I was recently out wedding dress shopping in Norwich, and of course with that being quite hungry work, we had booked Jamie’s Italian Norwich in the Royal Arcade to refuel at lunch time. I’d never visited this particular restaurant before, although I have eaten at Jamie’s Italian before. If you’re not familiar with this chain, Jamie Oliver founded it in Oxford in 2008. Since then, it has grown to more than 40 restaurants worldwide, with plans to grow! Jamie Oliver has a passion for the Italian way of life and this is reflected in the menu’s authenticity. He has worked closely with friend and mentor, Genaro Contaldo, to add substance to what is now the essence of Jamie’s Italian – tradition combined with current and innovative ideas.
The setting of this restaurant is gorgeous. It’s an art nouveau style which brings a touch of class and elegance to the restaurant. The lighting is just right and the ambience is perfect, albeit a little bit loud when the restaurant starts filling up, but that’s to be expected. It’s a two storey restaurant which seats over 250 people, and is located just outside the Castle Mall shopping centre. This is the perfect spot for anything from a quick midweek lunch, like I had, to a relaxed three course dinner in the evening.
My two aunties and I chose to go for the “Super Lunch” menu which is served Monday to Friday, 12pm-6pm. This menu, while limited, is fantastic and competitively priced – only £10.95 for two courses or £12.95 for three courses. We ordered the Queen Olives and Bread Selection from the main menu as well as the “Pate Bruschetta” from the Super Lunch menu which tasted divine. Personally I would have liked a little bit more balsamic in with the oil.
The bread was wonderfully crisp and complemented the beautifully smooth pate perfectly, and there was just the right amount of it. Sometimes it’s easy to overeat on the starter if there’s too much, but this left just the right amount of room for the next course. I loved the parmesan touch on top which really seemed to set off the whole dish.
I was utterly torn between the main dishes. I just couldn’t decide but as we were in Jamie’s Italian, I decided to go for the Tagliatelle Bolognese, which was brave since I was wearing a white top! I can’t fault this dish either. I had expected it to be a relatively small dish, just because it was off the smaller menu, but it was a full size, in your face, eat me all up if you can size portion. And eat it all up I did. It was so delicious. Bolognese is different wherever you go, but this had a really authentic taste, and was so simple. No extra ingredients to try and make it different, just a great bolognese dish. And you’ve always got to ask for extra parmesan on top.
The drinks were reasonably priced, we only had diet cokes, and the service was fantastic. The waiting staff weren’t over attentive, neither were they lacking which can be quite hard to get right. I hate when they come over to ask you if you’re enjoying your meal when you’ve got a mouthful and you do the awkward chew and nod.
For all 3 of us to eat a two course meal, a couple of extra starters and two drinks each, it only cost £50.95! They were even kind enough to waiver the 95p and said it was on them which was wonderful.
I would highly recommend joining Jamie’s Italian Gold Club too. By joining it means you’ve got access to loads of exclusive offers, seasonal recipes and even a priority booking line, as well as nice little nibbles to tuck in to every time you visit. The best bit is that it costs nothing to join!
Would I eat here again? Honestly, I don’t think I want to eat anywhere else in Norwich now! By the time you’ve got yourself a quick bite, you can have a full course meal and drinks in this relaxed and beautiful atmosphere for basically the same price. Well done Jamie’s Italian Norwich.
Disclosure: I was invited to dine at Jamie’s Italian in return for my honest opinion.