I love indecisiveness. I’m currently in Leeds visiting my
girlfriend Chloe (mojichlo.uk) and just the other day we were completely
stumped for what to have for dinner. So, whilst arguing over whether to have
Jamie Oliver’s Beef Kofta with fluffy rice or “pasta, chopped tomatoes and
broccoli” (guess who was rooting for what), we floated the idea of trekking
down to Jamie’s Italian. Thankfully, after another 40 minutes of debate, we
settled on heading out.
If you’ve been to one of Jamie Oliver’s Italian restaurants
before, you’ll probably know where this post is heading. If you haven’t, then
what the hell’s wrong with you? These restaurants seem to be springing up
everywhere – I remember going to the Bath one way back in 2009 when they were almost
semi-exclusive and there were queues around the block to get a table. First
launched in Oxford in 2008, the chain now boasts 35 restaurants (including
branches abroad) and has plans for several more openings in the coming years,
which means the lines are somewhat shorter these days.
Now, I’m a huge fan of Italian culture. One of my dreams for
when I’m old and rich (or young and rich) is to retire to a country house on
the shores of Lake Como. A major part of my affinity towards Italy is my love
affair with their food, so therefore any Italian-themed restaurant is going to
get a big thumbs up from me. But Jamie’s Italian absolutely takes the gold
medal. It wins on everything from the quality of appetisers down to the rustic
decoration and cool old architecture of their buildings.
How sick is this building? (Image Credit: nitefinder.co.uk)
So, Chloe and I headed to Jamie’s Italian Leeds, which is a
branch that neither of us had ever been to before. It’s set up in a building
that looks like an old-timey bank, and takes up at least two large floors
(possibly three but we didn’t go upstairs so I’m not sure). We’re both Gold
Card members, so received free tasters of a scrummy risotto that I enjoyed
despite the fact that it had ingredients that I don’t like (I think courgette
was in there? Couldn’t taste it though so that’s a plus!). I would definitely
recommend becoming a Gold Card member, even if you don’t go on a regular basis,
as it’s free to sign up and means that every time you go you get free taster
plates, gifts once a month (this month is a side of Polenta Chips) and even more free
things within two weeks either side of your birthday; we went for both our
birthdays and got a free bottle of Prosecco both times and a dessert – what
more could you want!
Another thing I like about Jamie’s Italian is that the staff
are always so friendly and helpful. Of course, you get staff like that in loads
of places, but I find the customer service is always of a consistently high
standard across countless visits, and at every branch I’ve been to. The very
chatty waiter that served us sold Chloe the springtime tagliatelle with his
animated and passionate description of the dish and of course, she loved it.
Tell me you don't love this cheeky chappy (Image Credit: John Lyle)
We started our meal off with the olives on ice (perhaps the best
reason to go to Jamie’s in my opinion) and their meat antipasti board (perhaps
the second best). The olives are a beautiful green variety that
are described as the “world’s best”, and are served on ice to keep them fresh
and juicy. In the middle of the dish is a little pot of delicious black olive
tapenade served with “music bread” – think crackers – which does well to rival
the actual olives for your attention. The antipasti board comes with a
selection of Italian cured meats, cheeses and pickles/chillis, plus a little
pot of a salad that I would never touch because ew, gross, vegetables. I
followed this up with the Fresh Crab Spaghettini, which in hindsight I didn’t
like as much as other items on the menu, but I still very much enjoyed. I’m a
huge seafood lover so always tend to direct my attention to the bottom three on
the pasta section, or as I like to call it, the “fun area”, and as I had had
the Squid & Mussel Spaghetti Nero on our previous visit I opted to try
something else. The Crab Spaghettini is basically lots of lovely little bits of
crabmeat, cooked in a sauce that was made from lemon, anchovies and capers with
chilli, fennel and parsley as a topping for a ball of very thin spaghetti.
Personally, I don’t think there was enough crab in there, but that’s just
because I’m greedy I guess. We ate our pasta with a lovely rocket and radiccio
salad (dressed with the nicest balsamic vinegar I have ever tasted) and the Polenta Chips that we received free of charge – cubes of potato that baffled us
when we wondered how they were made, but were delicious nevertheless. We didn’t
have dessert this time, but I would highly recommend the brownie they serve.
Dat food doe
My one issue with Jamie’s Italian is that it’s not compatible
with a student budget. While of course not every restaurant should or could be
cheap as chips, and for the quality of the meals and ingredients you get the
money is pretty damn reasonable, spending around £50 for a starter and a main
for two without alcohol is not really something I can afford as much as I would
like to. Chloe and I decided to take a little bit of money from our business
profits (lamedesign.bigcartel.com – go buy something so I can go again!) which
is why we were able to afford to go without a reason or special occasion, but I
just wish it fit better in my budget so that I could go more often. Saying
that, I’m sure that Mr Oliver makes very little profit on the dishes he serves
at the price he sells them, so who am I to complain?
And hey, it definitely
beats “chopped tomatoes and broccoli”.
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