Jamie’s Italian in Cambridge
Paul went there for dinner on its first day, whereas I had lunch there on its second. It is enormous, and will make a huge difference to the restaurant scene in Cambridge. Prices are reasonable, and it reflects very good value. I began with the rose veal Parmigiana, “a pan fried tender veal chop stuffed with delicious salumi, parmesan and breadcrumbs served with a flash cooked tomato, basil and garlic sauce,” and the menu had it right. It was huge and terrifically tasty. It had quite a peppery punch, too. I like rose veal because it tastes a lot better, as well as giving the calves a decent life.
My lunch companion went for the spaghetti Bolognese, described as “the old school classic ragu of beef, pork, herbs, chianti and parmesan with crunchy herby breadcrumbs.” It had home-made pasta, of course, and was given high marks by my friend. Two out of two so far, then. I drank a glass of Ramato pinot grigio delle Venezie, a delicate rose fragrant with summer fruits. My companion had the shiraz di Sicilia Villa Francesca, a robust and enjoyable red, with lots of peppery spice. Jamie’s Italian is a good local addition, but there’s a big downer. They will not accept bookings, and people do not like to turn up at 7-7.30 pm to be told there is a 45 minute wait, even though they can see many empty tables. I assume they don’t have enough staff to service them. It will make people think twice about planning to go there, good though the food is.