Jamie's Italian

It was a cold rainy night in Sydney. I was complaining about the weather until I realised that Perth had raging storms over a few days. Guess things were better for us then. The good luck did not stop there. We decided to drop in at Jamie’s Kitchen and were very discouraged at the sight of the line. (No reservations taken.) Since we we were a group of 3, we managed to get a table quickly as most people were waiting to be seated in pairs. Phewf! Any longer and the boys would have to leave for work!

I was glad especially since it looked really welcoming. It was bustling yet the waiters weren’t flustered or stressed. They were quick yet retained a friendliness.

Hi Andrew! Andrew is Jay’s analyst. He is very smart. He can solve a rubix cube in 1 minute. We call him Stargazer because he enjoys a romantic night out gazing at stars with his gf.

We were hungry so we ordered some bread to make the wait bearable. Yum…..served with olive oil.

Jay ordered the Tuscan wild boar sausage ($22.50) which had strong flavours of fennel that go so well with pork and the like. Its a very Jamie Oliver flavour. I have tried other sausage recipes of his and it tasted similar. The lentils retained its wholeness. I doubt the lentils have been stewed for a long time. Rather, it would have been cooked quickly, easily and simply in Jamie Oliver fashion.

Stargazer ordered the mussel linguine ($22) which was lightly coated in a butter and lemon sauce and cooked with garlic and chilli. Once again, it is very simple in J.O. fashion. Stargazer enjoyed it saying the noodles are particularly good.

I ordered the truffle tagliatelle ($14.50 entree size) just to compare the food with my sister’s Italian restaurant in Singapore. The noodles, like Andrew’s, were exceptional. It was simply tossed in a buttery sauce with nutmeg and a shaving of truffle on top it. I really liked it. I thought the simplicity made the flavour of the truffle stand out. However, I prefer Casa Tartufo’s truffle tagliatelle though Jay prefers J.O.’s!

For the salad side, I ordered the rocket and radicchio salad ($7) with shaved parmesan. The tanginess from the balsamic dressing went beautifully with the fresh rocket leaves and wonderfully bitter radicchio. I love the peppery flavour of rocket leaves!

I thought the food was good and simple. If there was any expectation, it was because of Jamie Oliver. Objectively, for the price we paid, I think we got excellent value. Plus, the service was great and ambience so lively – this is why we go out and eat.