Throughout the many years that I've been travelling through Leeds city centre, there's always been one building that has caught my eye. I believe a few years ago it was a solicitors, but the building that now houses Jamie's Italian is really quite unique on Park Row. There are many establishments that line both sides of the street, including banks, bars and coffee shops, but for some reason or another this one has stood out to me. I think it's because it's directly next to a crossing, and the building itself is quite striking and ornate. When it became Jamie's Italian, I wanted to go inside and see what it was like! I'm also a fan of Jamie Oliver's cooking (the man himself, not so much), so naturally was curious to see how it translates to a restaurant menu. So, when I was invited to come down and give the restaurant a review, I was really looking forward to giving it a go.





Upon entry, I was quite impressed with the restaurant. The decor was neutral and fairly simple, although it had a high ornate ceiling and the tiled floor is definitely a nod to the restaurant's Italian roots. I was expecting the "Jamie" brand to be seen pretty much everywhere, and whilst it is certainly visible, it's not as overwhelming as I expected it to be; only as much as other chain restaurants. However, we were seated near a section that had a display of his recipe books, as you can see in the image above. These were for sale at £12 each, which I imagine is the RRP, and not unexpected to see. He has so many, it would have been strange to not see any at all! I liked that there was an open kitchen that allows you to see the team at work, and there was a variety of bread out on display; it gives the restaurant a more personal touch, and it feels less like a chain. As a whole, the feel of the restaurant is not particularly awe-inspiring, but perfectly pleasant and suitable for pretty much all tastes.



If you have been following this blog for a while (or follow me on social media), then you will know that me and Martin are both beer drinkers. With the boom in recent years of excellent beers being widely available, we now partly judge a restaurant on what beers they offer to compliment their dishes; much like you would traditionally have with wine. The beer selection on the menu was looking quite lacking, with only three options, but from that I chose the Libertà; Jamie's Italian own lager, brewed with Bramling Cross hops and flavoured with acacia honey. This turned out to be an excellent choice that worked well with the traditional Italian flavours of the food, and I was quite impressed. Our server saved the day, however, by informing us that they did have a selection of local beers on offer - and we were instantly much happier. Martin chose Leeds Brewery's Midnight Bell, an old favourite - a dark mild flavoured with crystal and chocolate malts. I think it worked quite well with Martin's more hearty choices for his food; at least he certainly had no complaints about it, anyway!





Onto the food! I was spoilt for choice with the starters menu, as there is a very varied selection and I can honestly say that I would have eaten anything from it. It's not often that I can say that! However, to start us off Martin suggested that we get the Artisan Breads to share, as he had eaten at this restaurant before and remembered really enjoying it. This turned out to be a good recommendation, as it was truly delicious. There were five types of bread, ranging from focaccia to sourdough, served with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and an olive tapenade. The tapenade in particular was fantastic, and really helped to bring out the characteristics of each bread. As well as this, we decided to have a starter each too, and Martin's decision was made thanks to the recommendation of our server, who sang the praises of their Pumpkin Risotto. Slow roasted pumpkin with chilli, sage and garlic, with creamy pumpkin risotto and topped with amaretti biscuits, parmesan and crispy sage. Once it arrived, I have to admit that I was quite jealous! With such soft and creamy risotto, the added crunch of the biscuits helped to break that texture up a bit and provide a unique dish. The pumpkin was clear to note as was the added garlic, but personally I didn't pick out the flavours of chilli and sage. My choice was the Crispy Squid, with garlic and lemon mayonnaise, chilli, parsley and fried garlic. The batter on the squid was light yet crispy, and the chilli on this occasion was very noticable both on the plate and in taste! The only thing I wasn't satisfied with was the mayonnaise, which in all honesty was a little bland; it would have been better to have the sharp contrast of lemon with the chilli and garlic, but overall the starter was still very enjoyable.






The main course was what I was really itching to get my teeth into, and having sneaked a look at the menu beforehand I knew exactly what I wanted. The Turkey Milanese kept jumping out at me from the menu, as it is everything that I love; turkey stuffed with prosciutto and provolone, breadcrumbed and topped with a fried egg and black truffle. I expected this to be of a reasonable size, but I got a shock when it arrived; it was huge! The egg passed the test with its runny yolk, so that was a good start. The meat was cooked well, however after a few mouthfuls the dish started to taste really bland. Even with the egg and black truffle, there was little to no flavour at all, and I was honestly contemplating giving up. However, once I made my way more into the middle of the dish, there it was - flavour! The provolone cheese as it turned out was entirely in the middle, and not spread out evenly. I was also disappointed to note that I could not taste the prosciutto at all; in fact I had forgotten it was in the dish in the first place. So, all in all, a disappointing main and I did end up leaving some as the portion was just too big. Martin chose Gennaro's Famous Porchetta; slow cooked pork belly filled with garlic and chilli and herbs, served with roasted root vegetables, spiced apple sauce and salsa verde. The pork belly was tender, rich and much more full of flavour than my turkey was, improved with the addition of the apple sauce; a traditional accompaniment that went down well. However, the root vegetables were undercooked and whilst they had a delicious savoury, herbal quality thanks to the salsa verde, the texture was unpleasant and really let the meal down. For our sides, I had the Polenta Chips and Martin had the Chilli Fries. In hindsight, I wish I hadn't ordered any sides due to the size of my main, and as such I only managed to have a few before handing them over to Martin. These were tasty enough but definitely could have benefitted from some seasoning, which Martin did himself with salt and pepper and noted how it improved them greatly. The fries went down a storm as I expected, and the portion was just the right size to accompany Martin's meal.





After my disappointing main, I was ready to grab a dessert with both hands, and hope that it would rectify the situation! As a result, my choice was a rather comforting option; the Amalfi Lemon Meringue Cheesecake, which couldn't be more comfort food if it tried! This was a mascarpone and lemon cheesecake topped with meringue, served with lemon curd and blackcurrants. This again was another large portion of food, but I was pretty happy with that this time. I don't like a cheesecake to be too strongly flavoured as it can be overwhelming, so the subtle lemon flavour of the "cheese" in this one was very much appreciated. If I liked, I could amp it up a notch by scooping up a little of the lemon curd and blackcurrants, which added a delightfully fruity yet tangy edge. The meringue on top was a little too soft for my personal taste, but hit the right spot in terms of sweetness. With this I also had a shot of Italian Limoncello (not pictured), which rounded off the dessert nicely. Martin went for the Vin Santo Tiramisu, made with Vin Santo, chocolate shavings and orange zest. I neglected to try any of it myself as I don't like tiramisu, but Martin assured me on multiple occasions that it was delicious. Not too intense, and most importantly not too sweet; the bowl was scraped clean in a matter of minutes! With his dessert Martin ordered a Chilli and Blood Orange Margarita; tequila, Triple Sec and lime juice with chilli and blood orange infused sugar syrup. To say that Martin enjoyed this cocktail would be an understatement; he said that it was one of the best he had ever had! Considering that generally Martin is not one for cocktails, that really is saying something. He could have quite happily have sipped his way through several more, but sadly our bank balance didn't allow for that! I was happily surprised that even though this is a chain restaurant, they are still more than capable of creating a unique and pretty special cocktail.



So, overall, what are my thoughts on Jamie's Italian? The food was mostly as I had expected; traditional dishes with a "Jamie" twist, and quite a few I had not seen or heard of before. There were the usual dishes to be seen on the menu too, such as pasta and burgers, so there is something to please everyone - even the most fussy of eaters. It was a shame that the mains were a disappointment, but the other elements of the meal helped to improve this and as a whole, we had an enjoyable evening. Would I go again? Now that I have been and satisfied my curiousity, probably not; and there are so many independent restaurants and eateries in the city centre, I don't think I would need to. For the future, I would like to see the experimental dishes on the menu expanded upon, to really make this restaurant unique and stand out from the crowd. The menu had a good variety of options, but it is lacking that "oomph" that Jamie puts into his meals, such as unusual flavour combinations and use of herbs and spices from around the world. It felt a little too typical "Italian restaurant" to me, and I expected a bit more. That being said, it is still a lovely restaurant and a good, safe choice for Leeds city centre.

Disclaimer: Our meal was partially complimentary, but this does not affect my opinion in any way.