If my lucky number is eight, my current unlucky number seems to be five. Why five? Well because with five people you may have to wait 1 hour and 40 minutes for a table at Jamie’s Italian but with six you can make a booking and with a group of two, you can have a table within about half an hour. My friends had encouraged me to make the booking for six people and just cite one as a no show but I was being good.
But after being told it would be a 15 minute wait or thereabouts on the phone that afternoon, a 30 minute wait by the first person while standing at the queue and then an hour as we put our name down after standing in the queue, I’m slightly regretful.
During the wait period Viggo and Dave got up and ordered us some nibblies while Louise, Mr NQN and I waited at the bar. And it was a good thing that he did because you know that twilight where you’ve been waiting for more than you’ve thought and you get your cranky pants on? Well that was Mr NQN. And somehow we completely missed the order for free bread on the menu although I would think just bringing it for people like in most restaurants might be a good idea.
There is a tray of nibblies brought out to the people waiting in the queue which is a nice gesture but the tray comes back still half full bypassing everyone in the bar waiting. I bump into a friend Ute who says to me “Is it just me or is there no signage for this place?” Oliver is said to pay a visit to his latest outpost some time in February.
Italian Nachos $7
We tried the Italian nachos, crispy deep fried four cheese ravioli blanketed with a thick covering of grated parmesan and “angry’ arrabiata sauce. The ravioli weren’t bad although you couldn’t really tell that there were four cheeses inside and the filling has shrunken leaving mostly an air pocket. The spicy arrabiata sauce is nice and spicy.
Oven dried tomatoes cooked with basil, garlic and creamy ricotta bruschetta $12
The bruschetta, and they all come as pairs, is crispy and crunchy and comes with three different toppings. The first features oven dried cherry tomatoes, basil and garlic and ricotta which is cooling and crunchy and has a good balance of flavours.
Roasted mushrooms grilled and marinated with lemon, thyme and garlic $11
My favourite out of the three bruschetta is the roasted mushrooms that were grilled and marinated with lemon, thyme and garlic as the flavours matched well with the meaty mushrooms.
Spanner crab with chilli, lemon and zest mayo $15
There is a generous amount of crab here and I expected that I would like this best but the crab was quite wet in texture (you can perhaps see the pooling of the liquid in the picture) which made the bread a bit wet too.
It is getting close to one and a half hours and the queue outside has all but disappeared. Dave suggests that we line up again to get a table and figures that we’ll have better luck asking for a “table for three and two but next to each other.” We ask if we can squeeze on a table for four and they see what they can do.
We finally make it upstairs after 1 hour and 40 minutes and by then we know what we want to order having had plenty of time to peruse the menu. The walls are exposed brick, lightly graffiitied with painted metal and wooden chairs and banquettes. There is a downstairs section next to the kitchen which is pumping furiously with testosterone and steam. Our waiter is lovely and accommodating and helps us with the menu selections.
Crispy Squid $12
The crispy squid comes with chopped chilli, parsley and a wedge of lemon. The squid itself is a little tough although we do adore the “really garlicky mayo” which is true to its name-no kissing anyone after that!
Smoky Scamorza Arancini $9.50
The arancini come three to a serve and they are crunchy, smoky golden orbs filled with risotto rice, smoked mozzarella and porcini mushrooms. I quite like the smokiness of these but a nice molten centre of the smoked mozzarella would have been lovely. It is paired with a delicious spicy red capsicum sauce.
Crispy polenta chips $8
These weren’t long sticks of polenta but rather little gnocchi sized portions of polenta deep fried until crispy and topped with fried rosemary. I particularly liked these dipped in the garlicky aioli from the crispy squid.
Creamy mozzarella $16.50
Simple, creamy and milky in the centre, the mozzarella was paired with chilli (which wasn’t hot) , mint and olive oil although a single mozzarella ball wasn’t what a lot of us were expecting.
Bucatini carbonara $12
By the time our mains arrive there are two empty tables for six so we ask to move to one of them as it is a little cramped as we know that we have a lot of food to come. We are told that unfortunately the two tables are booked. One table arrives and the other table remains empty the whole night.
We decided to get a range of pastas in the smaller sizes so that we could try more although each pasta is available in an entree or main size. Now I do like my pasta on the al dente side and dislike overly soft pasta but this one, studded with plenty of bacon is too firm and dry for me. We can see that the pasta is made on the premises (there is a display at the front where we watched a chef making it).
Cuttlefish paccheri $13.50
Again the pasta was firm on this but the cuttlefish was tender. It came with a simple parsley, white wine, caper sauce that reminded me of briney mussels.
Crab and squid ink risotto $15.50
We had heard good things about this risotto but we were a bit disappointed with it. We’d seen picture of it on various blogs and it looked lovely and luscious but tonight it is quite dry and really not very flavoursome at all. I know that squid ink doesn’t lend a strong flavour and neither does crab but all I could taste was the lemon.
Ligurian Fish stew $27
What had to be my favourite dish of the night for balance and flavour and generosity of seafood was the Ligurian fish stew with plenty of fish (responsibly sourced, according to the menu), prawns, mussels and thinly sliced fennel and reminds us of a bouillabaisse with the two slices of crostini topped with wild garlic aioli. The seafood was tender and the flavours were well balanced with a nice spiciness to it.
Veal Saltimbocca $27
There were two thin pounded veal steaks served with a spicy tomato, basil and chilli salsa on top. Although odd is the lack of prosciutto mentioned on the menu. It came more as two veal steaks with some cherry and basil tomatoes on top.
Tuscan wild boar sausages $22.50
The wild boar sausages aren’t made on the premises but I do like the fennel flavour that adds much to them although Dave finds the sausages on the dry side. They are served on a bed of lentils and a salsa rossa piccante which makes the lentils very moreish.
Our special tiramisu $9
Dessert time! We’re actually quite full but of course we have to have dessert. The tiramisu is flavoured with coffee, chocolate and orange mascarpone but is very watery tasting of unsweetened coffee. There is no mention of any alcohol like marsala and there is no taste of it and it’s overall quite disappointing.
The ultimate brownie $8.50
More of a raspberry filled chocolate fondant than a crispy, crackly topped brownie this rich chocolate cake came with a serve of vanilla ice cream with some raspberry in the centre.
Brioche con gelato $9.50
Looking like two mini burgers filled with gelato this was the pick of the desserts. The mini brioche was filled with a lemon marmellata ice cream with pieces of pistachio and lemon in it. It’s not a light dessert by any means but it’s worth its weight in any weight gain 
.
The bill arrives and it is quite reasonable and no doubt this, along with Jamie Oliver’s name, will mean that it will be successful at least while people are curious. And perhaps we’ve come on a bad night as people seem to mostly like it (although some seem to have had the same experience that we did). We unfurl ourselves from our table and walk downstairs and note that once the queues have left you can finally see the sign for Jamie’s Italian.
So tell me Dear Reader, do you like to try celebrity chef restaurants? And if so, which one has impressed you the most?
Jamie’s Italian
107 Pitt Street, Sydney, NSW
Tel: +61 (02) 8240 5000
If you enjoyed this post, why not share it with your friends?
What is NQN up to now? 
NQN on Facebook
RSS
101 Comments | Add your own
Maybe this restaurant follows the “slow food concept”:)
I know what ya mean about being befuddled about the requirement for six for a reservation at some restaurants. At times I feel like just inviting someone off the street to join us just to make that lucky number. Hah!
I find the best celebrity restaurant (if you can call it that) is billy kong in surry hills. Kylie is always there(which is more than can be said for mr. Oliver) and the food is always at a high standard.
I want Italian nachos.
Oh that is disappointing, thank you for saving us the trip. It’s a shame though, as Jamie Oliver’s cookbooks are some of the most reliable I own, pity it seems the same can’t be said about his restaurants.
not sure the waiting policy sounds like it’s working – frustrating! think I’ll wait for my visit
I think you got it spot on with this review. We went a couple of weeks ago – had a lovely night all in all but to be honest if it didn’t have Jamie’s name out front would we have queued or would we have been overly impressed by the food? – a resounding no!
Went to Rick Stein’s Bannisters and thought that overrated too.
However Luke Nyguen’s Red Lantern is one place I could return time and again and never be disappointed.
My family had the recent luck to be in London. We ate at Jamie’s Italian at Covent Garden and was most impressed by the fare. The children’s menu presentation was novel and certainly made the dining experience! We certainly hope to try his Sydney venture just as a comparison!
Nothing annoys me more than the ‘no reservations’ concept. I won’t queue for any place that I can’t book or get a seat as a walk in.
Do as they do in New York; book your table and if you don’t show up on time they give it away to walk-ins. It’s a good system. Just steer clear of the feeding diners three courses in under 55 mins. That’s one trait we don’t need here!
Think
Of all the wonderful
Italian restaurants we have in Oz
Plying a tasty trade
But here it’s the celebrity that gets the punters in
What a shame that is.
BRIOCHE ICECREAM BURGER oh Yum
All sounds like a bit of a let down really.
Also, I don’t care how popular a restaurant is, I refuse to line up outside one like cattle. Slightly humiliating and not my idea of a relaxing meal out.
wow, i wouldn’t wait that long for a meal! if i were to wait 1 hour and 40 minutes, i would expect the meal to be bloody good because of the waiting time, if you get my logic.
I’m afraid I become quite contrary with celebrity chefs and a “big” name on the door is quite likely to put me right off. I agree with the comment by Therese – we have plenty of wonderful Italian restaurants here without falling for celebrity.
Hi Lorraine, spot on for the Wait Experience. We were there as a group of 3 the same night as you (caught my profile in your photo! I’m famous!) and progressed through the same series of ideas as to speeding our way up the queue. We ended up at Rockpool Bar for drinks, Jamie’s pager system in hand, but enen 90min later were still without table. We ended up at Roses in the Strand (thanks to your recent review). We’ll try Jamie’s with six another night. Maybe.
What a shame your wait was so long. I guess I was very lucky to get a lunch service and have no issues with getting a table. I shall keep it in mind the next time I pay a visit.
I do like trying out celebrity chef restaurants. MY favourite one thus far has been David Chang’s Momofuku Seiobo in Sydney! Hands down, no questions asked.
My friends and I quite enjoyed our visit to Jamie’s a few weeks ago. Although we did book so that probably helped.
If you look closely at your picture of a veal saltimbocca the prosciutto is there. A single piece laid lengthwise on top before being cooked.
O well, Im sure it will get better as the chefs settle into there new kitchen. Imagine the queue of tickets in the kitchen to match the queue outside. Still, if they had a reservations policy, even the chefs would have no excuse. Ive never really read a review where you were so negative, you must have been pissed off
Thanks Lorraine. Certainly won’t be waiting for nearly to hours to taste food that seems to be average when there are so many good Italian eateries in this city.
As with comment 7 Red Lantern is a restaurant where I have never been disappointed and so I keep going back.
I agree with Celia that the Jamie Oliver’s cookbooks are really good and very reliable. Sounds like the restaurant has more than a few teething problems. Like others have said I won’t line up, I either need a booking or will go somewhere else if I can’t walk in and get a table straight away. I will do celebrity chef restuarants, and the best has to be Waku Ghin in Singapore, possibly because the man himself came out and had a chat. Love Tetsuya!
Hi Katren-Ahh I see, yes I guess that’s what happens when it gets divided up into five!
Sadly I didn’t get any prosciutto on my piece of veal!
The problem with restaurants owned by celebrity chef is that we used to go waiting for something different, for the best meal, of course we expect a high quality in all dishes.
The other problem is if it is a new one, that’s unavoidable to wait for a table, wait a lot.
And the last thing, the bill, but looks like it was not a problem in this case
The wait is a bummer but the food looks worth it.
I object to queuing for a restaurant for more than a few minutes. It sounds as though they haven’t got their system sorted out yet. Still hanging out at the bar isn’t too bad a way to spend the evening. GG
They seem to be struggling with the masses somewhat. That’s what happens when there’s affordable prices at a still stylish night out – other restaurants should take note.
Hi! It can be very frustrating waiting for a table but it’s important to see it from the perspective of the restaurant too. This trend of ‘no bookings policy’ has only come about because of the odd badly behaved customers (of course I don’t mean ALL customers!)who are late, or have members of their party who are late and won’t order til they arrive or simply never turn up for their booked table. In the meantime the restaurant is turning away lots of other walk in diners.
It’s a shame because it would be so lovely to book at some of the great ‘no bookings’ places for a special occasion
Ooh I was wondering how this would go there. I generally avoid any sort of celebrity endorsement (restaurants, clothing lines, perfume…) but must confess I actually really love Jamie’s Italian here in Cambridge (in part because as beautiful as Cambridge is, it is lacking in wonderful places to eat, but also because I think the food is really rather good for the prices). The queues were similarly ridiculous here at the start, but it’s much better now (and I find if you go on a weeknight or eat slightly earlier/later, there’s barely any wait at all, or you can just sit at the bar until they call you). Definitely love the pasta (the papadelle is always delicious), the bruschetta and the desserts (the chocolate tart with grilled figs is lovely) the best.
Briony xx
I’d never wait that long for a meal, celebrity owned restaurant or not. If reservations cannot be made, (what brilliant fool thought that was a good idea?) it’s off to one of the many fantastic restaurants that gladly take reservations.
Celebrity owned restaurants are not the end all for a memorable meal. Far from it. Many of them fail in no time. It might be wise for JO to nip the long line up problems in the bud, sooner than later. It would also be very wise if he considered treating his customers like human beings, not cattle lined up for the chopping block.
I was also disappointed with Jamie’s. The Pasta was barely cooked, tough, very gluey and heavy. Not at all what I would have expected after watching Jamie’s cooking shows. The dishes lacked flavour, and all were quite average. I will not hurry back!
I went to Jamie’s Italian the other week and found it quite a letdown – entrees nice but hardly spectacular – and the crab risotto was tasteless, like slightly crunchy flecks of cardboard!
That said, I went to Iron Chef Sakai’s restaurant in Tokyo (after reading your brilliant review, I think, thank you!) and absolutely loved it – a heavenly experience!
Two of us tried it for lunch last week, I agree with the signage I was asking passers by if they knew where the place was. I was excited, we got a table straight away but sadly no waiter could stand at our table without having to constantly shift and excuse himself as plates came from the kitchen or the table across the corridor did anything!!
The food was ok but what was disappointing was a waiter that had very little interest in making sure we had a nice lunch and thought it was funny that he couldn’t remember the 3 specials…so incredibly frustrating whilst he shifted weight in front of us and ‘ummed’ and ‘arrred’.
We won’t go again, we can get better service and equal or better food at plenty of other Italian restaurants. What a lot of money making hype!
I’ve only ever tried Jamie’s Italian in London and the menu here looks quite different. I do like trying celebrity restaurants but some are better than others.
What a pity there was such a wait and ho-hum experience. I really just can’t wait that long for food when I go out, talk about cranky-pants! Perhaps they are just struggling with popularity and are too busy to cope? Not an acceptable excuse anyway, but they certainly seem to need some quality control on the pass.
I was so looking forward to going to this place, when we get back home. On second thought, the food looks over priced and to pub like for me…:(
Have you been to Hugos at Manly? I went there on a Friday night with a few girls. You can’t book. When you get there you put your name down and they call you on your mobile when your table is ready. If you don’t answer your phone you automatically go back to the bottom of the list. We didn’t hear the phone ring because it was so noisy in there so after a few bottles of wine at the bar we realised we’d been waiting 2 hours and 20 minutes and had missed three calls. By the time we got to our table I’d had so many sundowners I had double vision and now have no recollection of what I ate. Great review Lorraine – obviously you stayed sober!
I had two friends who went to Jamie’s Italian, and were able to get on the waiting list for a table and with pager in hand went shopping and were buzzed about an hour later. They loved the food and said it was very reasonable for a CBD restaurant with yummy food.
I think like with any restaurants, they can have teething problems and up and down days. Curious to try it myself, if only once
Thanks for the review! Shame about the tiramisu, as there is nothing worse than a meh tiramisu.
Thanks for the honest review. The food does look amazing though. I still really want to try it, hopefully the crowds will die down once everyone has had a try. I am putting together my list of 6 now!
Looks like you ordered up a feast! I’ve been to a couple of Jamie’s Italians here in the UK, and although they are good basic Italian fare, I don’t think the quality of cooking justifies the ridiculous queues. Sounds like there’s the same problem in Sydney which is a shame as this is just the kind of accessible, inexpensive food we should be able to eat on a whim.
I’ve heard the wait has been pretty bad. Def makes me not want to go until its dies down. By then it will probably be passe haha
Shame….. But I couldn’t wait that long to eat. I get bad food grumps and have to eat then, instantly, pronto! After your feedback, if I ever go I’m going as a group of 6 (or booking that way at least..). Thanks for the post
For such a long wait, the food really didn’t look worth it! I just wouldn’t have the patience for that kind of thing.
It’s a shame you had a disappointing experience, must have been an off day
I went with a friend during the soft opening and we loved it. The creamy mozzarella, veal saltimbocca and tiramisu were highlights for us
Re the wait… This may sound precious or egotistical but I refuse to queue at a restaurant. I’d just go elsewhere, I wouldn’t wait over an hour to be seated for dinner.
I’m not a fan of restaurants opened by celebrity chefs who are not there to cook let alone wait in queue. The food does look good and the prices seem very reasonable.
Your post is everything that I think Jamies Italian would be! I have issue with a restaurant which has his name attached, but is owned by a steakhouse chain in Sydney – and he’s never stepped foot in it I believe!
I haven’t tried it yet, and may try it when the hype dies down, but I do have the expectation that it will mostly be average food – nothing special or spectacular at all. I am also concerned about how it seems like everything is covered with cheese…
Thanks for your honest and fair post!
Hi Lorraine..how disappointing you had to wait that long for a table and then have some food that wasn’t quite up to scratch either…Sometimes celebrity chef restaurants can be over rated but I would still like to try one xo
OMG I’m drooling at the photos. Will definately be going here when I’m in Sydney in January. Nice to see the meals are reasonably priced too.
Personally I like booking a table, I/we turn up on time, I won’t wait ages in a queue, I won’t be hurried thru’ a meal, which should be a special experience and I like the owner/head chef to be on the premises! Could not care less how famous he/she is as long as the food is cooked with expertise and love. Tho’ the Jamie’s Italian dishes mostly looked appetizing and were in a good price range, they were obviously not made that way. Living rurally am not up to date with ‘name’ places – would not hurry to Jamie’s or Rick Stein’s, but would love to go to Guillaume’s, Tetsuya’s and Peter Gilmore’s just to see how good the ‘average’ meal there would be.
Thanks so much for this post Lorraine! I had heard about this place for a while… I am not a big fan of JO cooking “Italian” food… he has some “original dishes” up his sleeves, but the majority of them is simply Italian inspired food. And I can tell from the pictures (and your description) that his restaurant in Sydney is no exception. Very few people in Italy even know what aioli is
And all that “shredded” cheese on top of dishes is really not Italian at all… same for the green stuff on carbonara! And I could go on and on… hehehe Sorry… I tend to get a bit sensitive about “true Italian cuisine”… 
And such a long wait is way toooooo much!!!
I like your honest review of the food and the wait! Queueing is so off-putting when you are looking forward to a nice night out. Hopefully Mr Oliver can make some improvements to the process before he visits.
What a shame. So many people sound dissatisfied. Being new to Sydney can NQN or any readers have any sugestions on where to get tasty reasonably priced Italian fare? Any sugestions would be apretiated. x
Hi Julian, in the city there is Pendolino’s or La Rosa. Outside of the CBD La Casa do great home style Sicilian food
I’m always a bit weirded by the idea of a ‘celebrity restaurant.’ I go because the chef *in the kitchen* is talented, not because of the name over the door. We went to Vue de Monde last month and I was so giggly and starstruck to have Shannon Bennett stand over my meal zesting a lime!
I’ve never eaten at any of Jamie’s restaurants, sadly. This looks fantastic. One of the food stylists I know actually KNOWS Jamie Oliver and she has mentioned that he is an absolute sweetheart. Your photos are wonderful, as usual, Lorraine. Sorry I’ve missed so many posts while we were away in Morocco.
I read that their point of difference in line with Jamie’s philosophies, is that it supposed to be reasonably priced. If I had such a disappointing experience, and I would consider this one, I would definitely put it in writing to the restaurant afterwards. I feel that I would still be drawn in by Jamie’s reputation for ethical eating and be supporting – them to a point. I would be drawn in by the name but the food would have to be good. I hope this is just teething problems.
Wow! An hour and forty minutes. Even for Jamie Oliver, I’m not sure I would wait. But the food… I was particularly taken by the fried rosemary garnish on the polenta chips–never seen that before and will definitely use it–fried sage, yes, but rosemary? Yum. All the food was beautifully presented.
I have felt before when in a celebrity restaurant that I was treading lightly over someone’s ego…which shouldn’t be.
Lol, booking two tables, one for 3 people and one for 2 and requesting that they be next to each other? That shouldn’t even be necessary, they should be able to manage the tables better! The food looks good, though not quite worth an hour and a half wait.
I’m sorry that after all that waiting, the experience wasn’t splendiferous! As a Canberran, I’m not at all keen on lining up, but will be doing so tomorrow in Adelaide as the desser cafe Jenni and I want to go to doesn’t take bookings for less than 6 people. I hope our night is tastier than yours!
Thanks for a great review – food looks great, but worth the wait? Don’t know if I’d be prepared to hang around for that long…
I’m about to try out Jamie’s Italian for my birthday dinner tonight! Here’s hoping that I wouldn’t have to wait as long as you did!!!!
I’m really keen to go to here but I think await of nearly 2 hours is just too long – esp when you start snacking at the bar. Finally getting a table would qualify as a 2nd dinner surely? And this new “no booking” trend for small groups – urgh!
The most disappointing meal I’ve had in a LONG time >:(
Thrilled to be #45, whilst a professional like Manu, #46, had his say, slightly differently, but in a way with which I could associate, whilst not being able to enunciate. By the bye, I have most of JO’s cookery books and oft use them. Being a medico/nutritionist I also greatly appreciate what he has tried to do towards healthier nutrition. Perchance one can spread one’s wings too wide . . .?
It’s always hard to be overly positive about a place, even if you had a great meal, if the wait was long. Sounds like they could manage people a little better?
Just as well I decided not to try my luck here when I had my short weekend trip, don’t think I could wait so long! 
Despite that, some of the food does look lovely (those polenta chips!) and I do like the slight creative take on some of the dishes!
Absolutely spot on review and thanks for keeping it real!
I love eating out (and cooking), but I actually haven’t cooked in about a month – not even made a sandwich
Apart from the wait, the issue I had is the food was underwhelming.
There is nothing I hate more than going somewhere (let alone to a celebrity chef’s place) and getting food of a similar or lesser standard than I am able to make.
I guess I am a better cook than most of my friends (maybe I just care more?), but yeah, ordinary food from a restaurant no matter what the standard is my pet hate!
To be honest I wasn’t a fan of any of Jamie’s establishments in London. They are so overhyped, the food is average (some amazing dishes but lots of misses as well) and usually very expensive. But you’re right, with his name on the door, it’s going to always have business. The little gelato brioche burgers look so cute and delicious though
Aw….sorry about the disappointing meal! The food looks wonderful, but a long wait will set anyone off for a bad start. Seems like everyone/thing here was frazzled.
That’s disappointing that you didn’t have a great experience. I don’t think I could have waited that long!
I haven’t really been to many celebrity chef’s restaurants but I did really enjoy Red Lantern at Surry Hills.
Thanks for the tips… Ill be going when the hype wears off and will be sure to find 5 friends to enjoy the experience with.
—The “three bruschetta is the roasted mushrooms” looks devine. Everything does. Did you say wild Boar? Oh, My.
Yes. I would definitely go to celebrities restaurantes. & I’d love to catch a glimse of Jamie…So Cute. Xx
Food looks good, but reading your post and readers’ comments were actually fun. I like to check out new restaurants and popular ones, but I became too lazy to wait for a table…hehee
The idea was to provide high-end food for a low-end price. Crispy Squid for $12… Perfect.
I went here on the second night it was open and I really enjoyed it, so I’m a bit surprised at your experience. We were a table of 2 though, and we came at around 6pm.
We ordered the cured meat platter and thought it was really well presented and all the meats and vegetables were delicious.
We both had risotto – the husband had the squid ink one that you had and I’ve got to say I wasn’t enamoured with it either. I had the truffle risotto which was far superior.
I thought the service was efficient and friendly. I think it does help to dine early.
Once the hoopla dies down it will be easier to get a seat no doubt.
I love Jamie’s passion and love for food, it’s early days yet, give the guy a chance.
I’ve waited the exact time for Toko’s and who’s ‘famous’ there?
It’s not original Italian but neither is he! He cooks from the heart and that’s the number one rule in Italian cuisine. Perhaps when he graces the floor in February things will improve. I’ll wait until then and then cast my vote.
But Matilda, it should still work without him. He has said that they’re set up so they do just that
Ooops… Matilda… sorry to disagree, but “cooking from the heart” doesn’t make a dish Italian. And there are “rules” in Italian cuisine, like in all cuisines. If he is not Italian and the food is not original Italian… why call the restaurant Jamie’s Italian?? Isn’t that misleading? I guess that’s why I never eat at Italian restaurants…
And this comment has nothing to do with the “quality” or taste of the food… which I haven’t tasted… but being Italian, I can tell what is real Italian food and what isn’t… and what I read isn’t Italian. 
PS: Lorraine, sorry for blabbering again!
How disappointing. Most of the reviews have been rather hit and miss. Friends and I tried to book a table but they seem to be booked out for most of the year. Very frustrating. I love Jamie’s cooking, big fan of his recipes. I really hope it improves. Think he better come down and whip them into shape!
I have been to Jaime’s Italian in both London and Dubai and I view it as more of a family casual dining experience with well prepared tasty food and a good kids menu. perhaps the sydney venue is trying to be a bit more upmarket and not quite hitting the target. I hope they hit their straps when the initial fervour dies down.
I have tried many of the pasta dishes at Jamie’s Italian in London and the carbonara was the only one that seemed to have under cooked pasta I’m starting to think they cook it like that on purpose but no one likes under cooked pasta!
I do want to try Jamie’s but no rush. The food looks good and I will wait till I get a group of 6 together.
The best ‘celebrity’ restaurant I have been to is WD-50, where the chef, Wylie Dufresne is usually at the pass. He is a delightful guy.
With a name like Jamie Oliver endorsing it has huge expectation to deliver on. The question is how many times do go before never returning? Surely they need to be on form every night?
Only celeb place I have been to is Dan Hong at Ms Gs and Peter Doyle at est, not sure they count as celeb though. I personally would prefer it if the celeb actually cooks at the restaurant otherwise I feel a bit short changed.
Love Jamies books though and his ministry of food work has my support.
Lorraine
Hope you werent offended by my comment. It wasnt intended to be offensive in any way. I see that you didnt moderate it. OOps sorry
Aww man! I wish we had this place here in Melb!! I adore JO
the food all looks amazing!!!! My goodness. Shame about a lot of it being a bit of a letdown (especially after such a wait!). But lucky for that dreamy-looking fish stew! Now where’s my dinner…. 
Heidi xo
Picture 1 – that’s what you call a light fitting!
What happens if you have less than 5 friends? You always have to wait?
Hopefully they will notice your review and fix this up.
I also tried to find the menu on the website. It’s so hidden! Took me 10 minutes to find it…or perhaps I am not too tech savvy.
I d love to try out the crab and squid ink risotto. The prices sound quite reasonable.
Nothing on earth short of famine would get me to queue for any food of any kind. Especially not food I could pretty much do at home. Living in Canberra, I have not been to too many ‘celebrity chef’ restaurants, but I am a big Frank Camorra and MoVida fan and can happily say I have dined there
Thank you though Mr & Mrs NQN for the wait that brought us this informative and entertaining post 
It’s rather galling when you wait for ages for a table and end up with really off food. I just hope you don’t go through the same experience there twice!
Tetsuyu’s lives up to his great reputation and Luke Nguyen’s Red Lantern is always delicious. Christine Mansfield’s Universal is another good one where she is always in the kitchen and Bistro Moncur is great and you can always get a table very early…I love Jamie’s addictive enthusiam but am often disspointed in his recipes and his cooking times are always wrong!
I’ve read mixed reviews on this place too, it certainly looks tasty but not as ‘special’ as what I was expecting.
I absolutely refuse to queue for any restaurant no matter how good or who is running it! I make it a point to arrive very early or late in order to avoid eating at the same time as everyone else, we are not lemmings! I will try this place eventually just to see what the fuss is about but $16.50 for herb sprinkled mozzarella is a bit over the top! Was it really good?
They must have forgotten the prosciutto in the veal saltimbocca, it is a must. Otherwise you just don’t call it that. I love Jamie, but sounds like it wasn’t a great night. Maybe they were overwhelmed by the croed…?
I’ve been to several Jamie’s Italian in the UK and I think the food is decent. Sorry to hear about the queue. I don’t think I have the patience.
My favourite celebrity restaurant thus far is Gordon Ramsay’s Maze; and I am dying to go to Dinner by Heston Blumenthal.
Point taken Lorraine and Manu. By the way Manu, I am Italian and do know that the recipes are not 100% Italian but are Jamie’s take on them. Show me a chef who doesn’t tweak recipes and make them his own!
In response to YaYa, if it’s Buffalo Mozzarella then it justifies the price.
ahh at least you didn’t have to wait as long as I did!! 2hrs
have to agree with the squid ink risotto (been back – with a booking and tried this dish and it lacked flavour.. same goes for the truffle risotto) & the ultimate brownie (described perfectly! more like a raspberry center fondant!)
Interesting you fell foul of the ‘no booking’ thing! We have one of these where I live (Brighton, England) and it is the same and a pain. My husband is disabled and thus we don’t do queuing (otherwise we’d have a fun evening at A&E), so just showing up and hoping for the best just doesn’t work for us. The first time we went I rang ahead and explained all this, but we still weren’t allowed to book.
However we have been several times, and once you get inside the service is great and the food generally good (although I didn’t rave over the ‘nachos’ either).
Hmmm, It really doesn’t sound like an experience I would pay to have…
Oh, we have a Jamie’s Italian in Birmingham! There are always queues outside. I’d like to try it I think.
I’ve eaten at Jamie’s Italian in Covent Garden/Soho and I have to say I was a little underwhelmed, maybe this is a trend? I have eaten at some other great “chef” restaurants….Neil Perry’s Spice Temple is fantastic, as is Frank Camorra’s Movida and George Columbaris’ Hellenic Republic. I wouldn’t go back again though just for the “chef” element, they have to be fantastic!
I had a similar experience to you Lorraine. Told whilst in the queue the wait would be 45 minutes but by the time we got to the door it had gone up to an hour and fifteen minutes.
Food was pretty average and my friend had to send back his lamb because it was dry and over cooked. The complimentary bread only arrived after I reminded the waitress (and we already had our starters). Service was friendly but a bit lacking. Would not return in a hurry!
I HATE waiting for food!! and then for it not to live up to expectations is doubly disappointing
I do like the look of the desert ‘burgers’ though
sounds like you should have tried to book a table for six as your friends suggested. i think i’ll have to try the Ligurian Fish stew next time. sounds good. my tiramisu definitely had alcohol in it. that’s very strange that yours didn’t. i’m so glad i popped in for lunch on the first day which was pretty empty. now it seems a very popular place.
Too bad for the food and all!
Thanks for this great review though! Too bad it wasn’t up to your expectations! And to wait that long outside!
I love Jamie’s recipes a lot, have all of his books but never went to a restaurant of his!
Great review! I’m about to write one myself
Post a Comment