Jamie Oliver's Fifteen

On our last night in London, we were taken to Jamie Oliver's restaurant, Fifteen. Fifteen was founded by Jamie Oliver in 2002, when he started the Apprentice Programme - giving young unemployed people a chance to have a better future. They study cooking in college, get hands-on training at Fifteen and also get work experience at some top restaurants.

The restaurant serves Italian food, and has a simple menu. We were given a set menu with a few selections for our mains, sides and desserts. I ordered the salmon, which came with sea asparagus, which I really like! The portion was good and the saltiness of the sea asparagus went very well with the salmon. It was good, but nothing outstanding. I also ordered a side of Northumberland Aura potatoes with mint and butter (no picture), though it wasn't very good (who thought potatoes wouldn't be good) and I didn't finish it. I was quite disappointed with dessert though. I had the brownie, but instead of a fresh and warm brownie, it tasted like something out of a grocery store. I wasn't expecting that to come out of a Jamie Oliver restaurant! Overall it wasn't a very spectacular meal, which was a little disappointing, from all the hype surrounding Jamie Oliver's restaurants. The tables weren't set up so that our large group could talk easily either. It was still a nice evening, though very sad because everyone was parting ways back to their own country the next day. Here's to everyone meeting again in the future!

We started off with a glass of champagne to celebrate the end of the Olympics and our time together.

Strawberry lemonade - the glass is a very cool oval shape.

Fifteen's signature antipasti - meats, seasonal vegetables, mozzarella and olives.

Pan-fried Shetland organic Salmond with Crown Prince squash, rock samphire and almond pesto.

Chocolate brownie with vanilla cream and crushed honeycomb.

Bella Italia - A Night of Italian Food

I can't say we didn't get to try many different types of foods and restaurants while I was in London! One night we headed for Italian at Bella Italia. A chain restaurant located all around London, Bella Italia serves up authentic Italian style foods, with the names of the dishes in Italian on the menu. I tried the Italian hunter's stew, which was okay, but not really what I was expecting. It had a whole chicken breast in soup, and it was a little difficult to cut and eat in a small bowl. For dessert, I ordered the chocolate fudge brownie, but it was extremely sweet and sticky, I wasn't able to finish it. A little too sweet for my taste! The restaurant also gives out 2 for 1 passes to the London Aquarium, so make sure to ask for those before you leave!

Bruschetta - plum tomatoes, rocket, red onion, garlic, olive oil and fresh basil on toasted ciabatta.

Mozzarella Pomodoro - Buffalo bocconcini mozzearella, plum tomatoes, and rocket.

Antipasto Misto - Italian salami, smoked speck ham, red pepper salsa, buffalo bocconcini mozzarella, bruschetta, ciabatta, grissini sticks and olives.

Pollo Cacciatore - Italian hunter's stew with chicken breast and roasted red onions in a tomato, smoked bacon and mushroom sauce.

Pollo Ciabatta - chargrilled chicken breast.

Filetto di Spigaola - seabass with herb and garlic salsa verde.

Cioccolato Diavola - chocolate fudge brownie with praline pieces and vanilla ice cream.

Godfather - fudge brownies, ice cream, chocolate sauce, fresh cream.

Cookie Dough Lava Cake.

Troia - Mediterranean Restaurant

The first evening in London, we headed to a Troia, a Mediterranean restaurant just across the street from our hotel. We went back a couple more times after that when we needed a quick meal. The first night, we only had the small dishes, which was actually pretty filling, and there was a lot of variety in the food and great for sharing. The second time, we got to order our own dishes and I chose a salad. The food was okay, but it's not really suited to my taste. Troia is a nice place to go for a quick bite!

Cool decor.

Sesame bread, samosa, eggplant.

Tomato salad and other mixed veggies.

Hummus with meat and a yogurt-y dip.

Bread for dipping.

Salmon and avocado salad.

Prawn salad.

Chicken and avocado salad, though they forgot to put in the avocados!

Iskender - lamb, chicken and minced lamb with yoghurt.

Inamo - Part 3

The last group arrived a week later and as a welcome dinner, we went back to Inamo. I admit some of the novelty had worn off, but it was still kind of cool to play games with your dining partner! We had several appetizers to share, before I had my main of the Tamarind Duck Breast.

This time, the service was terrible. While I understand we had a large group, but getting a drink you ordered at the beginning of the meal at the end of the meal is just ridiculous. We called on the servers several times, but were ignored, and the food was extremely late for several members of our party, including a sizzling beef dish brought to the table that wasn't cooked.  The rest of the restaurant wasn't terribly busy, and the service was inexcusable. Everyone was in a poor mood after, which was really sad, as it was supposed to be a celebratory welcome dinner!

Baby pork ribs.

Chicken satay with peanut sauce.

Again, we had the sashimi nigiri dish. The salmon is best!

Tuna sashimi with tobiko.

Tamarind duck breast with tomato and mazuna salad and tamarind sauce.

Pandan macaroon & yuzu flavoured white chocolate mousse with lemongrass & coconut sorbet. It was not presented as beautifully as last time.

Close up of the yumminess. I actually wasn't a fan of the filling.

Inamo - Part 2

A week later, we returned to Inamo with a new group. I decided to try the Sizzling Beef dish that others had last time and looked good. I was actually a little disappointed with it, though it was presented very nicely. This time, we made sure to stay for dessert! They were all created beautifully! I had the sorbet myself (very sour!!).

The bar.

A living wall.

Edamame beans with rock salt for an appetizer.

The sashimi nigiri set again. One of my favorite appetizers!

I think this was battered squid? It was spicy!

Sizzling beef - filet of beef with ginger and garlic sauce.

Homemade sorbet.

Vanilla crème brulee with strawberry and lemongrass coulis.

Coconut cheesecake with cherry sorbet and sour cherries.

Pandan macaroon & Yuzu flavoured white chocolate mousse with lemongrass & coconut sorbet.