Jamie knows the way to my heart..

My dearest and bestest friend Pauline had booked us in to Jamie Oliver's restaurant Fifteen (the one where he takes under-privelaged young people on as trainees) for a gastronomical adventure for my 26th Birthday present (Thanks so much P!).. and last night was the first night of the rest of my double stomached pukka tukka life!!.. Here's my review of the whole 8 course adventure..

Scallop Crudo - apparently their signature dish. Basically a scallop with some funny seedy thingys (persimmon seeds?) and fresh majoram with a light vinegarette. An interesting fusion of flavours and textures, that I didn't think went well together.

Bresaola with pears, rocket and parmesan - a type of dried/smoked thin slice of pork (much like prosciutto) combined beautifully with crisp flavoursome rocket and the best parmesan cheese i've ever tasted.. so simple but so delicious!...

Buratta with cima di rape and bagna cauda - The waitress mentioned something about cream of buffalo mozzarella or something like that.. this was just indulgence - to the point where I thought I might be a little ill.. the cheese was so fluffy and creamy it just felt like a cloud of pure whipped fat had graced my mouth, the delicately light flavour combined with a little crispbread was pleasing after the first bite.. but slightly sickly by the second..

Fantastic Salad Of Speck with Clementine, treviso, mint, aged balsamic vinegar and shaved parmesan - indeed fantastic!.. you can really taste the difference that fine ingredients make.. the balsamic was rich and sweet, the leaves and herbs so fresh and flavoursome, and of course that parmesan again - fantastic!

Agnolotti of prosciutto di San Daniele with scamorza - Two little pasta parcels of prosciutto doused with a butter sauce, a heart attack in the waiting, but for bacon/pork lovers like me, an absolute treat.. The flavour was strong yet delicate, but yet again, more than 2 mouthfuls would make you feel a little on the sickly side.. the serving size was perfect..

Risotto of wild mushrooms (Yellow leg chanterlle, porcini, parasol, pied bleu) - Quite lacking in presentation, the risotto looked bland and kind of resembled what would happen if I ate much more of that creamy buffalo mozzarella.. when I finally worked up the courage to put some in my mouth I was a bit dissapointed with the lack of flavour or oomph of the other dishes we'd had.. Basically it was just a mushroom risotto, no more, no less..


A shot of Champagne jelly with apple froth - served to cleanse the palate.. and after the risotto my tounge needed it!.. refreshing and light..

Slow roast pork leg from Pete Gott's farm (10hrs) with oozy polenta, roasted beetroot, braised rainbow chard and salsa verde - Oh my God!.. This was by far the best dish on the menu!! a heap of tender succulent shredded roast pork on a bed of polenta and chard, drizzled with olive oil and salsa verde - oh yeah with roasted beetroots too!.. the meat just melted in your mouth and was so full of flavour, but combined with the light textures and flavours of the polenta and chard was just absolutely delicious!.. I was already feeling full before starting on this monstrous dish - but felt it would just be an insult not to finish such glorious food.. and so i did..


Me and my pork @ fifteen

Unpasteurised Goat's cheese, pear chutney?, pear with chunks of walnut bread - this cheese plate wasn't on the menu, so you can imagine our surprise (and our fear) when they brought it out for us.. the cheese was lovely - but by that stage i was so full that i couldn't really enjoy the experience as much as i would've liked to...

Quince & Buttermilk panna cotta with spiced poached quince, crushed amaretti biscuit and quince sorbet - Luckily, there is such a thing as a "dessert stomach".. that separate room in your tummy set aside for desserts.. but the panna cotta was a little bland for me and nothing really that special - although that could've been due to the fact that my stomached was achingly stretched!..

Caffe - after we finished our Australian Rose wine, I thought I'd try and get my metabolism going to digest that gargantuan feast!.. and wasn't let down with the fantastic coffee served to conclude our adventure..