Tried Jamie Oliver’s Italian at Yorkdale. We made a reservation using OpenTable website. According to the site there was no availability between 5pm and 8pm. Not sure if there was really that many bookings or if they don’t take any during this time. We were however able to make a 5pm reservation. Upon arriving the place was only about 25% full. Our hostess initially wanted to seat us by the patio door which would have been less than ideal with the traffic going in and out. Seeing that there were lots of seats we requested another seat where we would not be in the middle of traffic.
Once seated we were greeted by our beverage hostess who took care of our beverage requirements. Not long after we were greeted by our main server. We ordered the crab, avocado focaccia as an appetizer. This was not bad but was much smaller than anticipated. Just one slice of focaccia. Taste wasn’t bad but was not as exciting as it sounded.
For main course, Deniz ordered the steak and fries. I ordered the grilled porkchop. Both dishes were very good. Steak was a thin cut but nicely marinated and tender. The porkchop nicely done as well, moist and complimented with beats, green onion and fennel. We both enjoyed our meal very much.
For dessert we had an orange blossom polenta cake. Served with whipped creme, orange and pomegranate. Was a refreshing dessert.
However, the over-all cost was higher than we felt it should be. An appetizer (very small one), two main courses, one dessert, one beer, one non-alcoholic drink and sparkling water came to about $100 before taxes and tip. Also, many other restaurants give bread as part of the dining experience (I.e. Rocco’s Plum Tomato), but Jamie charges $5.95 for a small loaf sliced with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Over-all we enjoyed the meal. Everything came pretty quick,the food was quite good and the service was generally good. Just not sure it’s worth the high price.
Shokumotsu 