Jamie’s pasta dishes don’t disappoint (Picture: Richard Clatworth /Jamie Oliver Enterprises Ltd)
After the closure of Jamie’s Italian back in 2019, celebrity-chef Jamie Oliver is back with a new restaurant to satisfy all your pasta needs.
There is a slight catch though – the new pop-up, Pasta Dreams, in London’s Soho is collection or delivery only, and will only be available in the run up to Christmas.
So basically, get it while you can.
We were lucky enough to get an early taste of the menu and can confirm that Pasta Dreams is, well, dreamy.
The Truffle & Three-Cheese Mezzaluna was truffle-licious, and we’re still thinking about the Cacio x Carbonara Casarecce – a creamy mix of cacio e pepe meets carbonara.
The Italian mash up is apparently Jamie’s favourite but the Naked Chef has been in hot water before over switching up traditional recipes – including a nationwide backlash against his Jerk Rice product in supermarkets. Hopefully Italians can forgive him for this melding of two classic dishes.
There were also options for carnivores, veggies and vegans alike – including the vegan Roasted Red Pepper Mezze Maniche and Beef & Chianti Agnolotti.
The mouth-watering Truffle & Three-Cheese Mezzaluna (Picture: Richard Clatworth /Jamie Oliver Enterprises Ltd)
The Beef & Chianti Agnolotti is also on offer (Picture: Richard Clatworth /Jamie Oliver Enterprises Ltd)
Side dishes and starters are also on offer, including a cured meat sharing platter, garlic bread and spicy olives.
And we beg of you, do not skip desert. The delightfully boozy tiramisu just might be the best dish on the menu.
There will also be monthly specials from guest ‘dreamers’, with £1 from the sale of those dishes being donated to the charity Springboard.
We loved the boozy tiramisu (Picture: Richard Clatworth /Jamie Oliver Enterprises Ltd)
Thankfully the Pasta Dreams menu has been specifically crafted with delivery in mind, which is music to our ears, as we can’t be the only ones that have waited on a hangover takeaway, only to find it’s been ‘deconstructed’ on the journey to us.
Jamie explained: ‘Pasta Dreams was actually about trying to find the blend of flours and the extrusion and the shapes and the sizes that can stand up to the battering that happens in delivery.’
More than 10,000 hours was spent testing every pasta shape, perfecting the cooking time, and of course taking it out for delivery. The pastas also contain a much higher egg content than average, which gives the pasta a far better silkier texture, better colour and more flavour.
For his new venture, Jamie has teamed up with Taster, the delivery-first restaurant group, in the hopes of making waves in the delivery market – we can only assume he’s planning on giving Italian favourite Pasta Evangelists a run for their money.
Jamie said: ‘Taking some of my fave Italian dishes and making them ready for delivery has been an epic journey.
Jamie hopes his new launch will shake up the market (Picture: Richard Clatworth /Jamie Oliver Enterprises Ltd)
‘By partnering with Taster, we’ve created a menu that is vibrant and delicious, plus we’re giving opportunities to passionate cooks and supporting a brilliant cause.
‘I’m really proud to be launching Pasta Dreams. I know you’re gonna love it.”
The restaurant launches in London today (13 October) from the pop up in Archer Street, London. Hungry pasta lovers can also order on Uber Eats and other major delivery platforms, with main course dishes starting at just £8.90. Over the coming weeks, Pasta Dreams will be rolled out to further sites across London and other UK cities.
For more info follow Pasta Dreams on Instagram.
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The truffle pasta and tiramisu are stand-out dishes.