Family night dinners become a special place in your life once you get married and have children. For my husband and I, who rarely get a date night without the kids, choosing a great location is key. Choosing where to eat out with the family can involve many decisions that may include:
– What distance is it from the house?
– How easy will it be to get there?
– Will we need to make a reservation?
– Do they have a kids menu?
For food lovers like my husband and I, we really want to go somewhere that not only has a great menu but somewhere that has been talked about highly by our friends and coworkers. Jamie’s in Bath has been one of those places we have been excited about trying out. A few weeks ago we were invited to have our family night dinner at Jamie’s Italian Bath.
We really liked the atmosphere and friendly staff upon our arrival. While it was a busy time of night and looked like they were fully booked, our waiter was very attentive and helpful. The boys really liked the over head lighting which striked a resemblence to the Pixar lamp. It gave great lighting for our food for all of our instagram photos of our expat life and travels to share with family and friends around the world. I had a difficult time choosing just one thing to order off the menu. It was not for the lack of enticing options and I ended up choosing a couple of half sizes with the promise that my husband would share his choice too. I like to keep my options open. A nod to my father who would change his order if anyone ordered the same dish. Sharing is caring and with that let me show you the coolest kid menus by far.
You are seeing correctly. The view masters, a popular toy since the 1960’s, have replaced the paper menu at Jamie’s Italian resturant in Bath. While they still get a tried and true activity placemat with dining options, the view master was a huge hit and stole the show. The retro toy gave a futuristic experience to the family night dinner and displayed what each main course looked liked on the plate before they made their order. Plus while they kids play with their menus it gives us time to focus on our menus too.
We decided to order both off the main menu and from the specials. After splitting half of Ryan’s dinner, it was clear that was a perfect choice.
We began with our starters of cured meats and seasoned vegetables. The antipasto boards contained a selection of fennel salami, pistachio mortadella, prosciutto & schiacciata piccante, chargrilled & marinated vegetables, mini buffalo mozzarella, pecorino & chilli jam, pickles, olives, and crunch kale slaw. It was one bite after another of satisfying tastes and was truely delicious.
For my main selection we chose two half portions of the following mains from Jamie’s Italian pasta menu. Pictured above is the Squid & Mussel Spaghetti Nero. It contains a flash-fried squid & mussels with slow-cooked octopus, capers, and anchovie in a tomato and white wine sauce. I almost wished I had just ordered the full size until I tried the equally yummy Penne Carbonara, pictured below. With crispy chunks of smoked pancetta and sweet buttery leeks, this was a comforting dish that reminded me of my years growing up in Naples, Italy. I would definitely reccomend both dishes, or even say try something I did not order off the menu. Just remember to tell me how it was so I might try it next time too.
Ryan ordered one of the specials, the pulled pork, which made me want to break my father’s cardinal rule of ordering food. It was so good I could have easily had my own plate so that I did not have to share. Since family dinner night is all about sharing and having a good time, we did just that and saved room for dessert too.
Ice cream was had by all. Since it was a special night out I had my ice cream on top of a brownie. This epic brownie was served warm with vanilla ice cream and topped with caramelised popcorn.
Of course Ryan and I had to finish it all off with espresso and some final dinner conversations. When you are enjoying a night out you definitely have to make the most of every moment. We really enjoyed our selves and left with full tummies and smiles on our faces.
After going to Jamie Oliver’s Italian resturant in Bath I know we will have to return again. Not just for another fun family night dinner, but so we can try some of the other things that looked so good but did not get to order this time around. It is a great place for a date night or with the family and it does not disappoint. Until next time, ci vidamo!
Q: Have you been to Jamie’s yet? If yes, where and what did you order? If no, what are you looking forward to trying? You can see their full menu here: Jamie’s Italian Bath
