Jamies Italian, King Street - Manchester Eats #2

The boy and I are slowly but surely eating our way around Manchester. The range of restaurants, cafes, bars and quirky spaces and places to eat and drink blow my mind. Most weekends, or occasionally in the evenings, we take a wander around the city centre and every time we find somewhere new. Somewhere that often doesn't appear to be an establishment selling delicious food, but always surprises our taste buds.

Of course, they are establishments that are more well known, are reputable chains around the UK and are, in my humble opinion worth a visit also. One such place in Manchester is Jamie's Italian and a while back, in between ducking in and out of some busy shops, we swung by for an impromptu lunch. My first visit there, I was immediately in awe of the building itself. A former bank, complete with a underground vault, it is a stunning building. I couldn't stop looking up!

The space where you normally would exchange your money with a bank teller is now where a portion of the cooking and prep takes place and there is an array of meats hung for you to gawk at and drool over. I loved the clever use of the space and was even more intrigued to later read that you can dine in the vault downstairs or in some of the private, more quieter spaces on the balcony. Due to the sheer size of the place and the high ceilings, it can sound a little like a canteen at times, especially during busy periods. 

The boy and I were seated in a little corner. A nice space with other diners, our waiter provided us with excellent service. Very conscientious, he ensured we had everything we needed in speedy time and he was well versed in the specials of the day. Looking back, I wish I had caught his name, I always believe in letting someone know when the customer service is great as sometimes we're often too focused on just complaining!

To start, the boy ordered a beer and I ordered a peach bellini. (Fancy!) Call me wild, but I love having a sneaky tipple on a day off. The bellini was sweet and fizzy and the perfect drink to help me unwind a little after trying to negotiate my way around the Manchester Saturday shopping crowds. I was tempted to order a few more, but I decided to leave a little space for at least some food!

Now before we move onto the delicious food, I will apologise in advance as I've completely forgotten the details surrounding the special that the boy ordered. I do know that it a) tasted delicious and b) contained some aged Italian ham which tasted Uh-ma-zing! He also ordered a portion of tasty fries with Parmesan. (They were so good!) 

As I was feeling full from breakfast, I ordered a light starter of crab meat and decided to stay away from a main meal that might be too heavy and thus need me to be rolled out of the restaurant.

You can tell from the clean plate and board above that we gobbled up our impromptu lunch! It was a lovely meal and treat in an otherwise busy and hectic day. My mum is travelling over for a visit soon and I reckon a return visit may be on the list, even if its just for a quick bellini.