Jamie's Italian Guildford review

Husband and I love eating out. It was our favourite pastime pre-children. Now we are a family of four the quality of the children's menu is a top consideration when deciding where to eat.

The Soil Association have released their 'Out for lunch' kid's menu league table and Jamie's Italian have nabbed the top spot for the second time by focusing on freshly cooked food, organic meat, free-range eggs and sustainable fish at reasonable prices. We were invited to dine at their Guildford restaurant and try the award winning menu for ourselves. Naturally we jumped at the chance.

The restaurant is situation at the bottom of the high street and has an inviting open feel. There are loads of tables across the two levels and it has a very relaxed atmosphere - as expected from a Jamie Oliver establishment! We were sat in a comfy booth by the window.

Husband enjoyed a glass of red wine from the extensive wine list while we browsed the main menu. The dishes all sounded amazing with a mixture of pasta and meat dishes (no pizzas). The kids were busy trying to fish the fruit out of their unlimited  'fruity water' (Sparking water with fresh berries floating about inside).

The kid's menu came with some fun entertainment which the girls loved. Old school viewfinders showed pictures of each dish so they could see exactly what they were ordering. Little I was completely mesmerised by it - who needs TV! The Little Pack of Fun contained colouring sheets and games which kept Little E and Husband busy.

The kid's menu is varied with classics such as Mini Spaghetti and Meatballs and Baby Beef Burgers, and more adventurous kid's dishes like Salmon in a Bag. The dishes are available in two portion sizes: Little Kids (£6.50) or Big Kids (£6.95).

There aren't any starters on the kids menu so the kids shared a garlic bread from the adult menu. Wow. Husband and I both agreed it was the best garlic bread we have ever tasted and the kids demolished it!

For main they both had Chicken Lollipops. On arrival we realised why there are no starters on the kids menu - the portions are huge! They easily could have shared the Little Kids portion. Little E had mini chicken fillets in her Big Kid's portion and Little I had 4 in the Little Kids version. They ate 2 fillets each so loads leftover. It was served with a fun 'shake me' salad presented in a jar and some jacket 'hedgehog' potatoes.

To start I chose Garlic and Chilli Prawns served with my very own garlic bun. The prawns were lovely but that gorgeous little garlic bread stole the show! Husband had some delicious squid with garlic and lemon mayo.

We both chose mains from the daily specials. I had Lamb Ragu with papardelle pasta and Husband the Salmon linguine. Both dishes surpassed expectations. The ragu was the tastiest pasta dish I have ever eaten (including when in Italy). Little E took a shine to it and tried to eat half of it! The linguine definitely won the presentation prize and tasted as good as it looked.

We were all very full but the dessert menu was too tempting. The kids both had chocolate ice cream with an Italian cookie and chocolate sauce from the kids menu priced just £1.25 each.

Husband had a selection of sorbets topped with crushed Amaretti biscuits and honeycomb. Very tasty. I chose a decadent chocolate praline pudding with vanilla ice cream (It is usually served with salted caramel ice cream but they easily switched it to my favourite vanilla - classic paired with chocolate and praline). I didn't speak whilst inhaling my dessert and Little E's grin speaks volumes about her dessert experience!

The service from all the staff matched the quality of the food. Relaxed but attentive and hard to fault. The kids were made to feel really special and they received 'We ate all our greens!' badges and balloons as we left. Little E asked if we could come back again and we definitely will!

We received this meal complimentary but all opinions are our own.

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