Jamie's Italian

As a food blogger I like to give new restaurants a few weeks to get on their feet before I head in to check them out, I guess I would rather give them an opportunity to iron out any kinks in their operation, and avoid the 'just opened extra special service'. So a few weeks ago I finally headed in to Jamie's Italian to try out one of the most media hyped places in town. I went for lunch with a friend on a Saturday and we were able to grab a seated table with no booking after a ten minute wait. The restaurant is large, airy and has stunning ambiance and decor but it's set up to hold a mass number of patrons, the acoustics aren't amazing (given it's an old bank, understandable) and it's does feel kind of like an upmarket 'chain restaurant'. Notably though that is what this place is, and in all honesty they do it very, very well.

We were seated, given menus and a run down of the specials by a very enthusiastic waitress. We started by ordering two drinks along with a meat plank for two to share. Our drinks were brought out fairly quickly and the meat plank shortly after.  My friend ordered the Perfect Manhattan (a blend of whisky, Martini Rosso and dry vermouth, finished with a dash of bitters and a sour cherry) whilst I went with a non alcoholic Refresher, (a combo of fresh lemon, elderflower cordial and cranberry juice, topped with lemonade). Both drinks were well made, mine was not too sweet, very refreshing and had a real old fashioned lemonade flavour whilst my friend's drink was delicious, having a classic Manhattan flavour with just a slight sweet twist.

The plank was a combination of Italian prosciutto, Wagyu bresaola, finocchio, artisanal mortadella, mini buffalo mozzarella, pecorino and chilli jam, pickles, olives and a crunchy salad. Presented on a long wooden 'plank' standing on two upturned tomato cans it's a visually gorgeous dish. Every element was in just the right proportion to not overpower others and to make this a light, satisfying entree. The meats are freshly sliced to order and every single one was a quality cut, with plenty of flavour. The salad dish was delicious, and had a dressing that complimented the meat and cheeses well. The mini mozzarella was soft, rich creamy whilst the pecorino packed a strong flavour punch that was offset with a crispy light cracker bread and a sweet-hot chilli jam. This is certainly a dish I would order again and recommend people try out, it's a generous serve for price, delicious and a great way to start our meal.

For main's we decided to order two entree sized pastas and a serve of the fancy chips. Our picks for this visit were the lamb and ricotta tortellini (parcels stuffed with braised Aussie lamb, creamy ricotta, lemon, mint and crunchy, herby breadcrumbs) and the sausage pappardelle (slow-braised fennel sausage ragù with red wine, Parmesan and crunchy, herby breadcrumbs). The pasta on bot dishes was cooked well, soft but still with that slight bite/firmness al dente pasta should have. The lamb was juicy and the lemon mint combo cut through the tomato based sauce for a really moreish flavour combination. Plus it was nice to have a lamb pasta dish instead of the usual beef. The sausage ragu was a flavour bomb, a very meaty, robust home style sauce with the perfect undertone of fennel to stop it being heavy. The breadcrumbs were crunchy and added a great textural element.

The Posh chips brought back memories for me, they were what I'd describe as a British style chip. Crunchy but still kind of soft (most people would say soggy but there's a fine balance) these were well seasoned, and the combination of truffle oil and Parmesan was really unique and added depth to something that could be a boring side. Again worth trying for something different, but it was a smaller bucket then expected for the price point.

After seeing all the photos on instagram there was no way we were leaving without dessert, my friend ordered the brownie and I went with the lemon meringue. My friend's dessert consisted of a 'warm fudgy brownie with amaretto ice cream and caramelised amaretti popcorn'.  The brownie was dense, fudgey, chocolate and had that slightly chewy texture that a good brownie should have. The amaretto ice-cream was the perfect pairing to cut through just how rich the brownie was and the the popcorn added a nice crunchy-salty element to this indulgent dish. Certainly a must try at Jamie's if your a dessert fiend like myself.

The lemon meringue pie with limoncello and crunchy pistachio brittle isn;t something I would usually order, but my oh my am I glad I did. A huge slice of pie that had a delicious soft, crumbly crust, a goooey light meringue and a thick, perfectly sweet-sour balanced layer of lemon ensured my meal at Jamie's ended in a bang, This was a more traditional Italian style meringue, so forget your typical Aussie pavlova and instead think marshmallowy and sticky with a very slight crisp on the top. 

So overall verdict? Jamie's was great, we ate a nice meal at an average price point in a stunning building. The service was attentive (maybe a little over the top but friendly and helpful nonetheless) and we didn't experience any hiccups during our visit. I wouldn't call this high end dining, it's mid range Italian with a slightly fancy twist, perfect for family meals or group gatherings. I would certainly re visit, but I would say if your looking for more blow your mind Italian food to check out some of Adelaide's long standing favourites.