Jamie's Italian, Riverside Level, The Oracle, Reading

My birthday is on a tricky day.  On the second day of the new year, it's not easy to find an activity to follow the weeks of excitement which have just passed.  Last year I'd had a surprisingly great day with my friends in Basingstoke.  Wanting to continue in a similar fashion, this year's birthday venue was going to be somewhere I'd never previously had a memorable meal...Reading Town Centre!  An unlikely place for Jamie Oliver to have set up a branch of his latest 'Jamie's Italian' venture, I was intrigued, if not a little sceptical.    I can't deny - I had visions of lengthy queues, tiny portions and mockney pretensions, but it still remained an appealing option for a birthday lunch, given the novelty factor of having anything so trendy in Reading of all places!

Housed on the very busy Riverside area of the Oracle shopping centre, (it's not particularly exclusive - there's a big McDonalds opposite), I was relieved not to see a queue outside (particularly as you can't book a table for less than 6 people).  In fact, the wait for a table was only around 5 minutes (more than acceptable), and I was delighted that we were led to a table upstairs which was far more spacious and impressive than the rather cramped downstairs eating area.  The circular room, overlooking the river, with views into the kitchen and very high ceilings, felt modern and relaxed, and whilst there were some overly commercial traces of Jamie (ie displays of his books to purchase), there were others, such as the style of the specials board, that differentiated this place from other Italian chains - I'd been expecting something like the ubiqutous Carluccios for example, but this place felt distinct and somehow a bit more special. In the summer al fresco dining is possible on the balcony - I made a mental note and hoped the meal was going to be good, so that I could return on a balmy summer evening.

Birthday rules make cocktails the drink of choice.  Only a small selection existed but I was suitably impressed by my Rossini, which was served with a strawberry layer at the bottom of the glass of Prosecco, which when stirred became a hot pink colour and tasted divinely fruity and bubbly.  Starters were ordered (the freshly baked 'top italian bread' selection, and a vegetable antipasti 'plank'). 

The breads arrived rapidly, and the conical presentation was quite wonderful.  Composed of foccacia brushed with a tiny smidgen of garlicy, herby goodness, and crispy flat bread, and sourdough, I struggled not to devour it all at once, even though there was no sign of the antipasti.  Two tins of italian chopped tomatoes had for some reason appeared on the table.  Slightly odd free gifts perhaps?  David was brave enough to ask of their significance, and we were told the 'plank' of antipasti would rest on them.  All fair and good, but the novelty was lost by the antipasti not arriving for a good 15-20 minutes after the tins.

But when they did arrive, they were exciting and artful and very gratefully received.  The presentation again was perfect, and our plank boasted chargilled marinaded vegatables, a teeny tiny ball of buffalo mozzarello, pecorino with chilli jam, crunchy italian coldslaw, olives and an aubergine caponata.  All tasty tiny bites, and I was pleased with the variety and quality.

Appetites whet, we were ready for mains, and they arrived in a suitably timely manner.  My concerns about small portions appeared entirely unfounded, as we were both presented with huge plates of freshly made on the premises, pasta.   We'd both believed David's Rabbit Ragu Parpadelle was going to be of the tomatoey variety, but instead it was of a creamier variety, with lovely warma and comforting herby flavours.  I hadn't felt very adventurous, and had opted simply for the 'Beautiful Bucatini Carbonara'.  The thick tubes of pasta were perfect for soaking up the sauce, and the leeks were a lovely addition to the dish.

Utterly stuffed, there was space for neither dessert nor coffee (especially as we had plans to spend the rest of the afternoon in Reading's fantastic real ale pub - The Nags Head), so we ended the meal feeling service and value rated pretty highly (and the toilets were also very swish).  We'd enjoyed not feeling at all rushed, especially somewhere so popular, and we had enjoyed everything we'd eaten, and felt it really was quite different to the Italian chains on the high street.

Utterly bizarrely, as we left I took a couple of pictures of the outside of the restuarant.  Almost immediately a security guard from the Oracle informed me in no uncertain terms that the shopping area I was in was private property, and the photos I'd taken were therefore the property of the Oracle. World gone mad indeed.  We left the consumer madness of said shopping centre and continued the wonderfulness of my birthday afternoon at The Nag's Head with a huge selection of real ales and ciders (including some brilliant ones from Mr Whitehead) along with some Connect 4.  Who would have thought there was so much fun to be had in Reading?

A Fluid State 2010 (02-05 Dec 2010. London)

A host of King's Brambling cocktails

It was an exceptionally cold evening. Trudging around the Liverpool Street area looking for the secret location of ‘A Fluid State,’ I wondered where I was going to hide my wellies and surplus layers at what I suspected would be an uber trendy event.

In a move that highlighted my inability to be fashionably late, we were one of the first people to walk into the industrial 8,000sqft space which hosted this more-drinky-than-foody-festival. Unsure of what to expect, given that the website had rather obliquely described ‘Experiences’ and Art, I gratefully stashed all my surplus clothing into the cloakroom and enjoyed the efforts made by the organisers to transform the ticket desk into a 60s style airline. We were greeted by the air hostesses in gold lamé outfits, presenting us with 'passports' and boarding passes for our ‘flights’. Any sense of incredulity was swept away by our welcome cocktail –‘King’s Brambling’ – a fruity concoction (lime, blackberries and apple juice), with a kick of ginger liqueur (The King’s Ginger). I love ginger, and this boozy start was a sign of things to come...

 

Cactus Smoothies & Cherry Bomb Smoothies

We found ourselves in ‘The Garden of Eden’ the first of our ‘Experiences’. Still clutching our cocktails we welcomed a sample of soup from Crussh and chatted to the MD (Christopher Fung), who enlightened us as to the company’s philiosophy.  We also marvelled at the bravery of a scantily-clad ‘Eve’ (brave not only because of the freezing temperatures, but also because of the snake she had draped around her), and at a beautiful tree of forbidden fruit- dehydrated apples, which were shrunken but so sweet and fruity that the powder dry texture remained delicious, coated in a thick layer of dark chocolate.

Forbidden Fruit

The flight worked as follows: there were three elements to each experience - like three courses. The first was an Ocho Blanco Tequila Cactus Smoothie; green and mild, almost like you might expect a courgette to taste like if it was smoothified.  It was infused with a 'kiwi and starfruit jerky'! The tequila wasn’t strong, but I began to worry about the mixing that was going on drinkwise as we sampled the next drink/sweet combo, the Bourbon Acai Cherry Bomb with dark chocolate ganache by Damian Allsop. The dark chocolate and rich, sweet boozy cherry flavour was fantastic together. Allsop’s theory is that chocolate should be made with water and not cream, thereby creating a flavour more pure than others. The final course was the one that felt like dessert – an organic sorbet of wheatgrass (which was green and light) with a crispy, biscuity tuile of bees pollen (you could see tiny dark orange flecks on the tulle) served with more Kings Ginger Liqueur. Delicious!

After the ethereal nature of the Garden of Eden, it was time for something darker and more substantial. The ‘Twilight Hours’ proved a welcome contrast in terms of atmosphere, but the glamour of the evening continued as we were served Louis Roederer champagne, before entering a secret chamber, inhabited by irreverent monks. We were seated at tiny tables, and each encouraged to don hoods (conveniently sewn into the walls above our heads) and confess our sins. We were then served a deliciously dark Meantime London Porter which was the perfect accompaniment to the hearty Game Stew that followed. The brief sit-down meal, in what felt like a dark and secret small space, was a welcome change to the normal food festival nibbling that we’d been in indulging in.

Fantasy Island: Preparing the Dragon's Breath Popcorn

Then time for a complete change as we entered the kitsch ‘Fantasy Island’ area. Performers, lurid colours and green screen technology were just a minor distraction from the genius of the deconstructed pina colada cocktails on offer (it made my mind boggle, but Spherification was involved, and the result was amazing). The sense of wonder that accompanied ‘Dragon’s Breath’ popcorn (served with liquid nitrogen), Pink Pigeon  rum and pineapple crisps left us wandering out of the area in a bit of a daze. A hungry daze…

Deconstructed Pina Coladas (and the joy of spherification)!

Scotch Egg Joy

As we stumbled back into the cold London night we reflected on an evening which had been an experience quite unlike any other. Pricey – around £54 in total for the entry ticket and the three experiences, we felt it entirely worth the money given the quality, innovation and artistry involved in everything that we’d sampled. Having never experienced a food or drink event which was this imaginative or special, this is highly recommended, and we will most definitely be returning next year!



The final area we visited (we left out one area – ‘The Palm Upper East Side’- the Mad Men inspired gin bar having imbibed far more alcohol that food already) was the least visually exciting, but promised the most substantial food offerings. Alcohol, however, was still the primary focus of this experience. Entitled ‘The Reconciliation’, this was a tequila tasting zone, but each tasting was paired with a tapas sized tasty morsel. The first sample was Heradura Reposada Tequila matched with a light and beautifully citrusy seabass ceviche. It was easily the most delicious savory bite of the evening so far. More substaintial and much appreciated was the second dish of chilli, coriander and lime scotch egg created by Eat My Pies.  Beautifully presented and with a lovely consistency, this wasn’t spicy, but lovely salty and comforting food with more Ocho Blanco tequila. Finally, a dessert, a chocolate tequila slammer with more Damian Allsop chocolate – blissful!



Wheatgrass Sorbet with Bees Pollen and Tequila

Oval Lounge, 24 Clapham Road, The Oval, Kennington, London, SW9 0JG

1st January 2011.  I woke up face-down on an airbed under a huge christmas tree in Amie's living room, after a night of New Year's Eve perfection (dinner, bubbly, london fireworks, extreme booze-fuelled boardgame competitiveness) with just one thought...an extreme desire for that classiest of hangover-busting breakfasts, EGGS BENEDICT.

Blindly reaching for my blackberry, I googled 'Eggs Benedict Oval London', found the Oval Lounge's website, and promptly fell back asleep (at this point, hours of sleep had totalled around 4, and there was no chance that my hangover addled brain would be able to develop any sort of plan to find a specific pre-planned breakfast venue). 

Hours later, venturing outside and back home in state of dazed new year bafflement, myself and the boy decided the best plan of action was to head home and stop at any breakfast serving establishment that came our way.  Realising we had a wait for our bus, we decided to walk round the corner of Oval station to see if there were any suitable breakfast places.

Seconds away from giving up when we passed place after shut place, I had a sign...  Quite literally, a sandwich board sign.  The boy hadn't yet spotted it, but like a woman on a breakfast mission, I power-walked towards it. 

There's nothing quite like the unexpected joy of finding the exact type of venue you had in mind!  The Oval Lounge was perfect.  We made a bee line for the comfy sofas, and very much appreciated the chilled out music and relaxed atmosphere.  The breakfast menu wasn't vast, yet boasted a healthy option, a full english option, a veggie option and, AN EGGS BENEDICT OPTION, served with toasted buttered english muffins, hollandaise sauce and a choice of ham, crispy bacon, or spinach. 

What Joy!  The eggs were perfect - soft and runny yolks with hot crispy, salty bacon and fluffy buttery muffins.  Also served with divinely juicy mushrooms and respectable tomatoes and enjoyed with freshly squeezed orange-juice, I was convinced that 2011 was going to be a good one!