This was my second visit to Fifteen restaurant. The first time we went to the trattoria with my friend Shannon and her partner, Paul, whilst they were visiting from Australia. The trattoria was reasonably priced and impressive, more so for the quality of the ingredients than the cooking itself. 

This time around, Brad and I were taking his mother to lunch, also visiting from Australia… Jamie Oliver is rather popular down under! We opted for a lunchtime deal at the dining room. The offer is still available and you can see details on their website. I’ve heard from friends that the tasting menu they offer in the evenings is very good too but it’s slightly more pricy. 

We started with drinks upstairs as we arrived a little early for our booking. The bar area stocks a wide assortment of branded food, clothing and books urging you to part with your money before you’ve even had your meal. I’d be critical if this was any normal restaurant but this is a charity after all. 

We started off with rosemary garlic focaccia bread with olive oil to dip it in. The bread received thumbs up from all of us. Onto starters! Brad’s Mum opted for the Jersey New Soup with Olive Bread (pictured above). The presentation was elegant for a soup, although I wasn’t sure about the large number of chopped olives on the bread.

Brad had the Beef Ragu with Pappardelle and I had the Mozzarella with Broad Beans and Salad Leaves. I’m pretty sure that there are very similar dishes in Jamie’s cookbooks. Both dishes were executed well, although I found there was a bitterness from the broad beans that overwhelmed the mozzarella.

As usual, I couldn’t overlook the pork option on the menu so ended up with Pork Shoulder with Pepperonata and Watercress. The cut was a little fatty but the combination of flavours was amazing. Marian opted for the Pumpkin wrapped in Crepes and was quite pleased with them, although they could have been constructed a bit neater. If I remember correctly they were stuffed with goat’s cheese also. 

Brad got the Mackerel with Caperberries and Roasted Vegetables. The whole fish on the plate tested his seafood squeamishness, luckily I showed him how to get rid of the backbone so he was left with the two fillets. After that the dish received the thumbs up!

Marian opted for the Chocolate Tart with Raspberries which was lovely, although perhaps could have been a bit more generous in size. Brad went for the Basil and Vanilla Pannacotta with Shortbread and Strawberries. The basil didn’t really come through in the Pannacotta but I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. 

Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t go past the cheese. I wanted to try all four cheeses on the menu and thought that perhaps they’d just serve little portions on one platter. Instead, I got 2 whole platters of cheese in front of me. At least I don’t have to hide that I like my food! Thankfully Brad helped me with the cheese.

The bill was around £140 including drinks and service. Overall, it was an enjoyable meal but not extraordinary enough that I’d go back again unless requested by a visitor.