Jamie's Kitchen
Where? Jamie's Kitchen (Oxford CBD, Oxford, England) Map Menu
When? Wednesday March 8, 2017
Who? Me
Food Style? Italian
I've been told by many people that English food is bland. I tried to keep an open mind when coming here but sad to say, this is mostly true. Finding good food seems to be difficult here. Chinese restaurants that I walk by have those gross food warmer trays filled with food cooked 8 hours ago, just simmering nicely for the salmonella smorgasbord special. Fish and chips from this pub in Brixton, London had no salt and even the tartare sauce was lacking in flavour. Steak from Leicester Square was average and I could have done better at home. It was almost inedible until I asked for mustard. And I take exception to not just the quality, but the price as well. Things are quite expensive here. Yum Cha is more expensive dollar-to-dollar than New Zealand! Of course this is not true for all establishments, just the majority of the ones I've tried. With so many celebrated chefs like Nigella and Gordon and Jamie, why is the food scene here so dreary?
Well, as he's lent his name and face to a host of restaurants, I thought I'd check out Jamie's Italian in Oxford CBD. I'm here before the dinner rush, so still eligible for the three course lunch menu special for £13.95
Antipasto
Silky Pâté Bruschetta - Italian chicken-liver pâté, pancetta, vin santo and Parmesan
A very generous serving of pate with some sliced pancetta to add saltiness. The pate is rich and creamy, with a pleasant smooth texture, and the cheese is subtle but adds to the richness. Good start!
Pasta
Oxtail Tagliatelle - Our freshly made pasta with a slow-cooked oxtail & Chianti ragù, topped with aged Parmesan & crispy rosemary
It smells good when it's placed in front of me. Rich and hearty, and a sprinkle of fresh Parmesan on top that starts to melt into the pasta. It's tasty, but perhaps the meat is slightly too salty. Other than that, the balance of flavours is very good - a touch of rosemary for that fresh herb taste, the sauce has plenty of wine and tomato and onion, and a little bit of cracked pepper on top and I'm very pleased. The meat is soft and falls apart nicely and the pasta is smooth and al dente. The portion might be a bit small, but it is quite rich.
Dessert
Tiramisu Pavlova - Coffee-rippled meringue topped with dark chocolate ice cream, smashed hazelnuts and hot chocolate sauce
I might not like coffee but I am a sucker for tiramisu at Italian restaurants. This however is a pavlova, the New Zealand national dessert, except it's been smashed into pieces and used as a base for this dessert. So not a pavlova. In fact it's not even really a tiramisu and doesn't really taste like one. It's not unpleasant but this is definitely the weakest course. The hazelnuts are my favourite thing about this.
So how did Jamie do?
Not too bad actually, this is one of the better meals I've had in England. There was flavour and texture, and it's reasonably priced as well. The only let down was the dessert, but it wasn't inedible, just not a tiramisu...or a pavlova. I would come here again - the prawn linguine sounds promising!