| rev:text
| - I think some people's expectations are a little too high just because of the name Jamie Oliver. Yeah he's a celebrity chef but if you watched the Naked Chef, it's obvious his target demographic isn't the hardcore foodies, it's causal dining for everyday people. You have to compare this to other mid-level establishments like Moxie's, Milestones, O&B and Joey's. I thought overall, it's on par with these chains, although I personally prefer the Joey's next door over Jamie's.
The one thing no one can really deny is that the decor of the place is pretty nice. It has a bit of that Crate and Barrel feel, a little rustic mixed with modern. Usually you never notice these sorts of things at chain restaurants but it stood out to me, and so there was a good first impression.
Food-wise, I personally prefer subtle flavours so I thought the food was alright. I ordered a crab meat pasta and I could tell it was bland, the crab pieces were small, but it was alright after I added some pepper. The meat board looked pretty impressive, and I would recommend that, although it is odd to me that they wouldn't give you a few pieces of bread with it, you actually have to pay for it. Regardless, they actually ran out of bread that night anyway so maybe their bread is really good.
Unfortunately for me though, what really killed the rating was my server. I know he was probably the exception as the lady at the restaurant front was A LOT better but there were a number of things that bothered me. We waited for about 15 minutes and the server never came to take our order. In fact he never even came to greet us until I flagged down the lady at the front counter who later apologized on his behalf. What I found particularly irritating was that while he was taking down our order, he would upsell as if he was selling a car. When my friend ordered wine, he just asked if he wanted the 8oz, without mentioning the other sizes (I assume it was probably the larger glass). When my other friend ordered his turkey, the server asked if he wanted fries on the side or a salad, and failed to mention that he would be charged extra for those. I had to mention to my friend that it would cost $5 extra, cause I knew he wouldn't want to pay for an extra side. That felt like a really sleazy move from the server to make a bigger tip - it's misleading and dishonest. On top of that, he even forgot to put in our appetizers before our entree so we waited a little longer then all of a sudden everything came out at the same time. If it wasn't for the great service from the front staff, I definitely would have left a smaller tip.
Even though I had an awful experience with the service, I would still return in the future knowing that the other servers are likely much more competent. Perhaps he just had an off night considering we came later in the evening after the mall closed; I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. As someone who frequents Yorkdale, I appreciate the variety of dining options, and I think Jamie's is a good addition to that.
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