19/04/14 - A Very Special Birthday

My entire life currently consists of sleep, trains, work and not a whole lot else.  My throat is raspy, my legs ache from spending hours running around, and I spend half my time being a little bit delirious...but I couldn't be happier.  Well, I could.  If I had a bit more blogging time on my hands, everything would be perfect.  I have a couple of things coming up that I can hopefully write about, but before that I of course wasn't going to miss the chance to share a little of what we got up to on my baby brother's eighteenth birthday.  It was actually over a week ago now, which shows how little spare time I have on my hands!

In what world is this something that's happening?  In my head, he'll always be a cheeky little scamp running around wearing his round Harry Potter-style glasses before they were cool and eating sand, but nope.  He's a fully-fledged adult now, heading off to university in September, and this required some serious celebration!  We headed to Jamie's Italian in Liverpool, the first time I've been since my own birthday last summer.  Yet again, I was impressed by the whole experience, although I will say that sitting inside meant that it was a little dark for those of us who wish to snap photos of every element of their meal.  I had to use the camera on my phone, as the flash on my little digital camera is a bit harsh when it comes to food photography.  Please excuse the slightly grainy images, I edited them up the best I possibly could!

We began the meal with a plank of various starters which included, among other things, some of the best mozzarella I have ever eaten and an absolutely beautiful bruschetta-type affair.  We also got a selection of bread and some delicious olives which were served with some gorgeous tapenade.  I'm a big fan of having a selection of starters to dip into, and it gave my brother's girlfriend a chance to sample a few things she probably wouldn't have ordered herself.

The buffalo mozzarella was just perfect.

When it came to ordering a main course, I was torn between having something I'd tried before or going down a new path.  Some cryptic negotiations with my father who "didn't want to sway my decision either way" led me to order the honeycomb cannelloni which I had last time, on the assumption that my other option was the one that he wanted and I'd therefore get to try both.  Turned out my second-guessing was entirely wrong, but at least I now know what I'll be having the next time I go!  The photo I took of my meal was utterly terrible, but you can see a much clearer picture here.  Fortunately it tasted much better than it looked on my phone and I would certainly recommend it, particularly to anyone who likes a bit of variety in their meals.  The pasta contains three different fillings (aubergine and sun-dried tomato; spinach and ricotta; pumpkin) and is served with a rich tomato sauce that doesn't overwhelm the rest of the dish.  Delish.

We also sampled, on something of a whim, some polenta chips served with rosemary salt and parmesan.  I am a massive advocate of polenta and these were fried to perfection, lovely and crunchy with that soft centre.

Unfortunately, none of us were really feeling up to dessert after an utterly delightful but incredibly filling meal.  However, of course, I am never one to pass up a cocktail course.  The cocktail menu is updated every year, with the results of a nationwide cocktail competition influencing which mixes the public get to enjoy.  That meant the gin and Earl Grey cocktail that I had last time was no longer available, a fact that I was mighty disappointed by.  But all is not lost, there are plenty of other fabulous options to choose from and it means there will be a bit of variety every time you go.  I had some kind of elderflower-and-prosecco-and-something-else concoction which was really lovely.

Overall, the meal was a roaring success.  We ate our fill of delicious food, and the staff were all very attentive and friendly.  Also, because my dad's a member of Jamie's Gold Club or whatever it's called, we got a sample of some tasty lemon and ricotta ravioli which was lovely and fresh. I'm a big fan of the between-courses treat!  And on top of it all, it was a fantastic opportunity to get dolled up...a nice change considering I only ever seem to wear my work uniform these days.

I'm wearing: H&M blazer, Miss Selfridge dress, New Look shoes, and the bag is the

clutch section of my Zara Combined City Bag.

Have you ever been to Jamie's Italian?  Let me know in the comments what you thought of it!