Review of the new Jamie's Italian restaurant in St Albans

Yesterday I was lucky enough to get a preview of the dining experience at Jamie's Italian in St Albans. The restaurant officially opens on 6th February 2012, in the site of the former Bell pub on Chequer Street. This week, the restaurant has opened up its doors for pre-booked sessions, with the aim of the new staff getting up to speed with the menu and service.

Jamie's Italian in St Albans is the first restaurant opening in Hertfordshire for the celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and it has caused quite a stir in St Albans as we have anticipated its opening. With much of the development work and refit of the building having taken place behind scaffolding I couldn't wait to get inside the door and find out what had gone on inside:

The first thing to hit me was how much of a change has taken place inside this building. Perhaps with the duration of the building work, I should have been prepared, but I wasn't. The former Bell has been opened up to create a light modern space with a vast main dining hall, flanked to the left by a long bar and a state of the art kitchen. At the main entrance to the restaurant, raised dining rooms go off to either side. These have a different feel to the main dining room and it's easier to identify with the heritage of the old building.

In Jamie's Italian, you soon get the message that ingredients, freshness and artisan skills are key to the chains ideals. On entering you are immediately faced with cans of Italian tomatoes, tempting looking breads and hanging meats.

Walls are clad with rough timber, bench seats are painted red and there's a predominance of battleship grey paint. The look is a mixture of utilitarian meets rustic – I like it a lot. One of the most stunning aspects of the extension to the building is the glass roof, which runs about halfway across the building as it heads in to The Maltings shopping centre. Urban-style wall art, which makes me think of spray can-style aboriginal graffiti, decorates the stairs and landing as you make your way to the upstairs toilets. They have an almost 50's feel to them. You may think that this sounds like a strange mix, but for me it really works. To bring this image to life, check out the gallery of photos 'Inside new Jamie's Italian St Albans restaurant' I've posted here!

We were shown to our table and served by the most delightful waitress. Eager to please, she had a smile which could have fronted a toothpaste campaign. I was so surprised when she revealed at the end of our meal that we were her very first customers! All the waiters looked smart and modern, with fitted white shirts, grey ties and grey aprons – amongst them I sensed the excitement of them all being in at the start of something new.

So let's get on to the food. There were four of us at our table and we ordered Chilli Peppers stuffed with tuna and some Italian Nachos to start with. Both were really good and the presentation was appealing. On to our mains, two of us chose pasta dishes, Prawn Linguni and Mushroom Panzerotti, and then there was a Feathered Steak and a Revolution Burger – all of which were deemed good and tasty. Sides of Funky Chips, Posh Chips and Crunchy Salad were also enjoyed. Overall, the quality of the food was excellent and far surpassed my expectations of a chain restaurant.

In the house was Italian celebrity chef Gennaro Contaldo, a close friend of Jamie Oliver's, who has made many TV appearance alongside the British chef. He appeared to be overseeing staff and gave guests a warm welcome, posing for photos when asked. Exceptional staff training or a wonderful bit of PR – I'll let you be the judge!

All up, Jamie's Italian is an exciting new prospect for St Albans diners. There's been a heap of bad news in our city centre lately with retailers closing, and empty shops growing by the week. How nice to have a breath of fresh air and something new to celebrate in the centre of St Albans! I wholeheartedly encourage you to go and take a look for yourselves. And please don't forget, you can add your thoughts on the new Jamie's Italian in St Albans below: