We've seen him on TV plenty of times and I've cooked many of his recipes, so when we were in Aberdeen, Hubby offered to take us to Jamie Oliver's restaurant, Jamie's Italian located on Union Street in the former Esselmont & Macintosh department store. This is Jamie's third Scottish restaurant which opened in February this year.
I fell in love with the interior as soon as I walked in. Contemporary, sleek and cosy at the same time. We were seated downstairs near the bar area, but I did go upstairs to check out the restaurant, they have a counter upstairs showcasing the cured meats. Oh, and do remember to check out the toilets as well - cool retro looking fittings in there.
Bar area
Cured meat galore!
Open kitchen
Family ♥
After we were seated at our table, I was impressed to find that they have prepared some coloring pencils and paper for the kids to keep them occupied while we waited for our food. It certainly is a nice touch, also found out after we paid the bill that the fresh juices that we ordered for the kids were complimentary.
For drinks, I had the non-alcoholic ginger mojito (₤3.50), made from mint, lime, sugar and ginger beer - a wonderfully refreshing drink. Hubby had a bottle of the lovely fruity Liberta (₤4.25), one of Jamie's own-craft brewed lager which is packed with British Bramling Cross hops and floral acacia honey and matured for nearly a month.
Liberta
Fresh orange juice for Baby D
We ordered a few things to share, and told them to bring it whenever it's ready. They were all served at the same time so we had a very busy table, but we do love sharing an Italian meal. The crab and avocado bruschetta (₤6.50) was served on a rustic wooden plank. It looked good and sounded good on paper - grilled sourdough topped with Lunan Bay crab, avocado & Yeo Valley yogurt, with apple matchsticks , chilli, mint, lemon and olive oil. Tastewise it was a little bland for me, technically speaking we should have been able to enjoy the natural sweetness of the crab.
A single bruschetta.. I guess crab's expensive
You can either order individual antipasti or a platter with a selection of antipasti to try. We liked the sound of the items on the "Meat" plank (₤6.85) which came with cured meats (fennel salami, pistachio mortadella, prosciutto, and schiacciata piccante), Italian cheese (buffalo mozzarella with chilli and mint, pecorino and amazing chilli jam), pickles (green chillies, best green olives, Gaeta olives and caper berries), and crunchy salad (shaved carrots and beets with lemon and loads of mint). I enjoyed this, especially the cured meats - a great way to enjoy a little bit of everything on offer.
They serve the plank on top of 2 cans of tomatoes
Hot stuff
We ordered a small portion of wild truffle risotto (₤6.75). This was a rather disappointing dish since it wasn't creamy and rich and we couldn't get any scent/taste of risotto, although there is minced black truffle as well as Parmesan.
Our favorite dish of the evening was the 10-oz 30-day matured prime rib (₤19.50) - bone-in chargrilled beef steak served with wild mushrooms & peppery endives. We also ordered a side of posh chips (₤3.25) ie chips with truffle oil and Parmesan, but again we couldn't detect any truffle oil at all. However, back to the prime rib, beautifully salted, very juicy with some resistance, cooked to medium rare as requested. The kids loved it too.
Verdict: Gorgeous decor, food is decent. Now I can say I've eaten in one of Jamie Oliver's restaurants.
Opening times: Monday - Saturday 12 noon - 11pm; Sunday 12 noon - 10.30pm.
Price: Total bill ₤50.60.
Location: Jamie's Italian, 38 Union Street, Aberdeen, AB10 1GD, Scotland.
Tel: +44 1224 925175
GPS Coordinates: 57.145926,-2.101053
Website: http://www.jamieoliver.com/italian/aberdeen (click for menu)
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