Technically I had two "birthday dinners" for my birthday, but the first one with my friends I was a bad blogger and completely forgot to take pictures! And for this one with my family, I wasn't completely confident enough to whip out a camera at my table and start snapping away, but I stealthily got a few with my phone!


It was my first time eating at the Jamie Oliver restaurant in Glasgow and I was so excited. I've watched plenty of Jamie Oliver's cooking on tv - often salivating in the process, so it was my chance to try some of the goods. The restaurant is directly on George Square in Glasgow, I'd heard it was in merchant city and thought that's where I'd be going, but nope! To be honest if you weren't looking for it you could walk right by it which is why I suppose a lot of people I've talked to and mentioned to them that's where I was going and they either didn't know there was a Jamie restaurant in Glasgow or they knew there was one somewhere but never came across it. Anywho, onto the most important part - the food!

There's something on the menu to suit most tastes, but just out of sheer confusion of what to choose my dad and I got the Italian bread selection and the Cured Meats to start - it was incredible. You could really just go for a lunch and share that with a friend!  I didn't get a photo of the meat platter as my dad started picking away at it the moment it was in front of him!  My mum got the pumpkin & smoked mozzarella nachos, which we all got a taste of, they were lovely too.  Melissa got the crispy squid to start, and she got to keep that to herself as none of the rest of us are big on seafood (me especially, I wont eat it at all).

Italian Bread Selection (comes with oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping)

Then onto the mains! I got the sausage pappardelle, which was the most gorgeous pasta shapes I've ever seen. It's like curly ribbons!  It was lovely, rich but not too rich and just scrummy! I got a picture of my dads burger before he demolished it.  It looked so amazing and he really enjoyed it, I'd probably try that the next time I go.  Mum got lamb stew, which was gorgeous (I tried a wee bit of that too, and only the second time in my life I've ever tried lamb as it used to freak me out!) and Melissa got start bay crab risotto.

Sausage Pappardelle
The Jamie's Italian Burger
I didn't finish all of my pasta so I could keep a little room for dessert - I have a terrible sweet tooth!  I got the  Chocolate & Vin Santo Pot.  I had no idea what it was but it said chocolate in the title so I knew I'd like it.  It was a cute little pudding in a teacup - the perfect size for a little after dinner treat.  Some places go overboard with the portions, but I actually found all of the portions to be reasonable which makes a nice change. These photos are a little more grainy because at around 6pm they turn the lights down a little to set the mood!


I thought this deserved two photos!


I would recommend this restaurant, the food was great, especially if you take the time to appreciate all of the gorgeous flavours.  Surprisingly it is fantastic value for money.  I expected it to be over the odds because Jamie Oliver is a "celebrity" chef, but nope!  I would love to go back and tackle that burger.