Have you been to Jamie’s Italian? I’ve been to the one in Leeds and I liked it. I thought it had a bit of glamour. Certainly not provincial. It’s a spacey, high-ceilinged place with plaster missing to reveal weathered brickwork and the toilets are flash. The staff were great, they loved working there. The food was really good and there was a buzz about it.
I had a look at the new Nottingham one on Saturday. I didn’t eat anything so no comment on the food except to say that it looked great. Great staff too if Sarah who showed us around is anything to go by.
My friend ate there. She says it’s fantastic and oozes character. It’s definitely somewhere people are going to have a great time, when the party’s on or when it’s one -to-one. It’s probably just what we need.
And the interior is .. erm .. striking. If the Leeds Jamie’s Italian can have you thinking New York. Little Italy maybe. Nottingham’s is more Yorkshire. A distinguished townhouse turns technicolour Alice in Wonderland country cottage haunted house. Whitby maybe.
It’s brilliant pastiche. Like Disney do. All a bit fake.
Like Jamie. He’s not Italian. He’s from Essex.
You can tell.