Tea with Jamie

I love cooking, and I love a good cooking book. I've got loads by Jamie Oliver. He's definitely one of my favourites, I collect his books and watch all his programmes. So when I heard he'd opened an italian restaurant in town I really wanted to go. I've been making ever so subtle hints ever since it opened. I've got a great husband so he listened to my nagging and took me yesterday for my birthday.

Jamie's Italian Manchester is on King Street in town. It's in an old bank building and it's beautiful inside. Even before we'd eaten anything, I was impressed.



Not the best picture, it was a bit dark. But you get the idea of what it's like.



 

It was really hard to decide what to eat. I wanted to try everything!! In the end me and Dan decided to share starters of a bread basket and baked mushrooms. Dan reckons he doesn't like mushrooms so I thought I was onto a winner there. They were lovely though, baked with cheese and thyme. So nice that Dan forgot he hated mushrooms and I had to fight him off.

My main course was sausage pappardelle and that was gorgeous too. The pasta was lovely and soft, a definite improvement on tesco value spagetti :-)


I was stuffed really after my pasta but I've always had a sweet tooth and I have to have a pudding when I go out. I took ages to decide but in the end I went for jelly and ice cream. It sounds like I've picked something off the kids menu but it wasn't like that at all. It was a proper grown up dessert - raspberry and some kind of fizzy wine (I'm rubbish with wine!) jelly with really creamy vanilla ice cream.

After wanting to go for so long I was a bit worried that it wouldn't live up to expectations but I loved it. I had such a great night. The place was gorgeous, the food was yummy and the atmosphere was great! I've done two of my ten new restaurants now and loved them both. Wonder where I'll try next....