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Jamie’s Italian | Gunwharf Quays

I was recently invited to be the guest of Jamie’s Italian in my old stomping ground of Gunwharf Quays. It seemed like the perfect excuse to have a get together with four good friends.

It has to be one of the largest restaurants in Portsmouth as it can seat around five hundred people at one time. The restaurant has a very industrial feel which was inspired by Portsmouth’s nautical past with a reclaimed mosaic floor, old shipyard winches, and a décor of beautiful historic maritime relics. The Deli counter in the centre of the restaurant is certainly eye catching and a nice focal point to the restaurant.

First off we opted to try a selection of their mocktails, I opted for a Ginger Mojito (£3.25). I have never been much of a fan of Mojitos but I am a big fan of these although I would’ve been even happier had if there was a bit of rum in there.

As a starter I went for the Italian Nachos (£3.95). The crispy fried ravioli was stuffed with three cheeses and served with arrabbiata & Parmesan. This was easily one of my favourite starters on offer anywhere. I begrudgingly shared them with friends who agreed I’d won on the starters.

For the main course I chose one of the vegetarian options in the Baked Crespelle (£11.50). I thought I would go for something I’d never tried before. If I’m honest I’d never even heard of Crespelle before although I’ve since found out that it is simply Italian for crepes. The menu describes the meal as a gluten free buckwheat pancake was filled with Spinach, Westcombe ricotta & basil with smoked mozzarella, sweet buttery leeks, Sicilian tomato sauce & Parmesan. As vegetarian options go this was really good however I had a little bit of food envy going on when I saw a friend’s Steak come out.

I didn’t have it in me to have a dessert but I did manage to grab a taste of a friends Amalfi Lemon Meringue Cheesecake (£5.45). The velvety mascarpone & lemon cheesecake topped with Italian meringue, served with lemon curd & blackcurrants is certainly something I would recommend.

I am a fan of what they are doing in the restaurant and will definitely be returning over the summer. I still don’t think that they’d be able to beat my home made meatballs although thinking about it I’m pretty sure it was taken from one of Jamie’s cookbooks so maybe they might.

Jamie's Italian Menu

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  1. Luke Fuller

    12 May

    It ain’t no Sopranos though. X

  2. Denise

    12 May

    I like it for a nice main course, but Blancs Brasserie is the better of those two by far! (not including all the little independent bistros that Portsmouth has to offer)

  3. PartTimeProofReader

    15 May

    Not entirely sure a review of a restaurant that’s been open so long was needed, with sections copied straight from the Gunwharf Quays website, but ignoring that, two things:

    * stomping ground
    * dessert

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