Jamie's Italian, Norwich

Wife of the Vegan Man first went to Jamie's Italian in Bath many years ago and can remember exactly what she ate despite the consumption of several cocktails that evening, which is a good reflection on the quality of the food. When Jamie's Italian opened in Norwich WOTVM had mixed feelings, mainly due to the fact that the restaurant was to open in the building that previously housed the much loved Waterstones in the Royal Arcade. On her first visit not long after it opened she was pleased to see that it had been sympathetically renovated (all the restaurants are decorated in keeping with the era of the building) and was looking rather swish.

When we first came to eat here as a couple we must admit that the vegetarian options were limited and the vegan ones pretty non-existent, however as the food is freshly made the staff were always happy to accommodate a cheese hating vegetarian such as Mr Vegan Man. While we don't visit here too often we're pleased to say we have noticed a vast improvement in the veggie/vegan options on offer over the past couple of years. Also, in comparison to some other Italian restaurant chains where pizza is often the highlight of the menu, there's not a pizza in sight at Jamie's Italian. The focus here is more on fresh pastas and mains with an Italian twist.

Our reason for visiting on this occasion was as a Gold Club member (this is free, you can sign up on the website and there is also an app to download) WOTVM had a birthday treat of a free bottle of Prosecco to claim - well, it'd be rude not to really! As a Gold Club member you also get a free taster for everyone on your table and a 'treat' which ranges from £10 off your bill to a free glass of house wine, so it really makes sense to sign up for one.

We were greeted on arrival and quickly seated. The staff here are very friendly and know their stuff, most are happy to recommend a dish or drink if you're having trouble deciding. Our waiter, Francesco, was no exception and quickly bought over the Prosecco wishing us both a happy birthday as it was after WOTVM's and before Mr Vegan Man's birthday.

As it was a celebration we decided to go for the full 3 courses. We both went for antipasti planks for our starters, one meaty, one veggie of course. WOTVM's meat plank was very good indeed, a great selection of Italian meats and cheeses with a fresh slaw and accompanying olives and caper berry. The highlight was the creamy buffalo mozzarella.

Mr Vegan Man's veggie plank came with a good selection of roasted veg antipasti along with some cheesy additions which he coped with as they were quite mild and not melty. A thumbs up all round!

It was at this point we were also brought our free taster which was Italian Nachos - crispy fried cheesy ravioli in a slightly spicy tomato sauce. We got stuck into this, forgetting to take a photo, but can confirm it was tasty, a comforting mix of a classic cheese and tomato combo.

Our mains arrived soon after, WOTVM had gone for a dish she's had before, fresh crab spaghetti. Crab isn't something she gets to have at home very much so this was a real treat. The pasta was cooked perfectly and was tossed in a fresh, lemony sauce which went perfectly with the sweet crab. The addition of some fresh chilli, herbs and pepper made it even more delicious.

Mr Vegan Man went for Ravioli Genovese - green pasta enclosing a primavera filling and served with lovage pesto, hazelnuts and pine nuts.  The pasta was lovely and thin, not too heavy, and cooked right on point.  The filling was fresh and tasty and the pesto added a nice zing, with the nuts adding a bit of extra crunch and flavour to the dish.  The portion size was generous and although the quantity of veggies meant that the dish was not overly heavy, it managed to have a nice richness that made it feel special.  The presentation was stunning too, it looked a real picture.

We were pretty stuffed by this point when the waiter informed WOTVM that she was also entitled to a free chocolate brownie for pudding as part of her birthday treat. Feeling as full as she was she asked if she could perhaps have some ice cream instead - the waiter didn't think we could, be when he returned said he had checked and on this occasion she was in luck (she didn't mention she had done the same dessert swap on her birthday last year). Good ice cream is one of WOTVM's absolute favourite things to eat so when three delicious scoops (2 salted caramel, 1 chocolate) came out smothered in butterscotch sauce she was in her element. Full or not, the pudding stood no chance! 

Mr Vegan Man, in a show of birthday solidarity, also went for ice cream but replaced one scoop of salted caramel with a scoop of vanilla and some crushed honeycomb on top.  It was delightful, the ice cream was smooth and full of flavour.  The perfect way to end a meal.

The bill came in at a shade under £45, which was a cracking bargain considering we'd had three courses, a taster, and a whole bottle of Prosecco.  If nothing else this highlights the great value you get from being a Gold Club member, particularly during birthday month.  Our service was excellent, Francesco was enthusiastic and attentive and did his best to make us feel special.

You can visit Jamie's Italian website here to have a look at their menu, find your local branch and become a Gold Club member.  Enjoy!

Recipe Review - Bouikos by Honey & Co.

Today we bring you a review of one of Wife of the Vegan Man’s favourite recipes (Mr Vegan Man is not keen on these due to the high cheese content…). The original recipe can be found in the Honey & Co. - Food From the Middle East cook book by Sarit Packer & Itamar Srulovich. There are so many tasty treats to make in this book, but so far bouikos have been the thing we keep making again and again because they are so simple but also so, so good! Even if you are not a baking guru we're confident you’ll still get great results. They are similar to a cheese scone, but more flavoursome and crunchy, and, in our opinion are better eaten on their own as a snack or appetiser, rather than split and

spread with butter like a scone.

Ingredients:

50g cold butter
40g mature Cheddar cheese
40g feta cheese
100g plain flour
a pinch of salt
50ml sour cream (I sometimes use natural yoghurt instead and it works just as well)
1/2 tsp nigella seeds (often I use a little more as I love the flavour of nigella seeds)
2 spring onions, chopped (or 2 tbsp chopped chives)
milk to glaze (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 220°C/200°C fan

As is mentioned in the recipe book, it is very important to use cold ingredients when making the bouikos, similar to if you were making a shortcrust or puff pastry. In order to do this we measure out all of our dry ingredients in advance and leave the butter, cheeses and sour cream in the fridge while doing so to ensure they stay chilled. We're making two batches here, one with nigella seeds and chive (as detailed in the ingredients above), the other with the alternative flavour combination of 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika and a pinch of chilli flakes (instead of nigella and chive). Feel free to experiment with the herbs and spices you add to the basic recipe, we're thinking of trying out ground cumin, fresh coriander and lemon zest soon!  We'll post a blog update with some further flavour combos once we've had a chance to try them out ourselves.

The recipe suggests cutting the cold butter into dice-sized cubes, grating the Cheddar and crumbling the feta. This means the finished result has lovely cheesy pockets and a light, crispy texture when baked.

Once you have all of your ingredients in a large bowl just bring them together with your hands, working the pastry as little as possible, until it has just combined. It’s ok, in fact it’s good, to still be able to see lumps of butter and cheese in your pastry.

Tip out your pastry on to a lightly floured surface and gently shape and flatten it into a 2-3cm thick rectangle. Don’t worry too much if it’s not exact. The traditional shape is into triangles as shown above, but there’s no reason you can’t make them into any shape. We like to make them small to get 12 bouikos out of this amount of pastry, but you could make larger ones, it’s really up to you! You can also freeze the bouikos at this stage to thaw and bake at a later date.

Line a baking tray and place your pastries on top. If you want a nice brown, shiny top to your bouikos, brush with a little milk before baking. Put them on the middle shelf and bake for 10 minutes then reduce the temperature to 200°C/180°C fan, turn the baking tray around and bake for another 6-8 minutes. They should be golden brown when done. 

Wife of the Vegan Man usually likes to ‘quality control’ a couple straight from the oven to make sure they are good (they’re always delicious). They are best eaten the same day while they are still beautifully crunchy and as Mr Vegan Man doesn’t like them WVM doesn’t have to share, although they are a crowd pleaser with our friends, one of whom once exclaimed “You made these?! I thought they were from M&S!” They have a tendency to disappear very quickly!

We absolutely love this recipe and there are many other delicious treats to be found in this wonderful book, please check out Honey & Co.’s website for more details.