I’ve heard mixed reports about Jamie’s Italian. The hype was ENORMOUS and for me, the build-up matched the experience. I licked my plate clean. Seriously, I did!
To me, it was ALL Jamie: rustic, family-orientated, warm and fun.
I’ve seen enough Jamie Oliver to know that he’s never been about fancy fine dining and food science; he’s about throwing a meal together, using mind-blowing flavours and chucking it on a plate — all in 15 minutes!
Either Jamie’s Italian in Adelaide has taken the negative feedback and improved dramatically, or maybe, just maybe the haters were always gonna hate, hate, hate, hate. But enough Taylor Swift, let me share WHY I loved it so much.
The highlights at Jamie’s Italian…
1. The bathrooms
What the f**%? It was like a scene out of The Bank Job. I felt like Jason Statham was about to walk in with a bag of stolen cash. The new restaurant was originally the old Westpac building, so the bathrooms downstairs are the old bank vault. Go for the toilets. Stay for the food.
2. The salmon – ($27.95)
Baked salmon with whipped lemony artisanal ricotta, balsamic-roasted veg and a zesty crunchy salad. It was a melt-in-your-mouth experience. It tasted like it was cooked by Jamie himself. I imagined him in an English country garden, picking the root veggies from the dirt, throwing on freshly-cut herbs from the herb patch and baking the fish in an outside wood oven. It was Jamie. And it was awesome.
3. The booth seating
The booths are so comfortable and private (without being private). It’s one of those cafes where there’s so much going on around you that you could easily just sit there and people-watch the whole time. We were waited-on by friendly staff and we didn’t feel like we were being rushed. Even though our reservation was from 5:45 – 7:00pm, I think we left at 7:20pm.
4. The mocktails
Cocktails, mocktails — what’s the difference? Oh, alcohol. Yes, because I was going to the ballet straight after dinner, I didn’t want to stumble into the Festival Theatre, drunk. So I stuck to the mocktails and man were they great! The Ginger Mojito won my heart, but I’m going back for Jamie’s Grown-Up Iced Tea (lightly spiced rum, breakfast tea syrup, lemon juice and peach puree over ice).
Image credit: Jamie’s Italian
5. The service
Our waiter was a guy with long hair and earrings in both ears. He looked like he’d come straight from band practice or uni. But, he knew everything! Every little detail on the special menu was translated for us and if we had any questions (which my mum ALWAYS does) he’d answer them without a worry. He checked on us, made sure we were happy and made it a special experience.
VIBE :: Family, friendly, fun
FOOD :: 5 stars
MOCKTAILS :: 5 stars
COFFEE :: 4 stars
Hayley xx
