Tesco Express

I resent Tesco Express for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the markup of a Wispa from 60p at Metro prices to 63p in an Express. A 5% increase makes me feel like I should be buying a chocolate bar that isn’t full of airholes, just to be cost-​effective. But enough about my Wispa woes, for this is a decent shop.
Someone I know refers to this branch as «Tesco Beirut» in reference to its diverse provision, and yep, there’s plenty of what we timid Brits refer to as «world food», as though cauliflowers and bagels come from the Moon. Weirdly (and disastrously for someone of my patience and culinary ability) there is no cous cous, but given how much else IS here, I can forgive that.
I’ve never seen it painfully busy, which is nice, but there’s always a solid traffic, which is also nice. There’s also a really good produce section, which a lot of Express branches don’t bother with — likewise the freezer. In fact, cous cous is the only thing I’ve wanted so far that I’ve been unable to find in the shop, which is hugely unusual for an Express, although somehow it seems to retain the typically small interior. (A small urban supermarket is kind of like a game of Pac-​Man. If you stay still for too long, some gaping jelly-​creature will come and bump into you.)