On a Friday a couple of months or so ago, I took my fussy mum to try out Jamie’s Italian. I had been with my friend Mia, her husband and burger boy the first time and was impressed with the quality service, food and price.
My second visit was a spontaneous one. I had been in heels all day (to match my Friday outfit) and was keen to show my mum around town with as little movement as possible. Jamie’s Italian was perfect as I was looking to take mum out to somewhere relatively new (which Jamie was at the time) with a Friday night vibe.
The queue wasn’t too bad at 5:45pm…
As we were waiting, a waitress came around offering us antipasti and letting us know that it was a 2-hour wait. Got to give it to them, not a bad approach offering food before letting everyone know the not so great news – most people took it well and stayed in line. The girls in front of us weren’t too happy and went elsewhere. It took us about 15 minutes to get to the front of the line where we were told for a table outside it was a 5 minute wait, a table inside was 2 hours – it was an absolute no brainer, outside table it was (it was a nice night)!!
We were given a buzzer and queued up to order drinks at the bar. We waited about 15 minutes at Jamie’s bar to order our drinks but it felt more like 5 as our table was ready just after we were served our drinks (good strategy Jamie!).
I had a Bellini ($9.50) and my mum had a pint of Feral White…
I had the crispy stuffed risotto balls ($9.50) last time and loved them so we went them again…
Just like last time, the risotto balls were cheesy soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside and tasted great with the chilli salsa which had a good kick.
I love sharing dishes – best way to try everything! Mum was keen on trying the Spaghetti Vongole to see how her interpretation of Jamie Oliver’s recipe compared and I chose the cannelloni three ways.
Mum’s Spaghetti Vongole main ($24.50) was a combination of steamed sweet cockles, garlic, chilli, white wine, parsley, butter and lemon. She thought hers was better
This is my Cannelloni three ways, what an innovative and easy way to eat cannelloni! This dish was featured in my July & August Top 5 Perth Eats.
We couldn’t fit dessert unless you count my Amalfi Punch ($15.50) which again was just as amazing as my first time. If you love sweet cocktails you’ll love this cocktail which is a mix of Vodka, limoncello, strawberry purée, a squeeze of lemon and finished with pink peppercorns. For those of you who don’t like limoncello like me, it isn’t too overpowering.
The service was attentive, friendly and service was super quick. Exactly as per my first visit – Jamie’s staff know their menu inside and out. The customer service is fantastic, I always walk out feeling like I’ve made a new friend because the staff are so engaging and lovely.
Here’s some of the dishes we tried when we visited Jamie’s last time…
This bruschetta entree had a beautiful fresh basil flavour which complimented the cool buffalo mozzarella well…
This was my Sausage Pappardelle ($12 entree size, $18 main) which was served with slow-braised fennel sausage ragu with red wine. I’m not a fan of the crunchy herby breadcrumbs which topped this dish and didn’t find the flavours too exciting.
Our friends Mia & Liam loved this tasty Salumi, Cherry and Pomegranate Salad ($14.50) which was topped with a sticky balsamic glaze…
For dessert last time, I had three scoops of Serendipity ice-cream. I had a scoop of salted caramel, peanut butter and fig & vin santo served with smashed honeycomb and butterscotch sauce ($8) on top…
I was pretty happy when I realised Serendipity was the same brand that our Crust Gourmet Pizza Bar stocks. Ever since my Jamie’s Italian visit, I’ve been adding honeycomb and butterscotch sauce to my salted caramel and peanut butter disaster ice-creams
Our friends had the Affogato ($6) served with biscotti…
burger boy’s warm chocolate, raspberry and amaretto brownie ($9) served with vanilla ice-cream hit both our spots
I like that Jamie’s Italian dining setting also caters for singles or those travelling to Perth for work, you can comfortably eat on your own at the back bar…
The reviews for Jamie’s Italian is mixed with some diners loving it and others thinking the food is fairly average. I personally think there needs to be more places like Jamie’s with meals under $30 in Perth! The food is good but not AMAZING, however for the price and service I’d go back there in a flash. Plus, I hear from everyone with kids that Jamie’s is family / child friendly and accommodates for allergies.
