Jamie’s Italian, Manchester

I have been a big fan of Jamie Oliver for years. Ever since I first bought his “Jamie’s Dinners” book after watching his TV programmes and realising that I actually wasn’t that bad a cook after all, I have had a great respect for his cooking style and attempts to encourage healthy eating in schools and around the world.

So when my parents suggested we visited the newly opened Jamie’s Italian restaurant in Manchester whilst I was home for a visit, I was excited to say the least.

This particular dining experience starts when you first enter the building – it is just as impressive (if not more so) than the menu itself. Set in an old bank building at the top of King Street, the restaurant has retained the grandeur of the banking establishment with its high ceilings. There are large air dried hams hanging in a row at the charcuterie section when you walk in, and the rows of fine wines, marble counter tops and gold fittings just make it feel elegant and yet never stuffy (most of the waiters wear jeans with their white shirts and ties). The toilets downstairs are also a wonderful experience in themselves (something you would never normally say about a trip to the toilet!) and you can even hire out the old vault room for smaller intimate parties where you can be surrounded by the old safety deposit boxes.

Anyway, enough about the toilets…on to the food. The day we visited, the menu had just changed to represent more seasonal fare for summer. The waiter explained this to us and talked us through the new additions to the menu, which was a nice touch – I get the impression that this isn’t the kind of place where if you questioned the staff about the ingredients they would simply give you a blank stare and tell you they would have to ask the chef.We started with a couple of non-alcoholic cocktails and some delicious bruschetta for two, which comes presented on a wooden plank placed over two tins of Italian tomatoes. The bruschetta was topped with a selection of pea and mint, grilled asparagus, smashed broad beans, mozzarella, spinach and chilli.

I am still dreaming about the bruschetta – it was so creamy and the toppings were definitely the star of the show as opposed to the bread, which I actually prefer.

Then for main course all four of us chose pasta dishes (it seemed rude not to). I went with the Wild Rabbit Tagliolini which described itself as a “slow cooked ragu” – this actually confused me slightly as for some reason I expected ragu to be a meaty sauce, but instead it came with chunks of rabbit meat on top of the pasta. It also had small pieces of pumpkin in it and the sauce was nice and creamy – a result of the mascarpone.

Scott had the Black Angel Spaghetti; a seafood pasta dish consisting of squid ink pasta, scallops, anchovies, capers and chilli. His portion seemed slightly smaller than the rest of ours, perhaps because the ingredients cost more? Either way, it was in a light, fishy broth and I liked the way the scallops were thinly sliced.

My Dad opted for the Sausage Papperdelle (a dish I recognised from Jamie’s Italian cookbook) and had lovely crunchy breadcrumbs on top, whilst my Mum had a new dish for the summer season: Jools’ Favourite Sicilian Tuna Fusili, which had large chunks of fresh tuna in it and the sauce contained cinnamon which is supposed to enhance the flavour of the fish.

Shockingly I actually declined dessert as I was pretty full (it doesn’t happen often) but the two men stepped up to the plate (no pun intended) and ordered the Tiramisu and the Almond Tart with smashed strawberries and vanilla ice cream.

I managed to force down a few mouthfuls of the tiramisu (I wasn’t that full after all) and it was everything I’d expect from a “Jamie” dessert – creamy, light and citrusy. Probably actually one of the best tiramisus I’ve ever had, as I find them sometimes to be too creamy with not enough sponge or with an overwhelming flavour of coffee. I didn’t try the tart, although my Dad seemed to enjoy it (it doesn’t take much though, if I’m honest) although I did notice that the top seemed to be slightly burned. Maybe it was supposed to be like that, but as I didn’t taste it I can’t comment on whether it affected the overall dish.

This is a great restaurant to come for a dining experience which won’t break the bank but which definitely makes you feel as though you are part of something exciting and special. The building alone is worth a visit and the food won’t disappoint, either in taste or value.

If you follow in our foodsteps:

• Jamie’s Italian Manchester is located at 100 King Street, Manchester City Centre
• Take a visit to the toilet, even if just to admire the vault room downstairs!
• Don’t be afraid to ask the waiter/ess questions about the dishes – they are all very knowledgeable about the ingredients and flavour combinations
• If you don’t want a full sit-down meal, bar snacks are available at the front of the restaurant, close to the charcuterie counter