Jamie Oliver is a very busy boy. He’s about to release a sequel to Billy and the Giant Adventure, his children’s book that soared straight to the top of the bestseller list upon release; he opens his new Covent Garden restaurant, Jamie Oliver Catherine St in November 2023, and he has just published a new book, 5 Ingredients Mediterranean, in response to calls for another of its kind from adoring fans. Oh, and he recently released Yes, Chef, an online cooking forum where subscribers can learn to cook alongside Jamie.
Jamie and his family have left their North London home for a stunning estate near Saffron Walden in Essex, from where he works when he can. “Time is in very short supply so being here and working at home saves me a lot of time,” he tells me. Though, with that extra time, he is simply taking on more projects, including his latest role with Yes, Chef, an online cooking tutorial that allows users to sign up for classes with Jamie and access a documentary of his life at home in Essex featuring many of his nearest and dearest, including his usually very press-shy wife Jools and his “surrogate Dad and best mate” Gennaro Contaldo. An online cookery course, Jamie tells me, allows him much more creative freedom and time to “go deep with recipes. For a half-hour telly slot, I get 24 minutes to teach people four or five recipes but with Yes, Chef there are no time restrictions. The good stuff for TV can often end up on the cutting room floor but not with this.” And while he may have conquered the recipe book market (the first 5 Ingredients sold over 1 million copies, a rarity for a food book), he is very enthusiastic about branching into a strictly online forum.
And there is his Catherine Street restaurant opening, too. The menu pays homage to the food his parents cooked in their pub The Cricketers when he was a child, and he lovingly describes his mother and father, to whom he is extremely close, as “pioneers.” He was first approached by Andrew Lloyd Webber to consult on the space which nestles next door to The Theatre Royal Drury Lane but when he saw it, Jamie knew he wanted to take it on. “It just felt right straight away,” he enthuses, “and I am so excited about it. I’m waking up with excitement every day at the moment. I wasn’t planning on doing another restaurant for another two or three years, but we were doing some advisory work for Andrew about the space and, when I saw it, I was 100 per cent in." That deep Jamie cackle erupts throughout our conversation, which is peppered with Naked Chef idiosyncrasies and lots of his recognisable jargon as he tells me how to “rattle out” a recipe. Jamie may be getting older, but the same delightful, youthful young man shines through.
Jamie gives us the five restaurants he always visits on his travels, when snatching a few precious hours by himself.
De Kas, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
“De Kas is my favourite restaurant in The Netherlands. It’s in a giant greenhouse where they grow loads of vegetables and herbs. It’s like Amsterdam’s version of The River Café; it’s got a really contemporary look to it on the inside and then the greenhouse on the outside. De Kas is cool, and it’s fresh. The food is amazing. It’s simple, but they use a lot more techniques than I usually associate myself with, and they’re quite restrained in how they do everything. It’s modern Dutch European food. We used to have a Fifteen in Amsterdam, and the Amsterdam kids were similar to the London kids I worked with. It was asking all the same critical questions we were in London, and I used to take my students over there a lot.”
Who comes here
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“Word has spread fast about De Kas and the unique setting mixed with the amazing food pulls in a crowd from across the city, across the Netherlands and, often, from across the world.”
Best table in the restaurant
“The best place to book in if you can is in the top right corner because you can look out over the whole room and you can see into the kitchen because it’s open. It literally is a greenhouse.”
Best time to come
“I love the spring there but I also love stuff in the winter as well. I often go there for work and, when I can, I always make a point of stopping in, and I usually go at lunchtime.”
Dish to order
“Jos [Timmer] is really talented, and it’s a really cool place. He does a really interesting garden salad with beautiful herbs and flowers. They do extraordinary ceviche. They do the best soft roll sandwiches with shrimp and crab and they grow a lot of stuff and make condiments that are always so fascinating. They do great pork and amazing lamb because they use the best farmers. They’ve also got a plethora of seafood, as you’d expect, but he’s really clever and so some of the techniques he uses, I couldn’t tell you how they do it. They are definitely using some Michelin star equipment, but they’re not pretentious.”
The River Café, London, England
“I know it’s predictable, but The River Café has to make this list. It has been around for coming up 30 years. They [Ruth Rogers and Rose Grey] were the best bosses, and it’s very consistent. It’s a very specific expression of Italian food, and I’ve never had a bad meal. Yes, it’s expensive, but is it worth saving up for? For sure. You also sort of feel lucky to be there. The kitchen seems to be 50-50 men and women in the kitchen, which is the holy grail, and you can really feel it; The River Café has got a very good feeling about it.”
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Who comes here
“Everyone. Italian food lovers, movie stars, politicians, artists, writers, singers, and anyone who loves to eat out in beautiful restaurants.”
Best table in the restaurant
“My favourite table is next to the wood oven. You get the whole vibe of the place there, and you can see everything that’s going on. You can see Ruthie and Sian and all the team in the kitchen.”
Best time to come
“The last time I went, I went for a very early dinner; that’s a really nice time of day to go. We then walked down to Hammersmith along the River Thames and saw Jim Jefferies, the Australian comedian, live on stage. It was a really great night.”
Dish to order
“I always have the turbot. They roast it on the bone, and it is utterly delicious. They always buy the best – the best Italian lemons and oregano – it’s in the oven for the right amount of time and served with a seasonal side. I always have a mixture of pasta in the middle of the table, which they make fresh on a daily basis. And you have to have the chocolate nemesis, without a doubt. If you want to go off the menu, which they may or may not do, ask for some nemesis in a coffee cup with a ball of ice cream. It’s insane. The menu is different every shift, so you are always eating whatever is best and whatever is in season.”
Nathan Outlaw, Port Isaac, Cornwall, England
“I’m a massive fan of Nathan’s, and he’s a good friend of mine. He is the nicest, kindest, sweetest, funniest, most pleasant person; he is so invested in his staff, and it shines through. I tell you what is cool about Nathan is that he has all the skills, but he is also good with restraint. He can do what he wants. He also has the restaurant down the bottom of the hill in Port Isaac, and I’d like to mention both because they’re both brilliant. Nathan has got some nice French numbers and classic English numbers. He’s always had an amazing pallet for Asian flavours, and he does ceviche styles and sushi styles that are just unbelievable. He didn’t even want a Michelin star in the restaurant down the bottom of the hill, and he got one the first year.”
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Who comes here
“Seafood lovers, Nathan fans, Cornwall fans and foodie travellers who go where they know the food will be top-notch.”
Best table in the restaurant
“I think the place to sit is the top left in the restaurant at the top of the hill because, again, you can see the kitchen, but you can also see the sea, but it is small, and there are very few seats so, to be honest, anywhere is good.”
Best time to come
“I’d go anytime myself, but Nathan does these two-day, gastronomic stays so I would suggest you get a lovely room at his guest house and go for a weekend away. With the room, you get a meal in his restaurants, too.”
Dish to order
“I would recommend any of Nathan’s fish dishes, though they change every day, but just go for any of the cured fish dishes. His menu is always changing, and it’s always really good. He’s very close to his dad, which reminds me a bit of me and my dad. He does delicious desserts – his desserts are outrageous. Get the baked Alaska or creme caramel – he’s not mucking about. He’s got it covered. I love his turbot or breaded sole with asparagus; you’re talking two or three things on a plate, which shows utter confidence, and it’s always perfect.”
Saint Peter, Sydney, Australia
“Josh Niland’s restaurant, Saint Peter, is a must; he’s probably the most exciting chef in Australia at the moment. He is doing stuff with fish that no one else on the planet is doing. He’s hanging fish and ageing it for three or four weeks, using every part of the body to make everything from desserts to starters and main courses. He is ex-Heston Blumenthal and has written an incredible book, Take One Fish, which was one of our book club winners; his Instagram feed is extraordinary. I don’t know where to start really. His fishmongery is like the most ninja butchery you’ve ever seen.”
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Who comes here
“Last time I went there for dinner Nigella [Lawson] was two tables away. It’s a big mash-up of locals, foodies and those visiting Sydney who know about Josh.”
Best table in the restaurant
“The window counter sets are fun because you can eat with views out onto Oxford Street in the Paddington area of Sydney. I like the main counter seats though because you can see straight into the kitchen with a full view from there.”
Best time to come
“If you’re happy to be fed then go for dinner when you only get the tasting menu, which changes constantly. If you prefer a la carte then lunch it is but, honestly, I can’t believe you won’t love it whenever you go.”
Dish to order
“I had a porchetta with boneless tails and a fish roll with the belly in the centre. And he does an amazing tuna Wellington. Some of it is Heston [Blumenthal] level, and some of it is the opposite, just really rustic and simple. He makes his own sausages and cured meats and never uses any water.”
King, New York, USA
“This is a truly beautiful restaurant with two amazing female chefs who started their culinary career at the River Cafe under the tutelage of Rose and Ruthie. This has a simple, pared-back menu that changes daily with both Jess [Shadbolt] and Clare [de Boer] embracing the seasons in the kitchen.”
Who comes here
“King is smack in the middle of SoHo, so the brunch and dinner spots are a heady mixture of hip locals and Manhattanites who flood in for the seasonal bistro delights influenced by French and Northern Italian cooking.”
Best table in the restaurant
“If it’s warm enough, grab one of the tables outside. They are great for people-watching and eating as the world goes by in front of you.”
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Best time to come
“Sunday lunch is lovely, and they also have a great cocktail and wine list with specific Aperitivo hours on Sunday afternoons.”
Dish to order
“It’s hard to choose a favourite dish because every day brings a subtle tweak, but if I see the Malfatti, I dive in. They are soft dough balls filled with cheese and sage that are impossible to resist. I always order double. Their rosemary potatoes come slathered in the best olive oil and fresh rosemary – simple but delicious. And if there is a fish – especially a roasted halibut – dive in.”