As I've posted before I'm a big fan of Jamie's and I'm particularly enjoying his new Superfood book. You know you're always going to get straightforward recipes packed with flavour and for me I carry that expectation to his restaurants.
I originally reviewed Jamie's Italian back in 2011 and thought it got off to a great start. However,
a blip in 2013 caused by a diner taking the chain to court left a sour taste in many coeliacs mouths when the chain pulled their gluten free pasta options. Without the pasta option, I remember one visit where I was left eating a sorry looking burger without a bun at an astronomical cost.
Fast forward to autumn 2015 and I was invited back to the
Jamie's Italian in Norwich with reassurances that gluten free pasta was back and that the chain had focussed on creating even more gluten free options. The
menu on the website was promising, it now had a specific allergen filter and there were certainly more options than I'd noticed previously. Unfortunately, the hard work that's gone into creating the online menu just doesn't seem to translate into their restaurant experience. My server enthusiastically talked about the gluten free pasta options and that they could possibly modify other dishes but that was it. I'm left guessing as to which ones could and couldn't be modified, using my own knowledge of ingredients to try and guess and trying to look on the website to see what I'd found previously. When it came to ordering there even seemed to be a mismatch between the website and what our server thought. I chose the spinach and ricotta croquettes because I thought this was an unusual dish to be gluten free. It's specifically stated as gluten free on the website but my server thought otherwise. Even if it was, she thought it might be fried in the same fryer as other gluten containing produce so either way it was a no go. Not a great start. When it comes to allergens, diners are looking for a seamless experience, anything else leaves you with a constant nervousness which detracts from the excitement of eating out.
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Pork scratchings will chilli, fennel and apple sauce |
Thankfully when we did agree on some starters they hit the usual flavour highs expected. We ordered the meat plank to share and the quality of the cured meats was the real stand-out. Antipasti is common place on menus up and down the country these days but it's rare that you find places using quality ingredients. Again, disappointingly the Manchego was brought on a cracker which I couldn't eat. When prompted the server offered to bring us some without the cracker but it really shouldn't have needed us to ask. Problems continued when we were informed the slaw on the plank contained gluten in the dressing so I was to avoid this too. We also shared pork scratchings which were some of the best I've ever eaten. Powdered with chilli and fennel and served with an apple sauce they were deliciously moreish.
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Cured meat plank |
With pasta back on the menu I was determined to give it a try. I went for a fresh crab dish served with capers, chilli, fennel and anchovies. I was pleased to see it come out with a brown pasta (so often the gluten free pasta is the same from chain to chain) but it was sadly overcooked. It was a real shame as the combination of flavours in the sauce and with the crab was spot on. The pasta however, just fell apart on my fork. It hit the flavour expectations of a Jamie inspired dish but the execution was sadly lacking. My wife had the Chicken Cacciatore which again received plaudits for flavour. Beautifully grilled and succulent piece of chicken with a rich sauce full of the heady flavours of Italy. Bizarrely though, the decision to serve it on the garlic bread rather than next to it meant that the bread was a soggy mess by the time you got to it.
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Crab with gluten free pasta |
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Chicken Cacciatore |
So an overall mixed experience. The flavours and quality of ingredients give you a lot to get excited about but sadly there's still work to be done for those dining with allergens. With so many competitors getting it right (Cote Brasserie for mid-market diners, Pizza Express for Italian) it baffles me that with the resources behind Jamie's Italian, it's still not quite hitting the mark.
I was really interested to read this review as I've been wondering whether Jamie's had finally upped their game.
ReplyDeleteSo I'm saddened to see the answer is not really. Although some of the dishes look delicious (pork scratchings in particular) it seems there are some major failings. Still.
All restaurants are required by law to supply upon request a list of allergens in their dishes. I'm amazed that - having been sued once before over serving allergen containing food to an allergic diner - that a) they sent the platter to your table with a cracker on it (suggests zero thought by both kitchen and wait staff to stop this at the pass) and b) they were not able to provide you with an allergy guide / table while you were selecting what to choose from the menu and had instead to rely on the waitress' knowledge.
Not sure if you've passed this feedback on to Jamie's but I really think they need to look at their processes and training programme on looking after diners with allergies.
Thanks for commenting Mrs D - I've passed my feedback on to Jamie's. It's a real shame it's still not a complete experience for gluten free diners. Fingers crossed they continue to make improvements.
ReplyDeleteI have had similar issues with Jamie's in Glasgow - they don't provide an allergen menu, so you have to rely on a semi-informed member of waitstaff. The pasta is consistently overcooked here too! I've stopped eating there - too much hassle for mediocre food. - @GFTracy
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