Jamie Italian has been around in Singapore for a while now. It has been about four years since it opened its first outlet at VivoCity. Jamie Italian at VivoCity, now helmed by the 32year old Chef Kwek Xiu Rong has long culinary background going back to his family’s tze char stall. He was part of the opening team of Jamie’s Italian since 2013 and has since risen to the Area Head Chef from Junior Sous Chef.
To satisfy every Jamie Oliver fan is the aim of Chef Xiu Rong (also affectionately known as Chef X.R). On our visit to Jamie’s Italian recently, we weren’t disappointed with the new items at Jamie’s Italian and the new Jamie’s Deli.
Jamie’s Deli is a new addition to Jamie’s Italian, introducing a grab-and-go element to the restaurant, serving sandwiches, pizzas, pastas as well as desserts. We tried a couple of them, all of them with vibrant colours that helped to brighten up a weekend brunch.
With such a wide variety of selections, I shall pick a couple that stood out for my friend and I. First off, there is the Big Fat Greek Salad (5.50 / $8.50+ SGD) with Fresh Lettuce, Cucumber, Tomato, Onions, Feta Cheese and Mustard Dressing. This is easily a crowd pleaser salad with fresh vegetables and a sweet, mustard dressing with crumbly, savoury feta cheese thrown into the mix.
Then there is the Italian Hot Pizza (5.50+ SGD) with toppings of crushed tomatoes, mozzarella, hot soppressata (a kind of spicy dry salami) and wild oregano and chilli pepper. If you are used to Singapore level of spiciness, “hot” is an overstatement, but the mild spicy kick is what that makes this more enjoyable than the Margherita Pizza. It accentuates the flavours of the pizza and the tangy, juicy crushed tomatoes were excellent.
Besides the introduction of the new deli concept at Jamie’s Italian, the restaurant also has some new additions to the menu. Once again, the spread too much that it might be overwhelming thus we have narrow down to a few favourites:
Jamie’s Burrata (15.95+ SGD) is a starter of buffalo burrata, cherry tomato salad, basil and extra virgin olive oil. We thought it is the epitome of Jamie’s Italian’s food. Not too complex, well-thought ingredients put together with great effect: simplicity is so under-appreciated nowadays. The starter has a medley of tomato variants, a very good creamy and pudding like burrata and a dash of basil and fragrant extra virgin olive oil. We could polish this up easily if not for the fact that we were quite full. The colours was a great mix of whites, shades of reds and oranges and some greens which makes it aesthetically pleasing to complement the taste (and satisfy Instagram’s appetite)
On to the pastas, my choice is the Porcini Tagliatelle (17.95+ / 26.95+ SGD) which was executed perfectly, it has a tasty creamy wild mushroom sauce, mixed with gremolata, parmesan and a garnish of herby breadcrumbs for extra bite. The pasta’s just right, the porcini was generous and not too salty…it was an enjoyable pasta dish. However, some might find the creamy pasta too heavy, thus you might want to order to share.
If you do order a second plate of pasta, then do consider this VivoCity Jamie's Italian exclusive, the Seafood Risotto (26.95+ SGD) saffron risotto with garlic & shellfish sauce, mixed with squid, mussels, bronze fennel and crispy capers. I had saffron risotto once in Milan (there is even a version with a sheet of gold leaf).
Also known as “Risotto alla Milanese” (above, from Ristorante al Tronco in Milan), this is a luxurious dish that supposedly goes back to the 15th century when saffron was an expensive spice and its colour resembles gold. Jamie’s Italian’s version, now available to not just the rich and wealthy doesn’t cut back from glamour of this dish. It even comes with seafood and its flavours were as rich as the ones I had in Milan.
For the mains, Jamie’s Italian gives an “Italian” twist to the British Fish and Chips with Italian Fish and Chips (29.95+ SGD), a dish of Beer Battered Sustainable Sea Bass, Polenta Chips, Mushy Peas and Tartare Sauce, served with a wedge of lemon. This was pretty good. I am particularly amused by the polenta chips.
We ended our brunch with three desserts: the Pecan Pie, Tiramisu and Epic Chocolate Brownie. Our favourites however are the Pecan Pie (12.95+ SGD) with butterscotch sauce and salted caramel ice cream as well as the Tiramisu (13.95+ SGD): coffee-flavoured sponge with kahlua, orange mascarpone and chocolate shavings. My favourite is the Tiramisu which is pretty well-balanced. The pecan pie’s not bad too.
Jamie's Italian didn't disappoint. The food was pretty good in general and the restaurant at VivoCity is a nice airy and comfortable place to have a meal with friends. There was a children's party going on while we were there and they even had a pasta making session which pretty much sums up the atmosphere here at Jamie's Italian at VivoCity, a lively yet laid-back place with pretty good food.
1 Harbourfront Walk
#1-165-167 VivoCity
Singapore 098585
Thnak You Food News PR for the invitation and hospitality!
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.