Wednesday 27 March 2013

Jamie's Italian, 6000

I was over the moon! I had scored an invitation for opening night at my favourite lisping celebrity chef's newest venture.

A fancied mix of classic and modern furnishings create a cheery ambience

Jamie's Italian is pretty much Mr. Oliver personified. From the food, to service, to the décor, everything echoes Jamie's philosophy, without being "branded" or cheesey.



The space is a playful mingle of old and new-world with splices of Italian bright red, white and green throughout. Retro booths and jade tiling, offset rough-hewn surfaces, hanging food produce, copper mesh lights and a blingy chandelier. A merge of hip and timeless, casual and classic. Warm, jovial and mightily inviting.

"Vegetables" Plank, $10 pp

The food is really like eating from the pages of a Jamie cookbook. We tried two pastas and a chocolate pot dessert. Pastas - rolled on site, cooked al dente and prepared simply- were thoroughly enjoyable. Dessert was lovely too. More bitter than sweet, the chocolate mousse was presented in a coffee cup, complete with cappuccino-top cocoa dusting and caramelized biscotti. Very cute and perfect for sharing. On my second visit I went for the Vegetables Plank which is a serious bargain at $10 pp. Marinated mixed vegetables, pickles, buffalo mozzarella, pecorino and a crunchy root vegetable salad. I followed with an entree size of Tuna Fusilli; 'Jools Favourite', $12. The woman is a nutcase but her taste in carbs ain't bad at all. Curls of al dente pasta in a tomato and flaked tuna sauce. Providing the wow factor were Jamie's trademark herby breadcrumbs. Crunch, crunch, crunch, om, nom, nom.

Entree size Tuna Fusilli; "Jool's Favourite", $12
The most exciting thing about the food is the realistic pricing. Factoring in the CBD location and celebrity endorsement- $9 for expert dessert, and pastas averaging $20 - is awesome. This makes all those "$20 Pasta Special"'s at other eateries look laughable. Competitors will be red-faced and shaking in their boots!

Antipasti board prep
The cocktail and wine list is excellent too. I can still taste that Clic Pinot Grigio in my mouth now -delicious!

The stylish tiled bar, and collared shirt-and-tie staff

In a nutshell, Jamie's Italian speaks rustic, warm, whimsical, contemporary and an emphasis on quality ingredients - much like the man himself. A win for Perth.

Food: 4/5 Simple, fresh food, made on site where possible, skilfully cooked. 
Ambience: 5/5 Warm, welcoming and coolly smart.
Value: 5/5 Antipasti approx $10pp, pastas $11-$30 and magnificent desserts approx $10
Drinks: 5/5 Great range of italian whites and reds, exciting cocktail list

Jamie's Italian on Urbanspoon

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