Jamie's Italian - Bristol Food Review

Posted on: 2017-12-17

Our rating:

Set in a beautiful building that used to be a bookstore, the features which make it a unique space have been kept and it gives off a welcome vibe as soon as you step into its comfortable surroundings.


There’s something about hot food on a cold, wintry, nearing Christmas day and Jamie’s Italian restaurant on Bristol’s Park Street is just the perfect place to go for some heart-warming grub.

Jamie's Italian

This well-known chain has been in our city for a while now and the interest in it has never dampened; having eaten there just recently with my family, I can totally see why this is a popular choice to dine in.

 

Set in a beautiful building that used to be a bookstore, the features which make it a unique space have been kept and it gives off a welcome vibe as soon as you step into its comfortable surroundings. As a mum, I am always looking for child friendly places to eat lunch and this place was recommended to me – I can honestly say I was definitely not disappointed as my daughter was handed a Jamie’s goodie bag that contained crayons and colouring in items. (Believe you me, it makes all the difference when it comes to keeping your kids distracted so you can sit down for a nice amount of time and eat.)

 

The food selection on offer is famous and delicious and the menu options are vast; people can choose between antipasti (starters), pasta, secondi (mains), pizza, contorni (sides) and desserts. I went for a classic dish – the Sicilian chicken, my husband went for ‘The Jamie’s Italian Burger’ and my six year old daughter chose the margherita pizza. The kids’ menu impressed me and mostly because I saw the word organic several times at first glance; even the ice lollies, coming in two delicious flavours, were sourced this way. All of the kids’ meal options are served with a fresh shake-me salad (a little pot fill of healthy nibbles) and a drink. The kids’ menu also lists how many of your five a day each dish ticks off – a nice little addition for us health conscious parents.

 

The kids’ menu also educates about calories and how much children need and I love the fact that my daughter was reading this and asking questions; Jamie Oliver makes nutrition and diet information fun and is inspiring a young generation to become future chefs. (My daughter has been watching his cookery programmes since she was three years old and she’s adamant that her future lies in a restaurant!!)

 

When the pizza arrived, it was the right amount of crispy and she loved the organic seven-veg sauce with mozzarella; it’s a good sign when your little one can’t finish it all because you can get your take out portion box and there’s an answer for when they are next feeling peckish.

Burger

My husband’s beef burger in a bun (which came with pancetta, balsamic onions, cheese, tomato and the in-house special sauce) made his mouth water just by looking at it and was just the right amount of fuel for lunch on a busy day full of Christmas shopping. It was presented nicely and you don’t mind waiting the required amount of time for your food to be made in order for it to be this tasty.

 

The half a free-range chicken that I was presented with was stuffed with a subtle but influential amount of garlic and the tomato sauce, which included aubergines and olives, was gorgeously thick and rich.

 

We all felt so nicely fed that we didn’t need to turn to desserts but seeing what’s available (baked vanilla cheesecake, vanilla panna cotta, molten chocolate praline pudding etc) I know for a fact that we’ll be making a return visit as soon as we can.

 

The full menu can be seen here.



Article by:

Kelly Jobanputra

Kelly worked as a journalist for the BBC for 12 years before she changed careers and went into the field of marketing. Having worked at BBC 6 Music for several years, she is passionate about many different genres of sound. Her other interests include theatre, comedy, books, food and days out with the family (she has a young daughter who she describes as a "whirlwind of fun.") Kelly is married to Vik who is a true Bristolian to the core! She is also studying nutritional therapy.