Jamie's Italian is all so familiar. It is a name and brand that is known by everyone and in every household. It is somewhere you would visit for a family-friendly rustic Italian meal. I have been to it's Canary Wharf branch a few times and had always enjoyed my experience there.
This time, we thought we shall visit the Threadneedle Street branch, situated right in the heart of the City of London. The building and interior reflects the grandeur of what used to be an old bank. Jamie's team has embraced the style of thisVictorian building and interior, making use of the high ceiling and marbled pillars to its advantage. They matched the incredible architecture and interior with custom-made chairs, solid oak tables and some impressive chandeliers. Even the menu is not the usual Jamie's rustic style. It has been geared up a notch to match its decadent setting. The prices too, were reflective of it.
When I arrived, P had already made himself really comfortable sipping his glass of red waiting for me. He had poured me a glass from the bottle he ordered which as expected, he would be the one finishing up three quarters of it by the end of the night. That's the benefit of my lack of drinking ability. While I lacked in alcohol tolerance, my food intake capacity makes up for it. Oh, 'lucky' him, we eat almost the same amount!
While we were still making decision on our meal choices, we ordered the 'world's best olive on ice' to tame our growling stomach. They were indeed some very very good olives, served alongside some crispy music bread and black olive tapenade.
We ordered the 'octopus carpaccio' and 'seafood plank' to start. Octopus is such a seafood that needs to be cooked with attention as care as to keep them tender. The fact that it was tender and thinly sliced made my day. I have had rubbery ones and they weren't pleasant. A little extra zing and seasoning would have made this carefully made octopus sing an opera.
As P is a fan of pasta with butter, the French in him ordered the 'Summer truffle tagliolini'. It was a simple plate of fresh pasta with silky truffle butter and shaved summer truffle. The pasta was very well made and delicious. Though, I thought it was a little too plain for my liking. My 'Salt marsh lamb' came so prettily presented I forgot we were at Jamie's Italian. The lamb were cooked three ways; stuffed, grilled and crispy. Some extra sauce would have made the dish come together much better as they were a little dry. Sides of crispy polenta chips and vignole (spring vegetable and herb stew) was a joy.
Desserts weren't to miss, even after all the food we had. I had a craving for the panna cotta while P felt like having the white chocolate semifredo. But then we both agreed that we must try the tiramisu. So we ordered three desserts!! Please don't judge our gluttony. It's only fair that we eat to our hearts content after a stressful work week. It was a Friday after all. Panna cotta with black cherries and dark chocolate passed the wobble test. It was light, trifle-like and summery though the dark chocolate was not needed. The white chocolate semifredo was nice. Tiramisu was indeed light, as promised in their menu but we both agree though nice, was not good enough. It was made too fancy, and missed the indulgence body of a traditional tiramisu. The tiramisu was crying out for more love and big fat hug.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our experience here. The interior was fabulous, food was well cooked and presented though lacked
'je ne sais quoi' for the price. The most memorable dish was for me, the side of vignole. It was simple yet packed full of flavour, something the other dishes lacked; a lift. Our server who was sweet and lovely was a joy to have. I will happily recommend anyone to try this place out for it's sheer difference in it's overall experience compared to other Jamie's Italian branches I have been too.
**Disclaimer: I was invited by Jamie's Italian to review the restaurant. Everything written above are my own honest opinion and will not mislead you in any way or form.
38 Threadneedle Street
EC2R 8AY London,UK
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