Last week I had the pleasure of dining for the first time at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen, a ‘non-profit’ restaurant and bar near Old Street in London, open since 2002. I had been looking forward to this meal for weeks as many of my friends had already been and loved it. Fifteen met my expectations, I had a fantastic experience and I would love to go back. Read on to know why.
First of all it’s important to say that Fifteen is part of the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation, a registered charity. All profits made by the restaurant in its 15 years have been used to finance the Apprentice Programme, a programme to teach cooking skills and the love of food to unemployed young people. Since 2002 the restaurant has recruited young people aged between 18-25 years who learnt everything from traditional butchery and bakery to the finest pastry skills. Many of these apprentices went on to become top-class chefs.
The Apprentice Programme is now in its final year, but Jamie Oliver will keep recruiting apprentices every year to train at every one of its restaurants in the UK.
The kitchen at Fifteen is led by Head Chef Robbin Holmgren, who puts together the menu of classic dishes taking inspiration from around the world. The dishes are made with the best quality produce, sourced responsibly, and with seasonal ingredients.
Pre-dinner snack from Head Chef Robbin Holmgren.
I had dinner with my husband and we sat at one of the leather booths downstairs, underneath a small skylight. It was one of the most intimate and beautiful tables I’ve ever sat at a restaurant, comfortable, cozy and with natural light coming through.
The service by our friendly and knowledgeable waiter Luca was outstanding and one of the highlights of my meal.
There is a choice of a la carte (lunch – dinner) or set menu (Chef’s Choice): a five-course menu which lets you taste your way through some of Chef Robbin’s favourite dishes. The price for the Chef’s Choice menu is £55 or £85 with wine pairing.
I decided to try the chef’s recommendation, but skipped the wine pairing as five wines are too much for me. Instead I ordered a delicious Negroni cocktails as aperitif, then paired my courses with one glass of white and one glass of red wine.
I enjoyed every single dish, but among my favourites were the burrata for starter and the agnolotti for mains.
Burrata, grelot onion, smoked walnut, malt
Cured mackerel, Granny Smith apple, buttermilk, dill
Agnolotti, summer truffle, nettles, Parmesan
Short rib, new season garlic, mash, Montgomery Cheddar
English strawberry, goat’s milk ice cream, elderflower, spring herbs
We finished a great meal with coffee and shortbread biscuits.
The restaurant, food, drinks and service at Fifteen London are truly outstanding and I would highly recommend booking a table. Perfect for special occasions.
Fifteen, 15 Westland Place, London N1 7LP. Open for lunch Mon to Sun 12:00 to 14:45; dinner Mon to Sat 18:00 to 22:30 and Sunday 18:00 to 21:30.
Disclaimer: I was a guest of the restaurant. All opinions are my own.
Would love to visit this place next time I am in London.
A perfect meal.. The food looks superb..
I love the sentiment behind the founding of Fifteen, I haven’t been to the London one in ages but I loved the one in Cornwall.
I have read that the restaurant has changed a lot over the years (the interiors as well as the menu) so it’s definitely worth going back!
I love jamie Oliver’s approach to food and everything food related. Of course, I have almost all his books. Some of them were the first cookbooks I’ve ever owned! ;) I’d love to visit this restaurant!
I don’t have all the cookbooks, but I also love Jamie’s approach and respect all the good things he has done to make people appreciate food in this country and all over the world. The restaurant is really beautiful and it just has a special atmosphere, I can’t quite explain. You have to see it to understand. The food and cocktails are also great!