What else should I start my “Eating out in London” section than Jamie’s Italian. Jamie’s Italian is a special restaurant for me and that’s for several reasons. It is the first restaurant I visited in London, it is also a restaurant where I met wonderful people while I was working there and last but not least it is a restaurant where I learned a lot about food and where my passion for food was further developed.
I love Jamie Oliver for his enthusiasm and attitude to food and cooking. Jamie’s Italian, although a restaurant of a worldwide known chef, is not a posh restaurant as one would expect. It is a very relaxed restaurant with a rustic feel and dynamic atmosphere. The staff is trained to a great standard and they are ready to answer any of your questions. Do you want to know where the prawns come from? Do you want to know what the chicken was fed with? They will be ready to tell you! Something I was very impressed with.
As the title suggests, Jamie’s Italian serves Italian cuisine and you can get here the best of the best from Italian produce. The menu consists of before-meal-nibbles/breads, antipasti, pasta, mains, side dishes and desserts, i.e. the typical Italian menu, some of which change with seasons. I have eaten almost everything in this restaurant and my favourites are prawn linguine, feather steak, squid ink pasta with scallops and sausages with braised lentils and tomato salsa. From the desserts, it was then the lemon curd slice and the warm brownie with raspberries.
I always had a great time in Jamie’s Italian however, lately (I am not sure whether this is the impact of the fact that the chain grows so quickly), but I’m afraid, it’s not everywhere what it used to be. My personal tip in London would be Canary Wharf – this is the first Jamie’s Italian that was opened in London and I never left disappointed. Also, given the area, it is not that busy for dinners as, e.g. Covent Garden is and so you feel more comfortable and not so rushed there. I have been there many times and it’s been my favourite of all Jamie’s! And what about you? Have you been to Jamie’s? What did you like about it?
