Lunch at Jamie's Italian: a feedback

A Monday afternoon in August.
smiles at the entrance and 12 tables present
background music, not Italian

been given the menu but no signs of a smile, hardly an eye contact

quick service, order in 5 minutes
Artisan Italian Breads and Tagliatelle Bolognese.
Breads meant to be a starter (it's among the nibbles on the menu) but been given after the Tagliatelle.
I don't know why

food brought over before the drinks ?!?

Food
The Tagliatelle have the lovely idea of tiny bread crumbs instead of Parmesan cheese,
which is actually compulsory, but I have been amazed by the crumbs, so I'll accept it
The Egg pasta is cooked properly but the sauce tastes too much of bay leaves, which is good in itself,
but it is not in the original recipe of Bolognese sauce.
A friend of mine, Giuseppe from Sardinia, during University time, he would do Bolognese sauce with bay leaves. The name Bolognese comes from Bologna, a town in the north of Italy, where this sauce comes from. There is no sight of bay leaves.
Actually, it could be a good idea if was delicate and the taste should remain in the background, not the first thing it pops in your mind.
Also, it urged to me drink a lot while having the Tagliatelle, to wash out the bay leaves taste.

Back to Jamie's, too much bay leave in the sauce, but 7 out of 10 from the plate.

Italian Breads. Not an astonishing presentation, but essential

Selection of white and brown sourdough (from the day before), Grissini, Focaccia and music bread.
Some of the breads come from Jamie's bakery in London and you can tell...
I should not really say anything about the Focaccia....
The olive tapenade was excellent, spicy and lovely
Olive oil was a bit pungent, but this is the commercial olive oil we find in the groceries.
There is really nothing you can do. 6 out of 10


Staff
chefs shouting "Service!", desperate to find a waiter
beards for 3 waiters and 3 overweight (plus me, makes 4, ah ah!)
a waiter, used to be a supervisor for a chain restaurant in the city center, leaning onto tables while taking orders...
a bit disappointed, miles away from Jamie's appearance


This is the lovely Deli...

I was wondering who is going to have all those Prosciutto and Salami, but most of all, when?

In the end

Food 6/10 and 7/10
Service 5/10

It is worth a visit but nothing exceptional from the experience.
hope it helps

New season of Italian Cookery classes starts on 21st September...join in!

Here we are, ready for a new season of Italian cookery classes




This year we begin with a "Pasta and Pizza" theme on 21st September at Manor Farmhouse, on the way to Cromer.

Beautiful country kitchen, stove and ...fresh eggs in case somebody wants some scrambled.

10am to 3pm

Tea and Coffee (Italian) available throughout the session

Aprons and hats are available. Pens and paper are not needed, there is nothing to write.

..but most of all... lunch is included!!!


You will learn how to make egg pasta, how to cook property pasta, how to make an awesome Focaccia and Pizza.

And you will choose your toppings!!


Join in for only £35,00 per person for the day.

The Class is run by Arturo from Tuscany, genuine Italian, with a catering background and a passion for food and teaching.

Sign up @ a.fanciulli@btinternet.com or 07879 408882

Ciao!!

End of Summer treats: a lobster, sea fruits and fried fish

If you had a lunch at Arturo's in Porto Santo Stefano (Italy), during summertime, you would probably end up enjoying this kind of menu

Spaghetti with Lobsters

a fresh lobster, ideally from the sea, linguine, tomato sauce, parsley

Sea fruits salad

calamari, octopus, mussels, clams, shrimps, vinegar, pickles, parsley, sunflower oil 

Anchovies in sour sauce (scaveccio)

anchovies, onion, carrots, rosemary, vinegar, sunflower oil 

recipes to follow.....

Getting ready for the series of cookery classes

The first part of the new series will be focused on Pizza and Pasta.

Do you know the meaning of TRAFILATA AL BRONZO on a packet of Pasta?

Producers use bronze or teflon plates to shape the pasta. Bronze looks more 'precious' even by the sound of it. 

In fact, bronze plates are better for several reasons....

Dinner at Paolo's

In this new section of the site I will tell the experience I had at some places in Norwich that feature Italian dishes.
I start off with a dinner at Paolo's in St. Giles.
A Monday of August, 6.30 pm.
As I get in I am approached by a lovely waitress, without an English or Italian accent, probably from the East Europe, but smiley and kind. The only other waitress has the same features.

6 tables being served, quite environment.

The background music is Italian: Venditti, Raf, Battisti, Vanoni and Morandi among others.

Quickly given the Menu I order in 5 minutes.

The Menu, a bit sticky if I'm honest, has a generous selection of typical Italian dishes. Among others Lasagne, Spaghetti Carbonara, Antipasti and a neverending list of Pizzas.
The Menu is satisfactory.

There is also a board of Specials that comprises Ravioli, Melanzane (aubergines) and Affettati (Prosciutto, Salami...)

Basic selection of Beers like Peroni and Moretti.
Wine list satisfactory with Chianti Classico, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo,Valpolicella, Verdicchio and Pinot Grigio.


I order Calamari fritti, Spaghetti Carbonara, a selection of cheese and sparkling water.
And here they come the problems....

The Calamari are served in 10 minutes with tartare sauce (not home made), tomato, cucumber and rocket.
Fish should not smell fishy when they are cooked, but they do in this case.
The batter is a bit heavy as you can see at first sight, brown color. 4/10

Main course is Spaghetti Carbonara. I wanted to compare the ones I make at the classes with this one.
Smelled of garlic at first I soon realized that it also has a lot of onion.
The thing is ..... in the kitchen one must choose onion or garlic, not both of them.
In the case of Carbonara garlic is not acceptable for the only reason that the recipe requires onion and that excludes garlic.
Moving over, the sauce is a bit too liquid mainly because of the cream, which is like swearing.
But this is the english way. Even if olive oil was among the ingredients, it is not recognizable among all that cream.

The Pancetta is smoked and this is not good, it clashes with the tradition.
The Spaghetti are AL DENTE, after all, and this is reassuring.
In the end, my vote is 5/10

The board, actually a plate, of cheese is made of Taleggio, Brie and Smoked Cheddar Cheese.
This is when I thought I was missing something. Should not have they been all Italian?
4 on 10, I am afraid.

I should have chosen a dessert but I fell over my passion for cheese. This time I got hurt.



Finally
Environment, Music, Menus, Service Pass
Food quality, tradition, Resubmit





Next time I will have the lovely pizza which I already had but carefree....