Jamie Oliver coming to Canberra (sort of)

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

Would you prefer some excellent set piece to eat your s***ty meal in front of and have horrid service or eat something wonderful with great service but the only catch is the restaurant is in civic?

I’d prefer to have great food, in a great setting, with a great ambiance, the qualities are not mutually exclusive. Canberra, due to its nature, cannot really supply these. The closest you can get is “Water’s Edge” or the old “Ginger Rooms.”

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

Again, total wankery.

Also, having such wankery thoughts, puts your so called punk roots into heavy doubt.

Not “wankery” just personal taste and preference.

“De gustibus non est disputandum” as they say.

Ps. Your roots as a “Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd” shine through clearly. 🙂

After living in London for a while I was pretty f***ed off with my Canberra experiences with local outlets of UK chain’s Wagamama & Zara. I feel like they’re just taking the piss. They are the OK-quality-but-ridiculously-cheap options in the UK and when they opened here it was clear they were just shoving the same low-ish quality stuff on us at greatly inflated prices – we’ll soon see if it’s the same with JO’s new restaurant…

I’ve only been there once and it took 80 mins for the meal to arrive which was mediocre at best.Needless to say i won’t be going back there anytime soon!

I’m not a great fan of Italian food or of Jamie but, based on a few comments here, I’ll be happy to try it. If the food’s good and the prices are reasonable I’ll be happy.

Re the ambience issue, it’s a long way down on my list below great food. I’m happy to eat at Laminex-topped tables if the food’s excellent. Of course great food and great ambience together wins and I’m happy to pay appropriately for it, but great ambience never makes up for terrible, or even ordinary, food. Service should be attentive and discrete, never intrusive.

Some ambience is awful – the hipster joints with hard (faux) wood floors, crowed tables and high noise levels can have great food (though they rarely, if ever, do), but damned if I’ll be back unless very low prices compensate for the discomfort.

Ben_Dover said :

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

Umm total wank I’m afraid. My in laws are the same. Who gives a poop about ambience and setting if the food and service is excellent!

Anybody who enjoys dining.

Would you prefer some excellent set piece to eat your s***ty meal in front of and have horrid service or eat something wonderful with great service but the only catch is the restaurant is in civic?

Again, total wankery.

Also, having such wankery thoughts, puts your so called punk roots into heavy doubt.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

Umm total wank I’m afraid. My in laws are the same. Who gives a poop about ambience and setting if the food and service is excellent!

Anybody who enjoys dining.

“Pacific Restaurant Group managing director Adam Heathcote, comments said while it was the “end of an era for Kingsleys Steak & Crabhouse Canberra, the space and location is perfect for Jamie’s Italian”.

I wouldn’t say it is the end of an era for Kingsley’s. The original fried chicken stores – from where this establishment pinched its name – are still open, owned and staffed by Canberrans. I’m surprised they’re calling it Jamie’s Italian Restaurant. Judging by past performance I would have expected a name like Jamie’s KFC Restaurant.

Also, sad to see kingsleys go. Had quite a few good dinners there.

Ben_Dover said :

My reservations still stand though. Eating out anywhere in the city centre, isn’t ever any great shakes is it? Courgette lost points for me due to it, as do most other eateries.

No matter how class the decor you are always aware you are eating in an inner city concrete block.

Great restaurants require ambience and setting.

Umm total wank I’m afraid. My in laws are the same. Who gives a poop about ambience and setting if the food and service is excellent!

I’d rather see a decent sandwich shop like Pret A Manger open up here….sick of getting dodgy homemade stuff squeezed into clingfilm with no date on it, I’ve had some real stale rubbish.
If ever there was an ethical food company that could have been made for a particular town, it’s Pret A Manger and Canberra. They would clean up.

As for Jamie Oliver’s stuff, isn’t it just a spag bol shop? I went to one in the UK and it was full of average burgers, chops, steaks…but with an Italian name. Good marketing but bland and not Italian.