Jamie’s Italian (107 Pitt Street)

A dream come true, this was an unexpected surprise. We were at the apartment, without wifi and on a bit of time restriction because we were due to meet up with friends. We had no idea where to go for dinner (and couldn’t research anywhere) but we had noticed that there was a Jamie Oliver restaurant in the middle of town. We thought it was a long shot, but decided to just turn up, without a booking, and hope for the best. We got told that if we were happy to wait for an hour we would be able to have a table. We locked ourselves in, and set off in search of some free wifi to message our friends and inform them that we would be late.

When we got back to Jamie’s restaurant we were just in time for our table. The place was massive (unexpectedly so; it didn’t look quite so expansive from outside) and stretched onwards as well as upstairs. The service was fantastic; the staff were friendly, welcome and outgoing. I had immense difficulty deciding what to order and sought a second opinion from our waiter as to whether I should be adventurous and order wild game, or go for a class and get the carbonara. Decision made when he said he thought the carbonara was one of the best meals on the entire menu.

The atmosphere was absolutely thriving, and I had so much fun soaking up everything that was going on around me. The kitchen was located in such a way that when you went to the bathroom it was possible to pause and see the chef’s at work (unfortunately not Jamie himself!). The food was sensational; it was truly the best pasta I have ever had (strong praise, seeming I lived in Italy for six months!) and the others said the same. It wasn’t overly expensive, in fact, the prices were entirely reasonable, and although I was too full for dessert, the choices were extensive and all looked delicious.