It's a hard thing to get right, pizza. Trouble is, I'm often tempted to buy frozen ones in supermarkets.

There is, however, something deeply disheartening about picking up your prize in a soggy cardboard box, taking it home, stripping away the polythene wrapping and bunging it in the oven.

After redistributing the brittle toppings on the doughy little frisbees, and watching the cheese melt into a squishy gloop, when the time comes to actually eat the thing more often than not the experience fails to constitute gratifying cuisine.

That said, eating pizza out is another potential minefield.

Paying upwards of £10 for a brittle base, smeared with a puddle of tomato puree and adorned with parched vegetables, it can often feel like a bit of a swindle.

Luckily Pizza Express in Oxford's Castle complex, has more to offer than the typical pizzeria fare of brittle breadsticks and noodly mood music.

A colleague reviewed this place for The Guide last year, but I couldn't resist sampling it myself to see if it really was up to scratch and they've just cooked up a spring menu too, which gave me an extra excuse to go.

WHAT IS IT LIKE?

Split on to two floors, it's unnervingly classy. The walls boast original artwork, the lighting scheme is tasteful and warm, and the layout is intimate and welcoming.

Admittedly, downstairs would work better as a bar, the current arrangement proving somewhat awkward, but that's a small complaint to make. The glitz of this restaurant, bearing in mind it's part of a franchise, is quite frankly remarkable.

The menu is varied enough to satisfy most tastes, and includes all the classic pizza varieties. The additional inclusion of specials and innovations, alongside a fine selection of pastas and salads, makes for a dynamic range of satisfying meals.

The Olives Marinade to start were delicious, and managed to whet my appetite exactly as an entree is intended.

The staff deserve a special mention.

It is customary of late for waiters and waitresses to wear caps and polo shirts, dour of demeanour and neolithic of disposition.

The omission of such unneccesary headgear, and the inclusion of real-life smiles was a pleasure to see.

Moreover the waitresses were not only proficient at their job but easy on the eye to boot, which when combined with the blissful burble of fellow diners, unsullied by the bawling of hyperactive toddlers jacked up on additives from the ice cream, meant the restaurant offered a refined and pleasant atmosphere.

SO WHAT DID YOU ORDER?

The pizzas themselves were superb. Opting for a Margherita, the classic pizza, and an American Hot for variety, my guest and I were more than satisfied with our food.

The latter, a combination of pepperoni, hot green peppers and jalepenos, created a strong and simple flavour that really was a cut above.

The Margherita too ticked all the boxes, and deliciously, the two courses totalled up to under £20.

This addition to the Pizza Express chain is a damn pleasant place to eat out, believe me.

Light on the wallet yet classy and distinguished, with a superb atmosphere and excellent staff, I recommend it highly.

Moreover, with a takeaway option I need never fear poor pizza again.

VERDICT: If I ever find myself standing in a supermarket freezer section, my fingers involuntarily drifting towards the glassy doors, then I'll know exactly where to go to satisfy my temptation.

And for just under £40 for everything it proved a very tasty end to the evening.