Jamie's Italian Kitchen

JAMIE'S ITALIAN KITCHEN HAS CLOSED PERMANENTLY AS OF MARCH 2020.

Jamie’s Italian Kitchen, Brisbane is the 5th restaurant of UK celebrity chef Jamie Oliver to open in Australia as he continues his world quest to bring top value chef-quality food to the masses.

Occupying the ground floor and basement of the heritage listed Rowes building which from 1903 to the 1960s was home to another famous Brisbane dining venue (Rowes Café), Jamie’s Italian Kitchen is a splendid brasserie style vision of old world glamour mixed with industrial chic.

Upstairs, rustic wood panelled walls, a giant chandelier, polished wooden floors, curved leather booths and dining alcoves feature along with a stunning centrepiece a marble-topped antipasto bar strung with smoked meats and strewn wheels of cheese.

Follow the giant light bulb arrow downstairs past giant sacks of flour to the basement area, which has more of the wood panelling, leather booths and bistro tables and chairs and the tiled bar situated down one end.

The menu at Jamie’s Kitchen is simple, classic Jamie Oliver, or Italian with a twist: Bread and Nibbles double as bar snacks and include World’s best Olives on Ice, Crispy Prawns or Squid and an Italian bread selection that could double as a table decoration.

For entrée diners can pick from dishes like Grilled Asparagus Bruschetta, Beef Carpaccio or Baked Mushrooms or for something more substantial and theatrical, a Plank. Planks come as Cured Meat, Seasonal Vegetable or Cured and Crispy Fish and are essentially divine antipasto selections arranged on a plank of wood which is balanced on two tins of Italian tomatoes.

Pastas figure heavily and include lamb and ricotta tortellini, honeycomb ravioli 3 ways, Black Angel spaghetti and the highly recommended Jools’ Favourite Tuna Fusilli –sustainable tuna, slow-cooked with tomatoes, garlic, herbs and cinnamon, served with a spoon of crunchy herb breadcrumbs.

Mains range from The Jamie’s Italian Burger (a delicious multi-storey construction that is not recommended for those of small appetite or on a first date) through to Osso Bucco style lamb, Veal Steak Flash or Grilled Onglet Tariata for Two (400g of aged Aussie Black Angus).

In addition fish dishes like Baked King Salmon and seared Tuna salad are complemented with a Fish of the Day (on the day we visited, Crispy Skinned barramundi).

Along with the mains are side orders like Primavera or Green salads, Posh or Funky Chips, Seasonal Vegetables and Rainbow Slaw.

Meanwhile amongst the dessert offerings are Tiramisu and pannacotta, chocolate espresso tart and a range of ice-cream or sorbets.

The drinks list at Jamie’s Italian Kitchen draws heavily from Italy, with a majority of Italian wines, complemented by a few varietals from southern Australia. Included are Prosecco (Italian bubbly), traditional Digestifs and Italian Dessert wines. Bottled beer is also Italian – Messina or Castello – and the range of cocktails includes Jamie’s Italian Mojito, Negroni, Florence Fizz, Bellini and The Godfather.