No one has pulled off personal branding quite so well as Jamie Oliver, who has managed to make a vast sum of money without being accused of “selling out” or of not being a “proper Cockney bloke”. Grayson Perry described Jamie Oliver as “the God of Class Mobility” and looking around this restaurant, I can see why. There are people from all walks of life, looking to eat comfort food that they couldn’t make at home. Personally, I probably wouldn’t say there was a particularly authentic “Italian” ambiance but it is very welcoming, as well as not being claustrophobic despite being situated underground. My only issues are that there is no partition wall between the pizzeria and restaurant, and they should really change the door — customers leave through a fire exit. Those who are looking to have a romantic supper might find the tiny dining area too exposed for comfort.
However, the cosy, relaxed atmosphere, with soft booth seating at the back for larger groups, makes for an enjoyable evening. As antipasti we had olives (£2) — bright green, juicy Sicilian and purplish-brown Niçoises, which complemented each other brilliantly. Since there is nothing more unforgivable than a poor quality olive plate, we were off to a good start. We drank ‘tap water’ which was delivered without the usual snideness or roll of the eyes. The waitress was always near at hand, and the swift service was probably more due to the relative emptiness of the restaurant (it was a weekday) and small size of the room than wanting to shoo us out.
I opted for the ‘Oxford Hot’, the pizza with chillies (normally £10), while my friend ordered the ‘Funghi’, mushrooms with tarragon (normally £9). For an extra £1 per topping you could add more, but we had come for the £5 meal deal, and were content enough with the combinations on offer. The menu is short, but not limited and the offerings seem modern, but traditional and tasty enough to not be intimidating.
The ‘Oxford Hot’ had fresh chillies in abundance, but luckily they didn’t overpower the other ingredients; salty salami and fennel. The pizza crust was too dry for my liking, but it had just the right amount of sauce and topping to keep it moist and not too much so that it flopped and slid off when you held it with your fingers. As for the spiciness, the pizza was true to its title, with a juicy, meaty flavour simmering from the salami. My friend’s ‘Funghi’ pizza had thick mushroom paste as a base, fresh tarragon, and whole, bite-sized mushrooms. Superb.
To round off our meal, we shared an affogato (£4), which is a shot of espresso poured over a scoop of honeycomb ice cream. The cloying creaminess countered the bitterness of the coffee, and provided for a lovely post-meal cleansing of the palate. This restaurant was the first of Jamie’s Italian restaurants in the UK, and it does very well for itself. altogether it was a good-but-not-great experience. The flavour combinations were interesting enough and the service was irreproachable, but without the pizza deal we got it definitely is not as cheap, and it’s not
great value either. The deal runs until the 30th November, and, to be honest, I can’t really see myself going back after it’s over, it’s just too expensive.
The whole package is basically the Jamie Oliver: brand on a plate — it’s not bad, just not particularly daring. This is safe food in a safe ambiance but there is nothing that will really push a true gourmand out of their comfort zone. All in all, a nice evening out, but not one to write home about.
