Say cheese at Jamie’s Italian

I’ve been lamenting the lack of decent pasta options in the city for so long I have to smile every time I pass the newly opened Jamie’s Italian on Pitt Street, where every morning and throughout the day fresh pasta comes magically out of two machines in the window. And not just the noodle-y stuff; frilly shells and rigatoni-esque shapes too.

Inside Jamie's Italian, Pitt Street, Sydney

After many months of anticipation, I was at dinner on the ground level of Jamie’s Italian with an after work Dal Zotto prosecco just the thing to start the evening. Even at an early 6.30pm Wednesday night, we had to have a drink in the bar while waiting before being seated, with queues out the door not much later.

Complimentary bread basket

A quick skim of the menu shows up traditional Italian at extremely reasonable prices: starting with bread and nibbles, antipasti, pasta in two serving sizes, mains and a wealth of side dishes.

I’m not sure it’s possible to not order the pasta, even if everyone starts with a complimentary bread basket with ciabatta and white and rye half slices from Brasserie Bread, rosemary focaccia, a bread stick and a thin, not-quite-as-crunchy-as-it-should-have-been carta di musica thin flatbread.

Creamy mozzarella

With such reasonable pricing, I was more than happy to go the whole three courses plus sides, not to mention the well-priced wine list with a good range under $60. The light and fruity Umani Ronchi Montepulciano D'Abruzzo was reasonably fruity and a good match to all the flavours throughout dinner.

The mozzarella cheese called to me and arrived as a simply torn ball of buffalo mozzarella with a new take on insalata caprese – same white, red and green colours but substituting non-spicy red chilli slivers for tomato and mint for basil.

The mint combined with lemon zest and olive oil really lifted the flavours of the dish while the chilli added interest to the subtly creamy and salty mozzarella, which could easily get boring being such a big serve.

Crispy squid

One of the hot antipasti dishes – and one of the only ones without cheese – was the deep fried squid, served almost tapas style in a terracotta dish with chilli, garlic, lemon and "really garlicky mayo".

The thin and still crunchy batter was a highlight, yet it was still outshone by the most garlicky and tangy mayonnaise/aioli I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting. It was so good that once the just tender squid was finished, we continued dipping pieces of bread into the aioli.

Meat platter

On a per person order, the antipasti boards are ceremoniously placed atop two cans of tomato at the table – a bit gimmicky but cute enough to think it’s something Jamie Oliver might do at home.

Crunchy salad (left), bocconcini (middle) and pecorino with chilli jam (right)

The board features meat, cheese and vegetables, and would make an excellent drinking companion. The ‘Crunchy Salad’ is one of root vegetable slivers; beetroot most noticeably and heavily doused in olive oil.

The cheese is both a bocconcini ball with diced chilli and mint, and a thin slice of pecorino on flat bread with a puddle of chilli jam.

Cured meats and vegetables

There’s a scattering of two olives, a caper berry and a pickled green chilli over the feature meats which I believe are sourced from Quattro Stelle: a lush, melt-on-your-tongue San Daniele prosciutto, wagyu bresaola, fennel salami and capocollo that was declared the best of the lot.

Spaghetti bolognaise (entree size)

The meal started extremely promisingly and as the noise and crowds ramped-up, the attentive waitstaff were still smiley and on the ball amid the rather loud chart-topper pop music, which is an interesting choice. The pasta was the moment we were all awaiting for secondi; some entrée sized and some main sized.

I had expected the spaghetti bolognaise to deviate somewhat from the traditional and it was by no means classic to the Australian palate. Featuring house made al dente spaghetti with a pangrattato bread crumb topping and pecorino shavings, the sauce was inexplicably sweet and lacking a little in moisture. I’m sure Jamie Oliver would have fixed that with half a bottle of olive oil “to finish” but we didn’t.

Crab and squid ink risotto (entrée size)

Dramatic black risotto never fails to impress the eye while here the rice maintained a nice bit of bite. The flavours were fairly restrained though I didn’t try the spanner crab, and the dish was said to be fairly good overall. The entrée size risotto is so generous I’d be a little scared to see a main size.

Mushroom panzerotti (main size)

It’s so refreshing to see a filled pasta dish of reasonable price and decent serving size. Four ravioli are never going to fill anyone with a proper appetite, but this main size panzerotti quite huge – especially considering starters and sides.

The brown sauce of mushrooms was again on the sweet side while the filled "half moon" pasta shapes were simply perfect in texture and obviously freshly made. It was somewhat let down by seasoning (or lack thereof) despite grated pecorino on top, while the pangrattato added a fun crunch to every mouthful.

Bucatini carbonara (main size)

While I know a perfectly decent carbonara sauce is achievable at home, it’s always good to see the professionals do it too.

The hollow tubes of bucatini, or hollow spaghetti, virtually swim in the eggy sauce which is best described as an edible silk. Slinky, smooth, luxurious – this carbonara had it all going on, while the bucatini pasta was much fun to slurp up, elegantly and splash-free, of course.

Posh chips

One Jamie Oliver audience member couldn't resist the "posh chips" dressed with truffle oil and grated parmesan cheese. Hauntingly similar to some at a nearby shopping centre burger outlet, these were not chips of the crispy variety; more the chunky, skin-on variation that took on the posh flavours just as well.

Best humble green salad

Amongst all the cheese and carbs, I had to see some greenery, which arrived covered in cheese. I'm not sure where the "humble" part comes into play, but the mint and lemon buttermilk dressing seemed anything but.

A selection of crisp mixed leaves was actually rather rich and creamy, though still appreciated amid the carb-loading and boozing that was happening.

Bread, wine, starters, pasta main and sides were filling - no surprises there - but for once I wasn't going to leave without dessert. Perhaps it goes back to the affordability or that so many of Jamie Oliver's desserts in his books and television shows look extraordinarily tempting.

Brioche con gelato

I didn't expect mini burgers when I ordered the brioche con gelato dessert; even if they were very cute burgers. Warmed brioche bun halves held together gelato, a lemon marmalade and crushed pistachios, which all together had the very flavours of cassata.

The warmed buns meant the gelato melted quickly and messily, while the bun to gelato ratio swayed heavily towards the former which was a bit much to handle after the numerous courses.

Dessert special: Eton Mess

The evening's dessert special of Eton Mess was a pile of ingredients that each sounded better than the next. To start, the waiter wasn't kidding when he said chewy meringues, as they were the chewiest, teeth-sticking meringue pieces I've ever come across.

Creme fraiche, pistachios and raspberry jam rounded out the mess which was actually quite light, despite appearances. The worn look of the enamel dish was a cute touch although potentially worrying for some mothers.

Creamy panna cotta

The panna cotta was more creamy than wobbly, but luxuriously so. The berry compote played second fiddle very well to the vanilla bean speckled milk pudding, which had a perfect sweetness and texture. It disappeared in less than a minute but stayed on the mind for much longer than that.

The crowd had cleared in the later evening, though the kitchen still seemed to be pumping and having a bit of fun even. Music blared; those that were left were into their food or the pretty impressive fitout; and me - well, all that cheese and fresh pasta meant I just had to smile as I walked past those pasta machines in the window.

P.S. Minor gripe: when paying with a credit card, staff re-print and re-deliver your bill to add on a 0.8% merchant fee. The staff then process your credit card as they stand/squat next to you via mobile EFTPOS terminals and ask and wait as you input a tip amount, which is a little awkward. Would be nice to streamline this process.