Jamie’s Italian (St Petersburg, Russia)
I never thought we will eat at this place in St Petersburg, this was totally unexpected, but it was good. Before I came here I was thinking all I would eat was Borscht, Beef Stroganoff, Solyanka Soup, Khachapuri and Golubtsy I was wrong, instead I am having some Italian dish, on an English owned Franchise located in Russian soil, globalization. We passed by at this place after visiting The Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood walking towards the Hermitage Museum, when I first saw it, I was ecstatic because I haven’t dined in on one.
Initially I thought it would be expensive, as I have this connotation that major Russian cities have a high cost of living add to that the fact that the restaurant is owned by a celebrity chef but I was wrong, majorly wrong, it was very inexpensive specially in a nice restaurant with well-dressed staff, basically dishes like pasta and pizza just costs US$5.00 to US$15.00 roughly.
The place was huge and as you come in you will be greeted by an attendant who will take your jacket off and direct you to your seat. It was way past lunch time when we visited the place so there are plenty of open tables. We chose the ones beside the window. The place feels like a posh English pub that is very well lit. They have quite a selection starters like Bruschetta, Carpaccio, Crispy Squid and Croquettes; Salads like Shrimp and Avocado, Caprese and Caesars; Soups like Seafood, Mushroom and Chicken Soup; Pasta like Bolognese, Carbonara and Arrabiata; Pizza like Buerata, Margherita and Funghi Misti as well as Secondi like the usual Burgers and Steaks. All of which looked amazing and delicious.
We did start with some drinks, a couple of Pepsi and Beer, I forgot what I got, we also got offered some bottled water that looked like a wine. I chugged the beer quickly as I was so tired of all the walking, it was a really refreshing one. Then came our orders.
We started with a Garlic Pizza Bread (RUB 220.00), it was thin, crispy, chewy, garlicky and buttery, we loved it and it certainly built that appetite.
Together with it we enjoyed this rich and creamy Mushroom Soup (RUB 290.00) which I can honestly say tasted almost as similar to my own recipe. It was thick, very earthy, creamy and rich, very filling on every scoop, it was very delicious, trust me this is the best mushroom soup I tried in a restaurant.
Then we also had some pizza, which is called The Parma (RUB 590.00) on their menu. A pizza topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano, Parma ham and rocket. The crust is thicker than the Pizza Bread which makes it chewier, toppings were sufficient and well balanced.
It was then paired with a simple Pesto Spaghetti (RUB 360.00) which was very cheesy and Seafood Linguine (RUB 890.00) which comes loaded with large prawns. Both pastas were perfect, al dente pasta and sauce were well seasoned, it was a very good meal.
We loved this place, it was perfect in every sense. Service was great, food was tasty, premises were really clean and trust me it’s very affordable. So, if you happen to visit St Petersburg and near The Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood or Hermitage Museum pay this place a visit, I highly recommend them.
Jamie’s Italian St Petersburg
Address: Konyushennaya Square, Bld2, St. Petersburg 191186, Russia
Phone: +7 (812) 640 16 16
Website: https://www.jamieoliver.com/italian/russia/restaurants/st-petersburg/
