Now, let me put this out loud and clear - I don’t believe big chain restaurants can offer top quality food. That’s my personal opinion, like or not. But…today I was a bit…surprised. I went to Wildwood on Hornchurch High Street to have a spot of lunch, as one would. My wife had been with friends there recently. She recommended the pizzas and risottos. So, guess what I had :^). Yes, that’s right. Who am I to oppose the missus. Lunchtimes are seemingly quieter than evenings. That suited me just fine. I had brought a book (The London Cabbie by Alf Townsend) and had a lively tranquil lunch and some reading fun. So, onto the food. I ordered a small Margherita pizza with mixed salad, and another staple in any Italian restaurant, Wild Mushroom and Truffle risotto. What a lovely idea was to offer a lighter pizza option!!! Great! I wanted to sample both the pizza and the risotto, but did not want to waste food and money. The portion was half a pizza with mixed salad. Authentic, thin crust, crispy, freshly baked pizza has a heavenly aroma and taste. Very few things can beat that experience. The salad was fresh, refreshingly crunchy and delicious. I am not exaggerating. I’ve ordered salads with old chewy leaves prepared by lazy chefs before. Wildwood salad was the exact opposite. They had even added radishes, which added extra crunchiness and flavour to what was an already awesome salad. The Wild Mushroom and Truffle Risotto. I need to clarify that their risotto stated Truffle Oil instead of real truffles. While fresh black truffles are always preferable, I wouldn’t down-score the the dish based on that. I would’ve personally liked some more visibility for the truffle oil, as its flavour was a bit obscured by the rest of the flavours. Still very delicious though. Cooked and timed correctly. Congratulations to the chef. I would entrust my dinner into his capable hands without any doubt any time I visit again (guaranteed). I also ordered a double espresso, as I normally do when I try to benchmark eateries. It was a bit of a disappointment, and I probably wouldn’t sit down to have just a coffee. However, my coffee experience doesn’t in any way affect my opinion about Wildwood Hornchurch’s ability to please one’s palate with wonderfully prepared authentic Italian pizza and risotto. Nick says: Thumbs up! Highly Recommended!!!

First time we decided to venture out to Hornchurch restaurants to see where to go for my birthday. We decided to book online and realised when we turned up, there was probably no need to book as it was quiet. Our waiter, (unfortunately didn't get his name) was attentive throughout, and was really great with my daughter. I enjoyed the food. Generous portions and all round good service. Thank you, we hope to pop in again soon. 😊