A return to Jamie's Italian - gluten free hit or miss?

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.

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.

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.

Crab with gluten free pasta

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.

Centotre, Edinburgh

Last week I reached out to my twitter followers seeking a recommendation for a good restaurant in Scotland's capital Edinburgh, which could cater for gluten free. I had a few suggestions, but we finally settled on an Italian from @EdinburghFoody called Centotre. It was a fantastic find.

Situated in an old Bank of Scotland, it was an impressive room with high vaulted ceilings and fresh flowers on each table. When I informed the waitress I was gluten free, she returned with an impressive gluten free menu. There was a wide range of dishes I could chose from, which can be quite rare in Italian restaurants. I went for a classic, pepperoni pizza which was fantastic. My girlfriend had one too and couldn't tell the difference between hers and a friend's non-gluten free one. The base was light, soft and crisp round the edges - perfect. They use a 'fior di latte' mozzarella on some of their pizzas which was simply divine and the Italian sausage had a hint of spice. All in all a perfect pizza. Polished off with an ice cream sundae of vanilla ice cream, Amarena cherries, fresh pineapple, toffee brittle and whipped cream, it was a great meal.

Best gluten free Pizza in the UK?

Aramena Ice Cream Sundae

Attentive service and a great atmosphere, I'd definitely recommend Centotre.

Jamie Oliver's Italian, Glasgow

The Jamie Oliver brand is going from strength to strength, I've got his pans, flavour shakers, pestle and mortar, cook books and I even saw Jamie Oliver tomato plants in homebase! There was a question on the TV show Million Pound drop the other night asking which celebrity chef out of Blumenthal, Ramsay and Oliver hadn't won a coveted Michelin star. The answer is of course Jamie Oliver, but that's not what Jamie is about. Jamie's Italian was exactly what the naked chef is all about, great food, great flavours, served in a relaxed atmosphere.

Jamie's empire is expanding rapidly and there are now around 18 restaurants up and down the UK. We went to his Glasgow restaurant in the very impressive old GPO building in George Square. We went around 2.30pm and only had to wait a few minutes for a table. There is a real buzz the moment you walk in and the smells were fantastic. We opted for the seasonal meat antipasti plank to share, which was a selection of seasonal cured meats, Italian cheeses, pickles and a crunchy salad. Highlights were the buffalo mozzarella which was superbly creamy and the curly pickled green chilli's which were packed with heat and flavour. The presentation was stunning, with the plank placed across two large tins of chopped tomatoes!

For main course I went for a special of blood orange, chargrilled artichokes, creamy gorgonzola and toasty pine nuts. This was a great, perfectly balanced salad, the only criticism would be that I was expecting more chunky artichokes where as the waitress claimed these were finely sliced through the salad which meant the flavour was masked. The gorgonzola and blood orange were a fantastic combination. My girlfriend, knowing I'd want to steal a taste, went for the carbonara but with gluten free pasta! All the main pasta dishes are available with gluten free pasta which was as good as any normal pasta. The carbonara was creamy and the smoked pancetta gave it a delicious flavour. All in all Jamie's Italian was fantastic food and at an affordable price, who needs a Michelin star?