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?
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