95

FINAL VERDICT: A moderate Italian-esque dining experience, using some fresh and some pre-packaged produce in trendy and clean surroundings.