Fifteen London (Restaurant)

i visited Fifteen with friends on a Saturday lunch time. The service was attentive enough at first, but dropped off markedly after the starters were brought. I think they had trouble with their timing, as my Carbonara had clearly spent a great deal of time under the lights. I'm disappointed, as I think the idea is so wonderful, but far more quality control is needed in the restaurant.
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3 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 1
Monday, October 10, 2011

I had my first taste of Jamie's food on Saturday and was absolutely delighted. The idea of helping the young in life really appealed to me . Certainly the young people who served ,at our table of four, showed great care and attention to their customers. The food portions were somewhat small but then I went with the idea of experiencing healthy eating and that is what I got.There could have been more mussels in the dish but oh what gorgeous olives who could complain? The atmosphere was pleasant ,no loud background music for people who like to have a conversation, as I do, while enjoying a meal. We shared the starters and the small helpings left lovely flavours to be savoured again.The service was well spaced with no waiting . Thank you to all for I shall be returning with many friends .
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Mrs Catherine Long
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Wednesday, August 24, 2011

More than very disappointed! Went in a group from work for breakfast. The 'full monty' provided was poor in portion and also cold. Scrambled eggs were dry and clearly cooked in advance. Poor service also. If this had been a local cafe at £5 i would have been appalled and not returned. Whenever Jamie Oliver appears on TV again I shall recall this awful breakfast.
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3 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 3
Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Disappointing! Having enjoyed Jamie's Italian in Oxford on a number of occasions we were looking forward to another Italian feast in the Fifteen Tratorria. We found the menu limited and there were only 2 specials on offer. There was no children's menu. We found everything was overpriced for the quantity served and of mediocre quality. We paid £4 for two scoops of vanilla icecream (no sauce, wafer, biscuit or sprinkles to enhance the look and/or flavour). After the meal our waitress seemed to have vanished into thin air and we waited 15 minutes to be provided with, and pay the bill, eventually having to get up from the table and pay at the desk on the way out, although there were no other customers at this point and a number of serving staff just sitting or standing around. We commend Jamie Oliver for giving young unemployed people an opportunity to forge a career but it costs the diner dearly. I will not be recommending this restaurant nor will I frequent it again.
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3 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 3
Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Also here a big disapointment. I am a great fan of Jamie Oliver, and I support very much his ideas also about this restaurant. What I found very difficult after the dinner is, why I have to pay more than normal for a dinner about average and a wine service much much below. We started with a glass of sparkling wine, ok but nothing special. Then a glas of Etna DOC Rosso from Cottanara, absolutely the basic of their wines. The wine was tired, and too hot. Then a bottle of Bourgogne Raquilet, absolut a wine that I believe cost Jamie max 8 EURO to the restaurant. Here the price were 43,50 £. Completely crazy. I thought the restaurants i Denmark were expensive with the wines. The Sommelier (yes the called it that) knew nothing about wine, did not check the wine, and the wine cellar was open all night. There for the wines were kept at a temp 18-20 degr. I saw Soldera Brunello 1990 Riserva (perhaps the Brunello of all time) and I cried about that handling of such a wine. The food: 1 Ravioli (yes it was one), one Risotto, one lamb and one Chicken, two espresso and a bottle of water. 179,14 £.

I like to know, why you have to pay more for less. Will I come again? For sure NO
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Michael Bodholdt
4 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 1
Monday, July 18, 2011

A big disappointment. Four of us went to 15 on the evening of 04.02.11 for a 40th birthday celebration. Quickly shown to table near bar which was cramped. Whole place very noisy. Cocky waiter got gradually ruder as evening went on until we ended up complaining to maitre'd about his attitude problem. We thought the menu quite limited in terms of variety and the food was really quite unremarkable. Surprisingly disappointing and expensive. Sorry Jamie, but I think you may be losing touch with this part of your empire.
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I.A.M.
4 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 5
Friday, June 10, 2011

Went to 15 for my 40th birthday. In summary staff great, food average. Not what I was expecting, thought it might be the other way around. Wouldn't go again. Went to the trattoria section and main and dessert menus a bit limited....needed another option or two on both.
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6 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 3
Monday, June 06, 2011

We ate in the Trattoria a couple of weeks ago as we were invited by some friends. My partner had always wanted to go to this place as she is a great fan of Jamie Oliver. In my opinion think this is one of the worst restaurants I have been to - the food is really bland and over priced. The starters all cost at least £7 and were miniscule. I got a blob of Mozzarella with smashed green peas on Bruschetta for £8 - it was small and hardly tasted of anything.

The thing that made me really annoyed was the rib-eye steak. Despite me asking for the steak to be medium-well done it came very red. I sent it back but only for it to come back slightly less red. I did not want to embarrass my friends so did not opt to send the dish back again and instead grudgingly ate it. The sides were really insipid as well and cost £22.50. I have just come back from Chicago and went to two typical restaurants that served steaks - these were done perfectly and did not cost as much as what I paid. This begs the question: if they do not know how to cook steak properly (as in knowing the difference between rare and med-well done), why bother to offer it on the menu ? Perhaps Jamie could take some time to teach his apprentices instead of trying to sort out school dinners on both sides of the Atlantic.

I won't be coming here again.
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3 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 2
Tuesday, May 17, 2011

My parents visited me in London for the day so I thought it would be a treat to go to Fifteen in Shoreditch as I really like Jamie's style of cooking. Our waiter was polite and friendly. The wine list was extensive, and we had some really good bottles, though they were perhaps overpriced and the way the wine menu is presented is ridiculous and needs simplifying.

They now have a pre-fixe meal deal that lasts over the weekend so we really thought we were going to get value for money. Complimentary bread and oil were lovely, starters of crab and orzo balls with lemon aioli were underwhelming to say the least. There was not even a hint of crab. It was basically a tasteless ball of batter. The aioli was nice but I couldn't detect the promised chilli kick. The pasta courses were mixed, the puttanesca was lovely but the gorgonzola and walnut gnocci, though generously sized, barely tasted of anything. It had about one crushed walnut , was hugely under seasoned and hardly any cheese.

The mains were the best courses of the bunch. My dad had salmon and really enjoyed it and my mum and I had duck with lentils. The lentils were really tasty as was the duck but the skin was flabby as opposed to crisp.

We didn't try any dessert as nothing overly appealed and we had been rather underwhelmed by the rest of the food so didn't feel it was worth the extra money.

Overall pleasant enough surroundings and atmosphere. Our waiter was friendly though no one seemed to go out of their way for you. What was striking was the flaws in basic cooking and flavours. Nothing was inedible but you could barely identify what you were eating it was so lacking in taste and seasoning, and worryingly often - the supposed star ingredient!! And flabby skin on duck??!! Surely that's covered in the first few weeks of cookery school!

Ended up paying about £200 for the three of us, far, far too much for something so tasteless and uninspiring. I think Jamie needs to stop trying to save the world and worry about the quality of things he puts his name to. He's a chef and this is his restaurant, but you would never know it.
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6 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 5
Friday, May 13, 2011

Very disappointing. Had to send the main meals back- pasta was crunchy and tasteless, gnochhi was sloppy and tasteless, spinach side dish had a ton of salt on it, inedible. So heavily salted we were up half the night glugging water. I've never complained or sent food baxck before but i literally couldnt eat it. Don't eat here!
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3 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 2
Thursday, April 21, 2011