*3.5/5
*Restaurant is owned by the same owners as Buca and Jacob Steak House.
*restaurant was spacious with two dining floors and a small "market" where one can buy some Oliver's branded items.
*Very children friendly and great for large groups.
*Service was really good.
*You can order a half order of pasta, thus you can try more.
*Most of the food was either too salty or spicy, it didn't blow my mind like my experience at Buca
-Garlic Bread with lemony ricotta - $8.90
it was quite interesting how they used nann bread instead of the usual chunky slice of bread. Not impressed with the dish. Instead of getting nice chunks of garlic, we were overwhelmed by the amount of rosemary topped on the bread. The ricotta was creamy but the lemon was undetectable.
-Mushroom Fritti (crispy king oyster mushrooms, Parmigiano Reggiano & garlic mayo) - $8.95
The deep fried king oyster mushrooms were expertly breaded and packed with flavors. I liked the slight touch of paprika in the garlic mayo which added just enough heat. Squeeze some lemon for an acidic component to those meaty bites and you are in for a real treat!
-Fresh Crab Bruschetta (fresh white & brown crab, crunchy fennel, lemon, chilli) - $9.95
I love the use of fennel here. It was aromatic with a little-bit-spicy anise flavor that brought out the freshness of the crab. With that said, I found the crab to be too salty because of the capers, which was actually a common theme with some of the dishes throughout our lunch.
-Arancini Margherita (stuffed risotto rice balls with pickled piri piri chillies, mozarella, spicy arrabbiata sauce & Parmigiano Reggiano) - $8.50
The arancini had a thin, crackling-crisp coating that just barely contained the flow of rice suspended in a creamy sauce. In the very middle was a pocket of a slightly melted mozarella cheese. I loved the balance between tartness and spiciness from the margherita sauce which cut down the richness of the risotto rice balls.
-Fresh Crab Spaghetti (with garlic, capers, chilli, fennel, parsley, anchovies, lemon & olive oil) - $10.50
The pasta at the restaurant is handmade daily and they were all consistently al dente in our dishes! Again the chef was too heavy-handed on the capers here, otherwise all of the ingredients in the dish really highlighted the freshness of the perfectly cooked crab.
-Porcini Fettuccine (wild & field mushrooms, mascarpone, garlic, white wine, lemony gremolata, Parmigiano Reggiano & pangrattato) - $9.50
The porcini fettuccine along with the fresh crab spaghetti were easily my favorite pasta of the lunch. The mushrooms in the porcini fettuccine was delectable: still retained the flavors and firm, and not mushy in the creamy sauce. It also came with some breadcrumbs to sprinkle on top for some crunch as well. The sauce was thick and creamy and delicious or as Jamie Oliver would say: beu-a-full!
-Prawn Linguine (Fried garlicky prawns, fennel, tomatoes, chilli, saffron, fish broth & arugula) - $10.50
The prawn linguine is perhaps one of the most famous/known dish from Jamie Oliver, however I was quite disappointed that the tomato sauce was too salty and spicy which really overpowered the delicate flavor of the prawns.
-Tiramisu (Layers of coffee-soaked sponge with orange mascarpone, topped with chocolate & orange zest) - $9.95
The version at Jamie Oliver was a bit different with fresh orange zest being mixed with the mascarpone and garnished on the cake itself. Also, instead of lady fingers, sponge cakes were used and they were drenched in espresso. The sweet and tangy orange flavours brought out the nuttiness in the espresso flavour and also gives the dessert a lightness and playfulness that is so indicative of talented and fun-loving Jamie Oliver.
-Epic Brownie (Warm fudgy brownie with vanilla gelato & caramelised popcorn) - $9.95
I loved the nice contrast of sweet and cold vanilla gelato against the warm and gooey dark chocolate brownie. Epic.
-Affogato (Vanilla gelato with a shot of piping hot espresso & crumbled biscotti) - $5.95
Love the blend of hot and cold elements and I also sort of love how it's a very adult dessert with the addition of espresso and some crunches from the crumbled biscotti. However my friend mentioned that he would have liked it more if the gelato portion was bigger.