Fifteen

AMAZING! The chef’s experience was a home run! From the spectacular food to the great service and atmosphere, this place is A++++.

Food was adequate, service was lackluster. Celebrated my birthday here and was disappointed that they didn’t do anything to celebrate considering we told our waiter. Overall, I had high hopes for Mr. Oliver’s restaurant (big fan of his) and, for the price, this did not live up to our expectations.

We enjoyed the 5-​Course Chef’s Tasting Menu (£85 with accompanying wines and £55 without) which was available only if all the guests at the table partake. Each course provided multiple layers of nuance, including a sweet beetroot, pickled beet shavings, chèvre, watercress and walnut starter; sweet crab and pork sausage with a light smoked crème fraiche and radishes; and exquisite gnocchi (worth the trip to England) with onion squash, goat curd, sage and brown butter. The least successful was the somewhat dull in comparison short ribs (better in the croquette form) and mash. The meal came with two additional surprise inter-​course treats — crispy on the outside and unctuous on the inside short rib croquettes to start and a refreshing palette cleansing apple and thyme sorbet. The upstairs romantic and dim lighting made it a challenge to see the artfully designed and elegantly plated dishes. Our service was superb. The check was a bit less shocking thanks to prior review warnings about the charge for bread and olives — we had both. Fifteen is a definite recommendation.

I try to visit Fifteen every once in a while when I am in london. It has been my 4^th time now, and I was actually a little disappointed. Me and my friend arrived there after a long day walking through London and therefore we decided not to especially dress up or anything to go there. We were really hungry and exhausted when we got there and just needed a proper meal.
Anyways, arriving there, the whole restaurant was pretty empty. Though they sat us in the very last corner (booth next to toilets) downstairs, bacause we probably were not the clientele they’d like to show through their windows and entrance. We are no It-​Girls or anything and we felt actually really weird and uncomfortable about our dark seating area.
Additionally, you can feel that they are in a hurry to serve you to get your table again which is really annoying. The portions were T.I.N.Y. (Jamie Oliver — aaah what? When did that happen?) and way too overpriced. I mean I get that modern cuisine and high quality products have a price, but I remember a Fifteen with a relaxed service and proper portions where quantity and quality have a balance. So this was probably my last time enjoying food there. I just felt stressed and out of place to be honest.

Super night out with family. Good food, good wine. All in all a very pleasant evening.

Really enjoyed my dinner here. I was excited to try it, knowing about Jamie Oliver’s charity and the apprentice program. The ambience was great and while it was very open, it was not too noisy. I had salmon and my companion had pasta and both dishes were excellent. All desserts are prepared fresh in-​house and were unique. Good wine list. I definitely recommend.

Was staying in central London for business. Wanted a nice restaurant for dinner with some work colleagues that was not super high priced but had a good reputation for high quality food. The prior reviews for Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen caught my attention, both for the food quality and the non-​profit cause of the restaurant. Fifteen did not disappoint. The hostess staff was friendly and welcoming, our server was knowledgable and personable, and the food was fantastic (including one of the best chocolate mousse desserts I’ve ever had). For as good as the food (burrata, house smoked ham, lamb, short rib, carrot cake, chocolate mousse), drinks (nice wine options), and ambiance (open design dining room with good lighting and view into the kitchen) was, it was also a good value. Highly recommended for a nice dinner in central London. Well done Jamie Oliver and staff of Fifteen.

5 stars for the food, 3 stars for the service.
The food is delectable. I especially loved the burrata, pork chop, and agnolotti with peas. Cocktails were very delicate.
The atmosphere is wonderful. Upstairs and downstairs each have a different vibe. Really comfortable environment and not too stuffy.
The only complaint is with the service. It was inattentive. We waited a while for our reservation. They kept forgetting to bring us plates to share the food. And not very friendly overall.

Great meal, friendly, fast and helpful service, very good quality food.
The menu is a little limited for those non meat eater. Lucky enough I do like and eat meat, let your tastebuds explode :)

I am definitely a fan of Jamie Oliver and this restaurant delivered! This hip restaurant definitely was both aesthetically appealing to the eye and, the food, appealing to the stomach! I have to admit that I was slightly hungover from the night before having one too many at Bouji’s, but that just goes to show how good the food was here. I think he is doing great things and wish him continued success with his fresh foods and good eats!

We love this place. How could anyone not love it here. Ate on both floors. Just awesome. Kisses to the crew.

As a final treat in London prior to our departure back towards Montréal, we made a reservation at one of Jamie Oliver’s restaurant, Fifteen. Located in central London, Fifteen’s claim to fame is their «non-​profit» status. All profits from the restaurant go to the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation. On top of that, the restaurant has an apprentice programme which provides challenged youth with training and mentorship in the food industry. A very cool and worthwhile project within a high-​end restaurant.
Located on a weird, almost dead-​end street that is very easy to miss, Fifteen is a beautiful space. The main floor has a nice bar and lounge space which was quite busy when we arrived for our reservation. Visually, I really loved the space — great use of the old brick walls subtly accented by dark wood counters, leather seats and metal tables. The low lighting, when mixed with the music and chatter from the bar/​lounge area, created a cool speakeasy type vibe.
We were seated in the basement area right in front of the open kitchen — which was cool in order to observe the work being done over the course of the evening. The primary downside however was that the ambience that was present upstairs was less so by the kitchen — I was more aware of the wait staff and kitchen staff buzzing around us retrieving plates.
First we ordered a basket of their home-​made sourdough with butter. I absolutely love sourdough bread so I couldn’t resist trying it. Nice crunch on the crust but still moist and fluffy on the inside. Had that classic sourdough taste as well. This was a great start of the meal for me.
On to the starters now, I went with the crispy pig’s cheek with slow cooked egg, goldrush apple and kimchi. I was rather intrigued by the combination of ingredients as listed on the menu and how they would mix together. The answer is perfectly. The crunch and fattiness of the pig’s cheek, the spiciness of the kimchi, the richness and creaminess of the egg and finally the sweetness of the apple all worked beautifully as a mixture of texture.
Our other starter was the house-​cured salmon with parsley root, dill and pickled mustard seed. A very elegant dish compared to the strong notes of the previous starter. The star is clearly the salmon and all the other ingredients here act to enhance its inherent flavours. The dill was most notable although part of that to me is how well dill seems to pair with salmon — it seems to make that spice pop more so than others. Very nice dish.
My main of choice on this evening was the gnocchi with butternut squash, spinach and goat’s curd. Texture-​wise, the gnocchi was very interesting — quite a bit more crunch on the exterior than I’ve typically gotten with gnocchi but thankfully they still kept their pillowy texture inside. The combination of the squash with the goat’s curd made for a rather creamy sauce to pair with it. The spinach was good but frankly didn’t feel all that necessary in the construction of the plate.
Our second main was the Hereford short rib with jerusalem artichoke and pickled walnut dressing. The short rib was heavenly — rich and fatty and fall-​apart texture. The pureed artichokes were a nice contrast to the meat and the walnut dressing added some spiciness of the equation. Very enjoyable overall.
Looking at the dessert options next, we couldn’t say no to some of the options laid before us. First up was the hazelnut ice cream sandwich. Great smooth texture to the ice cream as well as a strong hazelnut flavour. Ideally I would have preferred true cookies to create a full sandwich you could grab but regardless, I did enjoy the crunch from the cookie «bites» here.
Our other dessert was organic chocolate mousse with blood orange and crème fraîche. A beautiful looking dessert and a delicious one at that. Great contrast between the tartness of the chocolate mousse, the acidity of the orange and the creaminess of the crème fraîche. A nice mixture of textures and flavours.
Fifteen was a wonderful experience to finish off our time in London. It’s great to see Jamie Oliver set up a restaurant in this non-​profit fashion and still ensure that it has the look and feel of a high-​end restaurant. The quality you would look for in a Jamie Oliver restaurant was still there and it’s great to know that my enjoyment of a great meal may help someone get future employment in the industry. A truly worthwhile cause to support.
Cheers!

Après avoir suivi pendant quelques années le chef anglais Jamie Oliver à travers ses émissions de télévision, je né rêvais que de goûter ENFIN sa cuisine !
L’endroit est spacieux et très lumineux. Une partie de la cuisine est ouverte dans un îlot central où trôné une immense cheminée.
A peine assises, on nous propose de l’eau parfumée au concombre (C’était pas mal, je le referais à la maison) et on nous tend une carte … compliquée. On a du vérifier une dizaine de mots dont on né connaissait pas le sens en français. C’est dommage car on aurait peut-​être tenté un plat plus original si on avait eu plus d’indications.
Nous avons pris chacune les gnocchis accompagnés de purée de courge, épinards et crème de fromage de chèvre. C’était fin et parfumé, délicieux !
En dessert, nous avons pris la poire pochée, biscuit aux épices, crème de caramel, glacé au yaourt qui était exceptionnellement parfumée et d’épices raffinées et le sandwich de glacé à la noisette tout aussi bon. Le goût de la noisette était particulièrement prononcé dans la glacé, une rareté que l’on a savouré avec soin !

It was fantastic!!!
I loved the ambiance of this Restaurant, the service was very nice AND the food was so delicious!!! I had the short rib — the meat was so tender, and also the combination with the artichoke and the pickled walnut… oh it was great great great! My friends had the duck (also so tender and on the point) and the gnocchi… we had also dessert… the apple crumble — yammmmiiii. So unfortunately we were just in London for holidays otherwise I would really come more often.

I don’t hate Jamie Oliver so this is not an attack on him and all he stands for. In fact I quite like following the recipes that I find online. However, I recently had such a below-​par experience at this restaurant that I think it is only fair that I shared it.
First of all, I was told I could only get an 8.15 reservation on a Thursday night for 3 people but we showed up at 8 and at least half of the upstairs was empty and more than half of downstairs was empty. There did seem to be quite a big crowd downstairs but nothing more than most experienced restaurants can handle (I used to work as a waitress myself, so I’m normally very forgiving).
Despite the empty restaurant, they did not offer to seat us until we had already ordered drinks at the bar, which seemed a bit deliberate in my opinion.
The waiter was attempting be a charming Italian but in fact was focusing so hard on being charming that he didn’t stop to listen to a word we said and sounded like he was just reading off a script, which ruined the overall impact of what he was trying to achieve.
Full disclosure at this point — I suffer from a medical condition that sometimes makes it difficult to eat and means I might have to run to the bathroom a lot if I’m feeling unwell. I happen to go to the restaurant on a day that I was feeling particularly unwell so that did not help matters. What made it worse is that on the first occasion that I ran to the bathroom 2 out of the 3 women’s cubicles were out of toilet paper (and there was a person, understandably, in the third). There was not a spare bit of toilet paper in sight. I found that so baffling because the restaurant was not busy enough to warrant running out of toilet paper unexpectedly. So it could only indicate that the staff did not properly check the bathrooms at least every hour, which is standard in most restaurants these days. Not only was that offputting according to the usual standards of most customers — for a customer with my particular needs it was actually pretty distressing.
On top of the general poor service, the food was only mediocre and the general consensus of everyone was that all of our dishes were served a bit cold This could have to do with the large party downstairs but again, that party was not of the size that was unmanageable. If the food had lived up at all to what it promised, I would have forgiven the other circumstances but it didn’t. It was incredibly overpriced for the standard that was delivered.
I will be avoiding the restaurant at all costs in the future and intend to make a formal complaint about the poor level of service.

An almost perfect evening. Best cocktail I’ve ever tasted (Gooseberry Cobbler), best antipasto (all from Jaime Oliver’s garden), and fantastic mussels and pasta. A five star experience, if there ever was one.

Hier kann sich Tim Mälzer mit seiner ziemlich miesen Bullerei gern mal ein paar Scheiben abschneiden.
Nun sind meine Besuche im Fifteen schon ein paar Jahre her, aber Jamie Oliver dürfte mit dem Essen ohnehin nicht viel zu tun haben, damals wie heute.
Der unkonventionelle Mix der Speisen mit Fokus auf englischem und italienischem Essen gefällt mir sehr. Das Personal ist locker drauf und vielleicht nicht immer auf der Höhe, aber was soll’s. Von dieser Lockerheit lebt der Laden ein Stück weit.
Das Essen ist super und dabei trotzdem preiswert.
Die beiden besten Pastagerichte meines Lebens, immerhin die Klassiker schlechthin: Bolognese & Carbonara, habe ich hier gegessen und nicht etwa in Italien oder gar bei einem sog. Italiener in Deutschland.

It’s been a few years since my wife and I last went to Fifteen, but every time the experience was amazing. I’m a big food fan and thought I’d tasted most things, but I was amazed at the richness and variety of flavours. Expensive, but money very well spent on a Rolls Royce dining experience. Highly recommended.

Let me start off by saying I love Jamie Oliver! I love his personality, his vision of food and community, and what he stands for.
I loved everything about this restaurant! The menu is short, but perfect. My dining partners and I had a difficult time choosing what to order because it ALL sounds delicious! The menu translated very well because the food matched up to how great it sounded. My salmon was cooked to absolute perfection, the sides were expertly done, the apps, desserts… everything was perfect.
I highly recommend a visit to Fifteen for a special meal.

Solid food but the service was disorganized and lacking.
The food had that Jamie Oliver touch that you come to expect. My Wife and I shared his roast chicken and it was easily one of the best I’ve ever had. A great menu with lots of choice, even with our allergies.
The service on the other hand left a bit to be desired. The hostess did not offer to take out coats and umbrella, it was another server who noticed us struggling to stow them somewhere. She brought a cloakroom card so the service was available.
Our server seemed only interested in getting our order in, hovering over us with an unpleasant air. When we told him about our allergies (gluten and dairy), he disappeared to the kitchen for about 15 minutes. Should have known about common allergens in the tiny menu. He returned with a list and asked us what we wanted without showing us the list. We picked one item and he told us we couldn’t because of the allergies. I finally peaked at the list he had (but didn’t show us) and picked an option available. In the end felt more like we were a burden and he was had already moved his hopes to the next seating of our table.
The service could learn a thing from the food. Simple, well-​executed, and perfect.

Eu realmente fiquei decepcionada! Esperava bem mais! Fiz reserva, mas mesmo assim esperamos uns 20 a 30 minutos. O atendimento não foi bom, muito demorado, os garçons não são atentos… A comida muito sem graça, parece uma comida que se come em qualquer botequim!!!

We had been to Fifteen prior to its renovations, and we must emphasize how much better the food is now with the new chef! The décor is much warmer, and the food seems to have found its direction. However, I wish we would have been offered more than 1 vegetarian option– usually at these kinds of restaurants, the chef will offer to make something off the menu when choice is limited (and we were 2 vegetarians who ended up ordering exactly the same meal). Prices also seem to have gone up since we were there last and service was not as good.

I’ve been remiss in not reviewing this place since I was there in May… Time has gotten away from me. My boyfriend planned for us to go and made reservations before we even left SF!
I loved the atmosphere and staff. There was a lovely woman who sort of functioned like the sommelier/​manager. She kept us in champagne, which we both love. I can’t remember what my boyfriend ordered but I do remember that we both loved my order best and that was these to-​die-​for short ribs. Yummy is an understatement!
Very charming, good service and food. Romantic. Highly recommend !

A 2 min du métro
A Londres il y a des chefs connus aussi comme Jaimie Oliver. Connu pour sa cuisine et pour ses émissions. Surtout celle qui donne sa chance à des jeunes recalés ailleurs et qui doivent à ce resto de faire leurs armes.
Bref il s’agit du Fifteen. Pas de caméra à l’intérieur mais des jeunes en formation sous la houlette d’un chef, Jaimie ou son acolyte John Roterham.
Le menu change tous les jours, le midi il y a deux menus avec 2 ou 3 plats le soir c’est à la carte uniquement.
Pour notre 15ème anniversaire de mariage (d’où ce restaurant !!!), nous avons pris des maquereaux crus ainsi qu’une épaule d’agneau déstructurée en entrée, puis mon mari s’est laissé tenté par le lapin et j’ai pris de la joue de boeuf. J’étais un peu inquiète parce que je n’avais jamais mangé de joue de boeuf mais j’ai compris pourquoi c’était le morceau préféré de beaucoup de chef. Quelle texture, quel fondant ! Le tout très bien assaisonné et les légumes (à commander à part) étaient également parfaits.
L’attente a été très longue, et nous avons eu l’explication avec la manager qui est venue s’excuse, le chef n’était pas content de la cuisson du lapin de mon mari et a donc fait refaire le plat, le mien aussi du coup !
Très beaux joueurs, ils nous ont offert le dessert. Ceux ci étaient sympas.
Bref c’est un semi gastro donc le prix va avec, mais franchement l’expérience valait le coup ! Le personnel est hyper sympathique, le système de réservation en ligne permet aux frenchies comme nous de s’en sortir sans passer par le téléphone. Et le restau est vraiment à deux pas du métros ce qui est bien pratique quand même.
je recommande donc ce restaurant si vous avez envie de vous faire plaisir et de bien manger

Fifteen is Jamie Oliver’s restaurant in London. Their menu offers dinner (braised lamb shoulder, English smoked-​ricotta, braised cuttlefish, short ribs, grilled hake, etc.), lunch (spinach soup, beer-​battered whiting, pork & sage sausage, spaghetti, etc.), and Pudding (prosseco & conference pear jelly, apple & custard tart, mandarin sorbet, etc.) options. They also have a bar that offers cocktails, wines, craft beers, and ciders with small plates. The Executive Head Chef is Jon Rotheram. All the profits that is made by the restaurant is for the unemployed youth to give them an opportunity to have a better future (part of Jamie Oliver’s Food Foundation). How neat is that?
+owned by Jamie Oliver
+opportunities for unemployed youth

Visited in March of 2011. I remember it being one of my best restaurant experiences.
I have always been a big Jamie Oliver fan and on a short trip to London I was determined to dine at Fifteen & Jamie’s Italian.
As any fanatic, I went knowing the background and history of the restaurant. I just had to experience it for myself.
Be sure to schedule a reservation to sit in their main dining room downstairs. From this area of the restaurant you can see into the kitchen and watch the chefs as they prepare your meal. I was there on a weekday and the dining room downstairs had a few tables available, but the general seating upstairs was full (this is why having the reservation is important). I was able to sit at the bar and enjoy a fennel cocktail while I waited for my table.

[insert excitable scream here] By jove I think he’s got it!
Finally, a restaurant in London with perfect service. I can’t even describe how happy this makes me… I had even forgotten what it was like to feel welcomed and looked after in such a nice environment. Hallelujah!
I wasn’t aware of the concept behind Fifteen until our excellent waiter described it to us, which just blew my little Scottish mind.
This place is worth a visit (and a return) just to try the tasting menu downstairs; the food is exceptional. Between us, we had almost everything to share and there wasn’t a dish I could say a bad word about. The lamb main really ticked the box for me too.
The ambience and music is unpretentious, and on the whole I thought the experience really was quite Lovely!
Yes it’s a tad pricey, but for what they do with that money, I would pay it again. Good work, Mr Oliver.

Mir hats gefallen! Leckeres und frisches Essen und an unserem Tisch ein extrem sympatischer Service. Tolle Weinauswahl. Sehr laut und sehr junges Publikum, wir fühlten uns mit Anfang 40 schon ganz furchtbar alt ;). Preislich für die Qualität der Speisen alles in allem wirklich in Ordnung.

Mein Freund hat mich zu meinem Geburtstag ins Fifteen eingeladen, die Bedienung war super lieb und hilfreich da sie und alle Speisen auf der Karte erklärt hatte als es zu verständnisproblemen kam, dass Essen kam schnell und die Atmosphäre war auch klasse. Preis &Leistung OK, würde sehr gerne wieder mal dort essen gehen :)

Gute frisch und schmackhaft zubereitete mediterrane Gerichte .Der Service hart aber herzlich, etwas disorientiert. Gutes soziales Konzept zur Hilfe arbeitsloser Jugendlicher. Die Einrichtung des Restaurants im Souterrain klassisch modern. Die Preise überzogen hoch und unangemessen. Keine Empfehlung.