I've been a fan of Jamie Oliver since his first show, The Naked Chef. My mom and I used to watch it on the Food Network. It was a great show: relatively simple recipes coupled with footage of East London markets. When my mother came to visit me, I naturally took her to Jamie's Italian, one of his restaurant chains. I'm usually skeptical about trying chains attached with chef names because it's all a bit gimmicky. However, Jamie's is quite legit. The pasta is made fresh, in-house every day. In the Oxford location, they even place the pasta machine next to the window, so passer-byers can watch noodles being made.
On our visit, my mother and I ordered the Crispy Squid as a starter, the Spaghetti Vongole and Seafood Bucatini as mains, and sizzling green beans as sides. Everything was incredibly fresh. This might also be due to the fact that we're in England. Good seafood is surprisingly hard to find back in the Bay Area unless you're willing to shell out major dollars (pun intended). The pasta was fresh, springy and actually tasted like pasta unlike the usual store bought stuff that let's face it, tastes of nothing. I highly recommend giving Jamie's a go if you're a fan or just an Italian food lover. We had a lovely experience and even went once more before she left.
Jamie's Italian (various locations)
Oxford:
24-26 George Street OX1 2AE
