Jamie's Italian Brisbane - Restaurant Review

Once upon a time there was a little arcade in ye olde Brisbane Town, called Rowes Arcade.  And there were boutique shops, and lots of foot traffic through it, and the people were happy.  Then Jamie the Giant Chef came along and shoved in a restaurant bearing his Giant name.  And the people were extra happy!  

Hubby and I toodled along to Jamie's Italian last week to finally get a look at the largest Jamie's in Australia.  And we were happy.  We enjoyed our well-priced, and tasty lunch with friendly staff and a welcoming atmosphere.  It may have been a co-incidence, but the music was pounding as we came in; hubby mentioned to me that we could ask to have it turned down, and lo and behold, before we sat down, the music was at a reasonable level (and we hadn't even asked yet).  

I love this chandelier!  And you can buy Jamie napkins etc. rather than stealing them as used to happen when he first opened in London

Our waitress Mikki explained that she was training our waiter Jannes (fresh from Germany), who seemed like a nice young lad.  I think he found our English a bit hard to understand as we had to explain and point at a few things on the menu.  But they do say Aussies have thick accents:=)

lunchtime drinks Rossini $9.90 and house white $8.00   

Mikki told us the wine list was in the process of being changed so not everything was available.  She steered me in the direction of sparkling with strawberry puree, which was delicious.  Later I followed that up with a glass of House White, or Jamie's Bianco as it is known on the list.  Mr P. had his usual chinotto.

$5.00

This was new to us both; we had never seen it in a can before, and with a foil lid!  I was a wee bit surprised that the waiter hadn't opened and poured it for Mr P.  Same with the bottle of sparkling water ($8) which we had to pour ourselves.  

Clearly, we had to try the famous polenta chips.  These were piping hot and utterly moreish.  We both scoffed them down with gusto.  I thought we should try a few different things, so while hubby chose a main, I ordered several things to share.

polenta chips $9

So delicious you can't stop at one.  I will definitely have to go back for more of these little beauties.  

pasta special linguine w/- pancetta, peas, and fetta  $25    

Mr P. really enjoyed this dish; he said the flavours were really superb and a great combination.  He loved the mouth feel of the pasta itself but he felt that it was just a tad undercooked, even if you were going for al dente.  I tried a piece of the pasta and had to agree that it could have done with a fraction more time in the pan (and I am a fan of al dente - I even like crunchy potatoes). 

 

ricotta bruschetta $12 

crab bruschetta $12

We started our lunch with these, which were fresh and delicious.  I was given a steak knife for mine, which I really needed.  (Oh, and my fork was all bent out of shape.  They gave me another and that was weirdly bent too.  Had an ironman been practising out the back?)  The bread was really hard to get through, which took the enjoyment off just a little for me.  Perhaps a slightly softer crust could be used? Mr P. said his was fine, as he just "chomped right through it".  He IS a huge bread fan it must be said.  I loved the flavours and freshness regardless.

prosciutto w/- melon and buffalo mozzarella  $12.95

This was refreshing and tasty, and just what I needed on a sunny Brisbane afternoon.  Such cheering colours too!  The only tiny note of disharmony was that the pesto was incredibly basil-y.  "Of course you idiot", you are going to say.  "What the heck do you think pesto is made of?"  Yep I get that but it really left a taste of basil in my mouth. 'Nuff said.    

mushroom arancini $13  

The arancini had a strong mushroom flavour which came from the porcini, which I loved.  The sage leaves were a bit soggy and could happily have been left off the plate, I felt.  The one sad note here was that these tasty balls were a wee bit overcooked; just a tad too long in the fryer:=)  I have noticed this as a recent phenomenon around the traps.  Please chefs - don't let your balls turn too brown!

After this, Mr P. and I walked up the hill to the train station, having feasted and stuffed our faces joyfully.  We both felt we had had a fun and tasty lunch.  And I can't wait to go back for more polenta chips.  

I love lights!  and these were fab.  

me, Mikki and Mr P.

237 Edward St., Brisbane
Ph: 07 3144 3000