Jamie's Italian, Sydney CBD

 To celebrate Chris' Birthday I thought we'd take him for an olive oil, lemon zest and food processing loving fiasco at Jamie's Italian (107 Pitt Street, Sydney CBD). I've probably been watching too many episodes of his 15-minute meals but honestly name me a dish where he doesn't use olive oil and lemon zest. 

Don't look so sad Chris,
the food will arrive soon

 As I suffer from lackoftimeawareness-ititis (real disease), we arrived 30 minutes late for our 6:30pm booking (traffic I tell you). When we eventually arrived we felt like royalty as they happily sat the four of us into a neat, tidy booth seat towards the end of the dining area and near the kitchen.

Castello/Messina Beer

 First of all; Messina beer is not gelato beer, just in case the thought came across your mind. Anyhow Andrew and I grab some beers to rehydrate our parched livers. 

Homemade Lemonade & Lime Bitters
made with fresh Lemon & Lime Juice
with Gomme Syrup

 If alcohol doesn't tickle your fancy liver, then this homemade lemonade & lime bitters will certainly do the trick. This tantalizing spritz is sure to make your tastebuds talk and the sugar hit is certain to make your pancreas work over time (sorry I'm half studying at the same time; science and food blogging, it's a new thing ... trust me).  

Antipasti Meat Plank
Cured Meats, Cheeses, Pickles, Salad
(description below)

Cured Meats
San Daniele Prosciutto, Wagyu Bresaola,
Finocchio & Artisanal Mortadella

Crunchy Salad
Shaved Root Veg with Chilli, Lemon & Mint

Pickles
Curly Green Chillies, Green & Gaeta Olives
& Caper Berries

Pecorino with Chilli Jam
on 'Crispy 'Music Bread'

Cheese
Buffalo Mozzarella

 It was pretty hard to get a good photo of the entire board since it pretty much took up the length of the table. With the board held up by twin tomato cans we immediately knew it'd be a special dish. A king's selection of cured meats, cheeses with salad and pickles to make things even more delightful. If a pirate ever forced me to walk the plank then I'd most certainly choose this one please. I'd fall into the sea with meat in one hand and cheese in the other.

 Enough pirates for one day; to the food we go. From the cured meats, the prosciutto and wagyu were of special mention as their smooth, velvety texture simply just melted from the breath of our mouths. The golf balls of buffalo mozzarella made me weep tears of joy and so too the pecorino cheese. The 'music bread' didn't sound quite right and was ordinary to say the least though the rest of the plank was an antipasti delight. Chris was entitled to all the olives since it was his birthday =).

That's not a knife; This is a knife! HHHHaaaaaa-no please don't

Truffle Risotto
Finely Minced Black Truffles with Butter, Parmesan & Nutmeg

 Chris hadn't had the chance to try truffle before so he was super keen on this gooey mess. The risotto was cooked perfectly and there wasn't too much to fault about the dish except Andrew said it tasted like chicken stock. The truffle taste was quite strong and I'm pretty sure there was added truffle oil on top! Wait I got a mad joke hold on ... here it is. I felt like a ... pig, eating this dish of truffles. No? Because pigs find truffles on the ground? Dam it was funnier in my head.

Our Famous Polenta Chips
Crispy Fried with Rosemary & Parmesan

 And famous they sure are! These little treats are more loveable than Mr. Valentine himself and if had a chance to taste these then I'm sure he'd agree as well! A crispy outer coat protects the ever versatile fluffy polenta inside and this is covered with a generous grating of parmesan and some rosemary. 

Burger Italiano
Chargrilled Beef Burger with Melted Fontina Cheese,
Sweet Tomato Salsa, Pickles, Chilli & Crispy Fried Onions

 Let me first of all place a warning for this burger; THIS BURGER SUCKS. I'm not normally that harsh, especially when it comes to my true love; burgers, but boy does this burger really stink. This was the dish I was most looking forward to when arriving here but honestly I don't know what I did wrong to deserve this unpalatable rock =(. The sesame bread was tough as nails and have a good look at the beef patty, as dry as a desert. Maybe my tears could moisten it up. I have a feeling it was just a one off kind of thing but I guess I was just unlucky. Chris and I shared half of the burger each as Patty and Andrew were too scared about the lack of moisture haha.

Crab Spaghetti
with Chilli and Lime ... I think

 I have a gut feeling that they have take this dish off their menu because I couldn't find it on the website. Unfortunately I've forgotten what else was in this pasta ... except crab? Welcome to Bunnybloggers, the home of perfect descriptions. But naa detailed descriptions are overrated, just admire the photo =).

Tagliatelle Bolognese
Ragu of Beef, Pork, Herbs, Chianti & Parmesan with
Crunchy, Herby Breadcrumbs

 Ahhh something a little bit closer to home. It's quite, nearly impossible to go past this delectably sounding dish; a tagliatelle bolognese made with a simmering chianti drugged ragu of beef and pork, combined with herbs and topped with shaved parmesan and herbed breadcrumbs. I literally just got a head spin from thinking about it. Anyhow, the pasta was again cooked to al dente perfection but for some reason the ragu was lacking a lot of flavour and suave. It seemed a little plain ... like Jane and I think I prefer the spag bol I make at home. How confusing is food ...

Honeycomb Cannelloni 3 Ways
- Eggplant & Sun-Dried Tomato
- Pumpkin
- Ricotta & Spinach

 I think everyone's favourite main of the night rested with this coagulation of 3 different flavours of cannelloni. (maybe except Chris, I think he was still obsessing over the truffle risotto). Everything was mushy and stuck together which ended up being half the fun and the flavours were just really enjoyable.

Posh Chips
With Truffle Oil & Parmesan

 These posh chips were fit for royalty and posh spice herself! What? But honestly, when chips and cheese collide it's somewhat of a special occasion, a monumental time in life some might say. These chips in that respect did not disappoint. It was finished off with a healthy splash of truffle oil which made our noses fall off in excitement.

Our Special Tiramisu
Coffee-Flavoured Trifle with Orange Mascarpone
& Chocolate

 We begin dessert with a hefty slice of tiramisu. The coffee soaked sponge cake was pretty intense, even for a tiramisu but it definitely hit all the right spots. Characteristic of one and only Jamie Oliver there the tiramisu is not complete without a fine zesting of orange peel. Classic Jamie.

Creamy Panna Cotta
Lovely Wobbly Panna Cotta served with
Compote of Seasonal Fruits

 Second on our dessert list was the deceptively, astounding creamy panna cotta; and creamy it sure was. Like pudgy penguin, it waddled and wobbled its way into our mouths. It had an exceptionally smooth texture and a wonderfully comforting vanilla bean flavour on the palate. The berry compote was a welcomed addition as well!

Tutti Frutti Lemon Meringue Pie
with Limoncello & Crunchy Pistachio Brittle

 To 'slice' through the sweetness (bahahahahahahahahahah) we had a 'slice' of lemon meringue pie. Seriously wasn't that funny, I'm losing myself in the meringue. Although the meringue was quite grainy, it did feel like a diving mouth first into a puffy cloud. The tartness of the tart (ahhahhahaahahah you still got it) was really balanced and the base wasn't too shabby either.

Happy Birthday Chris!

 Thanks for an awesome night out Chris and I hope you enjoyed your birthday! Jamie's Italian ended up being what I had expected; alright food for a not alright price. Anyhow, I do believe that it's worth a visit for anyone who hasn't been before just to soak up the atmosphere (don't soak up coffee or you'll become a tiramisu...) and to experience the marketability that is Jamie Oliver.

Note: It got really stuffy inside! Just thought I'd let you know...

Bunny Rating-
Category: Dining