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2014-07-29
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I walked by today for lunch and saw that this was open! Do you know how long I've been waiting for this opening? If you ask my friends, they'll say forever. I was so excited, I didn't even wait for anyone to eat with me so went in by myself!I've been to Jamie Oliver's in London, both Fifteen and Jamie's Italian. The place seemed to have the same look and feel of his London restaurants. I hoped the food was the same!The actual entrance is in Midtown but has it's own entrance. There is a small gif
I've been to Jamie Oliver's in London, both Fifteen and Jamie's Italian. The place seemed to have the same look and feel of his London restaurants. I hoped the food was the same!
The actual entrance is in Midtown but has it's own entrance. There is a small gift shop to buy all things Jamie, like his cookbooks, napkins and yes ... olive oil! There is a escalator to go up to the actual restaurant on the second floor.
Entering the restaurant, it was brightlhy light by the windows. Spacious and comfortable yet chic decor. I was greeted by the hostess who told me that it was pretty full but they did have a seat at the bar for me. She explained it was an excellent spot to see the staff slicing away and I said it was perfect. So, I sat at the bar area.
I was given a menu and introduced to my waiter who would serve me the entire time. I noticed the prices weren't very expensive! And noted that there was no service charge (except for table of 10 or more) and I was to tip the waiter accordingly. What a breath of fresh air because that is how I used to eat in Canada .... tip the waiter, no added forced service charge! And I think this made a difference because the waiter was super friendly, checking in on me every so often to make sure everything was fine. Working for tips does make a difference in service! My waiter also spoke fluent American accented English!
A photo of the napkins. I noted that they sold this at the gift shop downstairs.
The view from my bar which had hanging cured meats. I loved the use of products like canned tomatoes, meat, etc as the restaurant decor.
The deli like atmosphere of the bar table.
I was given a bottle of ice cold tap water with actual ice. Wonderful with the heat outside. I ordered a Limonata and was given a glass filled with chunks of ice which was great as it kept the drink cold throughout my lunch.
I started with a cured meat plank. I asked the waiter how large it was and he informed me that it is charged per person so it will be enough for exactly one. When it arrived it was placed on two cans of tomato and the waiter expertly recited what was on the plank of wood. The selection of meats were nice. And the carrot and beetroot salad was crunchy and fresh. My favorite was percorino and chili jam! I remember having this at his place in London and the mix of cheese and something sweet was tastebud blowing! The olives were pretty good. This is definitely something good with a glass of wine!
I ordered what I had at his Fifteen restaurant. Garlic fried prawn linguine. Small portion as I don't eat that much. Portion size was ok. It was topped with fresh rocket lettuce, giving it color. The prawns were smaller than in London but I think it's due to the fact they are using local produce and it's probably smaller? Needless to say, there were quite a lot of shrimp. The pasta, handmade daily, was perfectly al dente. Sauce was wonderful. Tomato with a touch of chili spice. Just like how Jamie likes to cook it as he does in all his cooking shows. I watch his shows endlessly and even attempted this pasta once to great success! There was also a lot of sauce and could have been mopped up with bread which there was none of unless you ordered it. Sadly, they charge you for bread here where in his London restaurants, I was given a whole loaf and I remember it was the best bread I've had in a long time.
Service was friendly. Food was good, unpretentious and healthy portions. Jamie Oliver, you did it just right. I'll be back!
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