Jamie's Italian, for a balanced perspective
Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 1:56PM 
“Don’t let facts get in the way of a good story” my Dad has always said, and I have to say I quite agree. It is common practice to take a bit of poetic license when recounting an anecdote, particularly if it will lend comic value.
If you read my last post on The Nut Tree Inn you may see where this is heading. In that post I did not so much exaggerate the truth as leave out certain facts that would have given context to the boyfriend’s mood that day. I did make reference to his efforts to keep me happy in the food department but, since the small window where he showed his frustration provides more humorous material, the reference was fleeting and is likely to have been overlooked. Therefore, I thought it only fair to follow up that post with the details of a meal earlier that weekend; this time the jokes on me.
Another perk of the boyfriend’s job is that he travels a lot overseas and so he also stays in a lot of hotels. As a member of the Intercontinental Hotels group this means he clocks up lots of points towards free accommodation. One of the facts that went unmentioned in Tuesday’s post was that he kindly used one of his free nights to treat me to that weekend away.
Now the boyfriend knows well that I have a one track mind and if I am to be convinced to set foot outside London food will have to be fairly high on the agenda. And he almost always acquiesces to my demands, often going well beyond the call of duty to appease me. Our trip to Jamie’s Italian was such an occasion.
Oxford, the town itself, had not been on the itinerary. Not until I discovered there was a Jamie’s Italian there, which I was keen to try having heard good reviews from friends and family.
“Oxford isn’t an easy place to drive into, honey. We’ll probably have to park out of town and get the bus in.”
“I don’t mind, they probably have a park and ride like Cambridge, don’t they?”
“Won’t it be really busy? It’s a Saturday and we don’t have a booking.”
“They don’t take bookings. If we get there early I think it’ll be fine.”
“OK, but I’m not really that hungry. Can’t we just have a small lunch and then a nice dinner later?”
“I didn’t say it had to be a big lunch, I just really want to try it.”
This was a lie – of course I wanted a big lunch – but it was only 10am at this point and his hunger may well develop by 12.30.
Unfortunately, it didn’t. Nonetheless, with a little maneuvering and manipulation on my part I managed to convince him not only to order 3 dishes more than he’d anticipated, but to agree to dishes primarily of my choosing and to share everything.
First up, smoky scamoza arancini (£4.95); piping hot, deep fried balls of rice stuffed with suitably stringy scamoza cheese, porcini mushrooms and served with a spicy arrabiata for dipping. It got a thumbs up from the boyfriend so that was a good start.
The crispy squid with “really garlicky mayo” (£5.75) didn’t disappoint either, although it might have done if I’d taken the description literally; the mayo was garlicky, but not "really".
For the mid-course (yes that was at my bidding too) we had a small portion of mushroom panzerotti – half-moon shaped pasta filled with brown cap and porcini mushrooms, chilli, ricotta and parmesan (£6.55/£10.35). The boyfriend would have preferred the pumpkin panzerotti with amaretti, but I managed to talk him round on that too.
His choice, and the pick of the two, was a braised rabbit campanelle (£6.55/£10.25). Although it wasn’t quite what we were expecting – we were imagining something heartier – the surprisingly light sauce of mascarpone and lemon, lifted with a generous garnish of fresh herbs, was clear and bright, playing the perfect supporting role in a dish where the meat took centre stage.
Our final dish was a main to share; the bresaola and rainbow beet salad with rocket, fennel, horseradish and parmesan (£11.75). It was the boyfriend’s choice and I’d like to say it was a concession on my part, but in fact we only ended up ordering it because, having eaten the other courses, I conceded that the other dish I’d had my sights on was probably too heavy after all. He’d been saying this all along:
“I don’t really fancy it, to be honest, it sounds quite rich and I’m pretty full…”
Silence.
“… but you can order it if you really want to, honey. I don’t mind, I’ll just have a spoonful.”
Sadly, this dish was not as good as it looks in the photo; the bresaola was good quality, but there were too many leaves and not enough parmesan which meant the flavour of the meat got lost under all the greenery. The beetroot wasn’t particularly complimentary either, mainly because the roasting process lacked imagination – when I roast beetroot I use balsamic vinegar, olive oil and brown sugar, which caramelise deliciously leaving the beetroot with a sweet, sticky finish. What we got was bland, underseasoned, slightly overcooked lumps of beet that were so uninspiring I had forgotten they were a part of the dish until I checked the menu again just now.
Jamie’s Italian is a little pricier than the typical trattoria-style restaurant it aims to replicate, but the ingredients are high quality and the portions are (mostly) generous. The extensive branding and merchandising in the store takes away from the rustic feel that the interior designers were going for, but they do achieve the sense of accessibility, “a place where anyone is welcome and everyone will feel comfortable, no matter how much you spend or how long you stay.”
Jamie’s Italian aims to “create an environment with a "neighbourhood" feel, inspired by the "Italian table" where people relax, share, and enjoy each other's company.” I’m not sure whether the boyfriend felt relaxed or enjoyed my company, but the menu structure was certainly conducive to sharing, which made my job easier.
When we first met sharing starters, let alone mains, was not a part of the boyfriend’s vocabulary. He was doing just fine choosing his dishes and getting on with eating them all by himself. In one of my finer moments that weekend, when I asked whether he’d like to share, he responded fairly:
“I thought sharing was mandatory.”
I trained him well. Poor sod.
Jamie’s Italian, Oxford: 24-26 George St, Oxford, OX1 2AE (and at various other locations); 01865 838 383; www.jamiesitalian.com. No bookings for less than six people.
Mon-Fri: 12-11pm; Sat: 12-11pm; Sun: 12-10.30pm.
Entrees from £3.45 to £8.50 (antipasti and small pastas), Mains from £10.25 to £16.95.
Reader Comments (4)
I think a Jamies Italian is opening up in sydney soon...I hope they have those aranchini balls they look YUM! Actually all of the first 4 things look YUM! Your photos are really good vix!
yum yum yum
I saw that on the website, I thought they already had. Yeah, it was nice although nothing special. Good food at good prices.
I ate at Jamie's Italian with Lizzie Hodder and Anna last year.We loved the atmosphere and the interior decor, and reckoned the standard of food was high- as well as the presentation.
Yes, I agree about the quality of food and the prices are very reasonable too. I found the rustic feel of the interior was lost a bit because of the excessive branding, but otherwise nice.