There was a big amount of excitement in the air as we stepped into the Jamie’s Pizzeria. I can easily sense the reason behind it. After all, it is Jamie Oliver’s debut in India with the brand new Jamie’s Pizzeria in Ambience Mall Gurgaon with Jamie’s Italian in Ambience Mall Vasant Kunj following closely on the heels.
Jamie Oliver is a renowned celebrity chef with more than 63 restaurants operating in 11 countries and churning out rich and healthy food to their patrons. The 40-year-old British chef has also been awarded an MBE, Member of the British Empire. Apart from all his cookbooks and cooking shows, Jamie is also very popular among with masses because he’s concerned about health and nutrition.
Jamie’s Pizzeria is a 50-60 seater restaurant with an easy going ambience. Their main focus is serving highest quality of authentic Italian food at very reasonable prices.
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The menu is smartly designed and have kept Jamie’s philosophy of keeping “ Basic, healthy and Taste” alive. There is lot of offerings for the vegetarians as well. Apart from few of their signature ingredients, majority of other things are sourced in India and dough is freshly made in house twice- thrice a day.
We started with hand stretched garlic bread which was quite different from garlic breads that are readily available in the market. It looked almost like a garlic naan at the first instance but the taste was fantastic as it was fresh and soft. Teamed with rosemary and olive tapenade, it made for a scrumptious fare. For beverages we gulped down a couple of glasses of freshly squeezed juices made out of beetroot, carrot and celery. Healthy yet so delicious.
The Caprese salad was a simple and flavourful dish, with cherry tomatoes, larger chunks of regular tomatoes, sherry vinegar, basil and olive oil and buffalo mozzarella that helped to balance the dish out.
The pizzas (11 inch, and hand-stretched, not tossed) were really drool worthy and I really appreciate the fact that they were not loaded with variety of toppings just like the way we have grown to. There was just the right balance of everything from cheese to sauce. I strongly recommend the Margarhita pizza. With just crushed tomatoes and basil and a combination of mature cheddar, parmesan and mozzarella, it was a sure shot winner.
We also tried the non veg pizza consisting of tiger prawns with crushed tomatoes, capers, cheddar,and parsley, but it was the addition of the lemon that really added to the pizza’s taste.
In a nutshell, what I liked about this place is that they have a limited menu. The limited menu should not be seen as a disadvantage but as a good thing. The brand ensures that all the ingredients used are fresh and that is one of the reasons behind a restricted menu. The freshness of ingredients is quite visible from the glow of the vegetables. Other Pizzas like Delhi Hot and Chicken Alla Diavola are to watch out for. Moreover, the economical rates are another reason why you should give Jamie’s Pizzeria a try.
