23 April 2013

Jamie Oliver coming to Canberra (sort of)

| johnboy
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Hospitality Magazine has the word that Kingsleys Steak and Crabhouse is giving way to pommy superchef Jamie Oliver’s take on Italian:

Jamie’s Italian Australian partner, Pacific Restaurant Group, has announced it will close its Kingsleys Steak & Crabhouse Canberra restaurant at the Canberra Centre to make way for the new venue.

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”.

“We always want to bring unique, exciting and enjoyable experiences to our diners and we feel that Jamie’s Italian will do exactly this for the people of Canberra.”

Recruitment for the restaurant has now begun with around 100 positions needing to be filled.

Pacific Restaurant Group’s team will be heading to Canberra next month to begin the recruitment drive, said head of operations for Jamie’s Italian Australia Karen Westfield.

So not so much Jamie Oliver as the group he’s flogged his name to out here in the colonies.

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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.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd4:40 pm 12 May 13

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.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd10:46 am 12 May 13

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

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd10:44 am 12 May 13

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.

EvanJames said :

Reckon his style of food will do well here, all this fresh and zappy stuff served on planks. In fact he gets a giant splash on the front page of the CT (cafe buys it, I wouldn’t pay money for it) today, I wonder if they paid for that?

That antipasto plank in the picture had me drooling reflectivly, might be worth a try.

I went to the one in London – amazing. Very affordable and I hope it will be here too ( I am sure it will). My partner had the antipasto plank – and it was delicious. I can’t wait 🙂

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.

Reckon his style of food will do well here, all this fresh and zappy stuff served on planks. In fact he gets a giant splash on the front page of the CT (cafe buys it, I wouldn’t pay money for it) today, I wonder if they paid for that?

That antipasto plank in the picture had me drooling reflectivly, might be worth a try.

Also, it’s great news about the restaurant! The Melbourne one was awesome before it burnt down.

johnboy said :

It’s really more eating out on Bunda St than anything to do with the Canberra Centre.

+1

When are they going to turn that section of Bunda St into a pedestrian mall (like City Walk) and have done with it? The only people it’ll inconvenience are those who want to show off their flash cars, and really, isn’t that what Lonsdale St at 10pm on a Friday night is for?

johnboy said :

It’s really more eating out on Bunda St than anything to do with the Canberra Centre.

“North Quarter” never really caught on, did it?

I’ve eaten at the London one and also at JO’s “15 Cornwall”. Both were fantastic in food, service and value.

I cannot say that the idea of dining at the Canberra centre fills me with joy though.

It’s really more eating out on Bunda St than anything to do with the Canberra Centre.

Awesome. The Sydney one is really good and relatively inexpensive.

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