It maybe a chained establishment but it is one that I wanted to try for a long time. I am not a big fan of Jamie but I certainly agree that he has a special charm that made him who he is now. I am yet to verify the truth to the following but someone told me that Jamie’s Italian is a truly equal opportunity employer of which it encourages the management to hire handicapped individuals as well as those who wish to turn a new leaf after recent release from correctional institutions. If that is the case I truly admire his responsibilities to the community while aiming to deliver a great dining experiences at reasonable cost. On this very evening, we went to the Canary Wharf outlet for an early dinner.
The Top Italian Bread Selection was rather boring. They were homemade / freshly baked on location as we were told but nothing too special. I would have said decent if they were free, at GBP 3.25, they are quite disappointing.
Tomatoes in season, basil and creamy ricotta was very refreshing. I was surprised that it was such a simple salad of mixed vegetables can be so satisfying. Thumbs up!
The Posh Chips (with insanely good truffle oil and Parmesan as they claimed) is a famous item at Jamie’s, however, I beg to differ. To be honest, I am yet to truly appreciate the beauty of truffle. It may be expensive thanks to “demand-supply” as well as the method used to locate them in the wild, however, does it rally add great value in terms of flavors and exciting to the overall dining experience? I am yet to be AMAZED by truffle. The Posh Chips were crisp but again all I tasted in terms of flavors were saltiness.
Fair but nothing particularly exciting about this Wild Boar Salami.
The Baked Chestnut mushroom was a pleasant surprise. Not only was it flavorful, the thin dough / music bread underneath made it a wonderful starters. A bit more mozzarella cheese would be nice!
The Bruchetta - Devonshire crab with chili, lemon and zesty mayo was indeed EXCITING! The slight chili flavors and refreshing zesty creamy yummy mayo woke me up from the slight food coma I was experiencing. Yes it was quite serious perhaps due to my unresolved jet lag issue as well. The rustic plate that it served on was another favorite style of mine which added a few points to the overall dish.
C had the Spaghetti Bolognese and I tried a small spoonful. Al dente but the overall flavor was towards the stronger side. It is to my knowledge that traditional Italian cuisine tends to be very rich and deep in flavors especially for their pasta dishes with sauces. I am yet to verify the truth to that. Worth noting that all pasta here at Jamie's are made in house on a daily basis according to what we were told.
My mom ordered the Prawn Linguine but it turned out to be rather spicy for her taste so I switched my Pappardelle Meatballs with her. It wasn't THAT spicy to be honest, it was quite ... zesty? I tasted quite a few drops of Tabasco sauce but I can be wrong of course. I quite enjoyed this dish to be honest.
As for my Pappardelle Meatballs, al dente and meatballs were flavorful and firm to the bite. However, surprising I somehow wanted my flavors to the sauce. Perhaps it was the sauce from the Prawn Linguine that coated my palate from similar flavors? Humm ....
Dad ordered the Baked whole sea bream. It was unexpectedly well prepared. Then again, it would be quite difficult to ruin the freshness and / or sweetness of a daily catch right? As long as it was fresh, it should have retained the freshness. The capers on top were not necessary in my opinion but did gave the fish a tangy sensation when consumed together.
My brother did the same sin again! Well almost! He almost messed up the presentation before I took a snap of his Lamb Chop Lollipops! How did it taste? Sorry I did not have any and I will not comment on it. He did finish it quite fast if that can be of any indication.
If you plan to order the desserts here? I think you are better off somewhere. We had the lemon cake and Pina Cotta but .... I will pass! The lemon cake was quite firm and lacked the zesty and lemony flavors in my opinion. The pina cotta was ... fair i guess, better than the lemon cake but a strong flavor would be nice.
Likes:
- Excellent Services!
- Sea Bream - fresh simple yet thumbs up!
- Bruchetta - Devonshire crab with chili, lemon and zesty mayo woke me up from food coma!
- Posh Fries - fries were good but yet to acquire the taste and liking to truffle
- Richness of flavors for the pasta tend to be inconsistent in my opinion.
Avg Spending: GBP 20 - 25 per person
Jamie's Italian (London)
Unit 172 Churchill Place
Canary Wharf
London E14 5RB
Tel: +44 020 3002 5252
http://www.jamieoliver.com/italian/
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5 comments:
To me, and I am sure many with beg to differ... Truffle Oil is actually more fragrant than real, shaved Winter Black Truffle sometimes... but its considered cheating if restaurants drizzle it on top of food!
White Truffle is very pungent though, can't stand it. I dislike Summer Truffles, as their inner texture is like eating cardboard, and its earthy rather than really aromatic! :P
@HK Epicurus: Yeah, as I said, I am yet to be amazed by it. I am yet to experience the fragrance and aroma or perhaps the magic of it. I hope to experience it soon :)
i luv Jamie!! had been a collector of his recipe books...u make me wana go to London because of that..oh, and i luv Nigella Lawson sooooo much!!
I tried the one in Cambridge it was absoultely disappointing! :( my angel hair was drowned in soup and soggy!
@Greentea00: ohhh ... you should! But as @Vee mentioned below, the consistency can be an issue with different outlets.
@Vee: really? I would assume they try to be as consistence as possible across different outlets, I guess that's not the case :(
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