Jamie's Italian - Manchester

[sidekickdmr]

Not been to the Manchester one, but been to the Canary wharf, Cardiff, Reading and Newcastle one.

It not "fine dining" going more for the rustic wooden boards and rusty tins look, but i like that.

Food is decent, its nice to go to an italian that isnt all pizza and pasta.

The minuite steam and lamp polipops are good, as is the queen olives on ice.

Mojitos are also good.

[ecs]

They're on par with Harvester. Avoid.

[mcflurry]

If you sign up online before you go they usually have offers and freebies.
We got £10 off the bill and a free sampler whilst the starters were being prepared

[Adz The Rat]

mcflurry said:

If you sign up online before you go they usually have offers and freebies.
We got £10 off the bill and a free sampler whilst the starters were being prepared

Thanks, will check that out tonight

[Shaoxter]

Jamie's Italian is for fking food noobs.

Been dragged there twice, both times with the missus so tried 4 main dishes and quite a few starters, all of them were either bland or too salty. I could make far better pasta/steak/fish at home and I don't even cook.

[Bullett]

Above average for a chain/italian place on the high street.

Good service and good with kids.

[blueg33]

The Cheltenham one is very good, good tasty food well done with excellent service and cheap for what you get.

Downside is that the building is very echoey and gets very noisy when busy so you cant have a quiet chat easily. Not great for going with the girlfriend but ideal with the wife, can't hear her waffling.........

[hornetrider]

Bullett said:

Above average for a chain/italian place on the high street.

Good service and good with kids.

This, but nothing more really. We liked it and its not expensive. So, it is what it is. A nice place to go and eat but not special.

[Legend83]

We went to the St Albans one the other night and won't be going again. It was decent food but just that - decent. Not really any better than Prezzo etc, and not particularly Italian, but probably on average £2-3 more expensive per course.

Our white wine also arrived luke-warm.

[Davey S2]

Average at best.

Check their web site as well. They do a weired offer every month for people called certain names to get their main course for free.

My wife went with a group of friends and one of them said that anyone called Claire had their main course free in August.

Fearing a very obvious stitch up my wife sheepishly asked the waitress if it was true and it was. They change it every month apparently.

[bobbo89]

Went to the one in Leeds in August and enjoyed it. Didnt have anything too fancy, bread and oil to start followed by the Turkey Milanese washed down with an amaretto.

The atmosphere is nice and relaxed and the food is exactly what you'd expect from a chain restaurant. I dont think they sell themselves as anything other than that, its nice but dont expect a gastronomic delight!

[Bonefish Blues]

Cheltenham - decent food, reasonable VFM.
Tip, book and ask to sit upstairs on the Judge's bench.
Tip 2 - join his Gold Club. Bottle of Prosecco foc each birthday. Guess when we go

[blueg33]

Bonefish Blues said:

Cheltenham - decent food, reasonable VFM.
Tip, book and ask to sit upstairs on the Judge's bench.
Tip 2 - join his Gold Club. Bottle of Prosecco foc each birthday. Guess when we go

We got a free mug last time (Mrs B is a member)

Didn't know you could sit upstairs, may try that

Great toilets in the vaulted basement

[Bonefish Blues]

Yes, it's a very sympathetic treatment of a formerly derelict Courthouse.

[Magog]

Have to say when I've been I've always felt the portions were absolutely miserly,and felt rather stung as a consequence. The foods nowhere near good enough for there to be that little of it. To me it has the feel of a chain that's being built up to be spun out to a venture capital firm at some point.

The picture hanging in the Norwich Branch does make me laugh though.

[Soir]

Lovely venue but very average Italian chain

Jamie Oliver is a million miles away from the top end chefs such as Gordon Ramsay

However, make sure you have a look at the vault (it's pretty cool) near the toilets!

My favourite (restaurant, let alone Italian) in Manchester is San Carlo Chichetti (opposite normal San Carlo)

[JQ]

Soir said:

My favourite (restaurant, let alone Italian) in Manchester is San Carlo Chichetti (opposite normal San Carlo)

It's fantastic isn't it.

[bennyboydurham]

Can't even remember what I ate at the Newcastle one a few months back, read from that what you may.

[Soir]

JQ said:

Soir said:

My favourite (restaurant, let alone Italian) in Manchester is San Carlo Chichetti (opposite normal San Carlo)

It's fantastic isn't it.

Yes! There for lunch tomorrow

Try the ferrero Roche (sharing) desert

[Ultuous]

Grandfondo said:

Ultuous said:

Enjoyed the one at Gatwick Airport a while back...

Hardly fine-dining but having paid similar (airport) prices for the usual high-street junk it made a refreshing change to actually enjoy a nice meal with very friendly, attentive service whilst waiting to catch a flight!

It's good for airport grub but very average otherwise!

Indeed... The point remains that compared to paying similar amounts for Whetherpoons/ Frankie & Bennys it was a revelation... Every time I fly from Stansted and have time to grab food with friends/ family I'm slightly disappointed there isn't one!

Magog said:

The picture hanging in the Norwich Branch does make me laugh though.

That's awesome - not seen that before, despite living a 15 minute walk away and that makes the point really: I've never had any inclination to try it as they're fine as a 'reliable' place to go with a group of people/ kids or whatever and have a pleasant enough meal when the focus isn't really on the food, but there's always better independent restaurants in the area IF you've the time to look for them!