Situated just off the square in the centre of York is Jamie’s Italian It is spread over two floors of an old Tudor wine cellar, and the space is beautiful. My friend and I were up for the weekend and spotted a ‘two dine for £30’ on Wowcher and so snapped up the deal. It included a starter and a main course each, from a slightly more limited menu than the usual dinner service. The options were great though so we didn’t mind.

A huge sign welcomed us, stating that all the pasta on the premises was made fresh that day. I doubt many restaurants do this, so I was pleasantly surprised.

There’s seating outside, and through the large glass doors there is produce to buy. I stopped myself from spending a bomb on balsamic vinegar and beautiful wooden serving boards, but will pop to the Nottingham one next week in search of one of the smaller boards!

We were seated upstairs and to the right. There were only 10 or so tables there and so it felt lovely and peaceful (we needed it after being exposed to screaming kids at York Dungeons earlier that day!)

Sitting down, we ordered cocktails while we perused the menu. Eleanor chose the blackberry & vanilla daiquiri while I opted for a passionfruit royale.

The starters arrived. I had chosen Fritto Misto – crispy fried sustainable fish and squid tossed in fennel-spiced flour with garlic & lemon aioli. I adore squid so was really excited to try this. When it arrived I looked for the squid but there wasn’t any! I was so disappointed. I mentioned it to the waitress and got a lacklustre ‘oh sorry about that’ in response. No attempt to rectify the situation though which was a little frustrating. The fish however was beautifully cooked. Soft and full of flavour, and the aioli was a great accompaniment.

Eleanor chose the Cured meat plank – fennel salami, pistachio mortadella, prosciutto and schiacciata piccante with mini buffalo mozzarella, pecorino & chilli jam, pickles, olives & purple slaw. She made very impressed noises throughout and loved it.

For main I chose British crab spaghetti – with chilli, fennel, capers, white wine and garlic, topped with lemon zest and extra virgin olive oil. It was delicious! It’s the first time I have eaten capers, and the whole dish was perfect. The small pieces of crab meat were cooked perfectly and the dish was warming and flavourful.

Eleanor went for Classic super food salad – a super fresh combination of avocado, roasted beets, mixed pulses and grains, sprouting broccoli, pomegranate and spicy seeds with harissa dressing and cottage cheese. It was full of colour and flavour and tasted delicious.

Not a drop was left on our plates when the waitress cleared the table, and we really did enjoy the food.

A couple of things though that need mentioning, although the waitress was lovely, she wasn’t the most helpful I have met. Along with the squid issue, the table next to us ordered steak and were halfway through eating it before they asked for a steak knife to eat it as they were really struggling. It was hard to catch the waitresses eye, however a check back should have been made much earlier (although anyone that has been a waitress knows that if someone orders steak they will need the correct knife)

Also, the menu we were presented with was the ‘Jamie’s evening menu’ which stated 2 courses for £14.95. So we actually paid over the odds for buying through Wowcher which isn’t the way it’s supposed to work. Only 5p more per person, but watch out if you think you’re getting an amazing deal – don’t give Wowcher their percentage, go straight to the restaurant and skip the middle man!

All in all, a great dinner and I wouldn’t hesitate to go back. Thankfully there is one on my doorstep in Nottingham, so I won’t need to travel so far next time. The full menu sounds incredible and I’d love to try the crispy squid for starter next time and the prawn linguine for main!