My family’s banned this restaurant ever since having a disappointing experience. We had dinner at one of Jamie’s Italian restaurants in London, two years ago, and especially my dad and brother, still complain about eating there.
This Toronto location opened up late last year (I think) and my Aunt has been raving about the pork chops. So obviously, I took the chance and gave Jamie another go.

The restaurant is attached to Yorkdale Mall, but there is only one entrance, which is outside the mall. But inside the mall, you can view the menu prior to dining.

This is really different compared to the Covent Garden location; the vibe, the style and the over all presentation. I guess it’s catered to different guests. This location is really family-friendly as the kids/ children had toys when served at their table.
The restaurant is huge, consisting of two floors, a large bar dining/ seating area when entering, then sections of different tables as you walk into the restaurant and a corner where in house pasta is made. The second floor has seating, small and large tables, along with wine displays.

Despite me studying the menu the night before, we spent 20 minutes deciding on what to order. I knew that if we ordered three mains, we wouldn’t be able to finish it. And I think I made the right choice. I ordered a Berry Blast (strawberry & passion fruit purée shaken up with lemon, sugar syrup & cranberry juice). Tangy and sour, perfect for a Summer drink.

We ordered two mains and one starter. The Ravioli Fritti (crispy fried mini ravioli stuffed with mozzarella, ricotta & parmigiano reggiano, served with a fiery arrabbiata sauce) was to die for! It’s a nibble fried snack that I could eat for days!

Dad ordered the daily special which was ravioli stuffed with trout and cheese. It’s different compared to the other normal raviolis, cause this had fish in it. It wasn’t overall too fishy, because the cheese balanced out the fish flavour.

Since my Aunt had told my mom about the Pork Chop (marinated & cooked under a brick with parsley & anchovy bagna càuda, apples, kohlrabi, mint, lemon & crackling), she’s been wanting to try it out. It was juicy and tender, just as my Aunt described. The waitress (Maria) told us that the chop would be salty and there was a salad to counter the flavours. I didn’t find the chop to be salty at all, and the apple salad was sour, which I don’t mind, but writing about it makes my mouth water.

What’s my overall experience? There will definitely be a next time, but not for now. I really liked the atmosphere, the cleanliness, menu and restaurant employees (very polite).

You can read my blog post on the Covent Garden location here. And click here for the restaurant’s home page.

P.S. Isn’t the washroom nice?!

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