Blog Post

When travelling abroad, most try to conserve money and time by cutting corners on meals; enjoy a snack here and there to ease the odd hunger pang and then carry on with sightseeing. For me, it is a combination of both – you know, stop for a latte and scone for lunch while waiting for the hop-on-hop-off bus to arrive; yet, I also have desires to try famous and reputable restaurants promoted and founded by celebrity chefs. So, while in London, I decided to try Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen.

Off the beaten path in central London, Fifteen has been entertaining and feeding guests since 2002. Upon arrival, guests are greeted with a beautiful atmosphere of fireplaces, chalkboards with daily specials, and a bar with a wooden benches and bar stools. The bar area where you wait for your table dawned leather comfy couches and coffee tables with tea light candles and menus of unique exclusive cocktails to choose from. From experience, I find celebrity chef restaurants usually lean toward the “fine dining” environment with ultra modern decor and gourmet recipes. Here, it felt more family-oriented with its cozier layout.

As we waited for our table, we decided to order a signature cocktail- the iced tea with gin and orange infusion for two. This delightful and fresh drink exclusively created by Jamie Oliver, comes to you in a teapot with 2 small glasses slightly bigger than shots. Pour the drink from the teapot over ice cubes, sip and enjoy. This drink was delightful. It wasn’t sweet and wasn’t sour- it was somewhere in between and quenched our thirsts beautifully as we waited for our table.

We were quite impressed with our starters. Our starter salad and crab spread on toast were presented to us beautifully. Famished, I was eager to sink my teeth into that toast! Hubby felt his salad needed a touch more flavour as it rolled off his palate. The crab spread on the other hand, was delicious and satisfying. It had just enough seasoning mixed with the souffle textured spread. The crunchy toast with the sharp radishes gave the utmost of contrasts and made for a truly enjoyable first course.

 

The Mains

Our mains were delicious. We opted for the pasta with rose sauce and the fresh catch of the day. The pasta was even deemed one of the best ever eaten! The fish was tender and flaky with just enough sauce. The flavour was utterly sublime. I had high expectations for this restaurant based one reputation and the recipes featured. I am happy to report that the fish truly exceeded them.

 

 

Dessert!

I must admit that dessert was may favourite course. Hubby opted for the chocolate eclair and I opted for a blackberry trifle with cream fool. The consensus after enjoying our choices was that the eclair’s chocolaty centre and exterior made it very intense and therefore, tough to eat and difficult to enjoy. The blackberry trifle on the other hand was a fresh and satisfying combination of sweet and sour, mixed with the creamy fool, making it a pleasing combination of textures. I got the feeling that hubby wished he had ordered it!

 

 

Fifteen was definitely an amazing dining experience. The food was great and not overly pricey for a celebrity chef owned restaurant, combined with a cozy atmosphere and great selection of dishes. Many times when a celebrity name is attached, the price increases dramatically; not in this case. Prepare to spend roughly £60 for two with a signature cocktail.

I hope you enjoy your experience as much as we did!

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