Having first opened in 2002, Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen will be fifteen years old next year and it’s still going strong. We went back recently and were very impressed by the current summer menu. We opted for the five course tasting menu, which comes in at a very reasonable £55 and at £89 with wine pairings; a great deal considering the quality of both cooking and wine. It began with beautiful creamy burrata enhanced with grilled grelot onion and smoked walnut, then a dish of cured mackerel with crisp Granny Smith apple, buttermilk and dill.
A pasta course came next – perfectly made fresh agnolotti stuffed with ricotta and topped with summer duffle, courgette and Parmesan. The main event was a meaty slab of beef short rib with new season garlic, mash and Montgomery cheddar, which nearly finished us off. But we of course found room for dessert of strawberries, goat’s milk ice cream and a glass of our favourite dessert wine Donna Fugata.
Fifteen is equally well known for its apprentice programme which recruits 18 young people aged between 18 and 25 each year. The restaurant’s profits all go back into this programme too, all of which is very admirable indeed. Of course, all this would be for nothing if the food wasn’t up to scratch, but with cooking to match the social credentials, Fifteen remains one of the best places to eat out in Shoreditch.
15 Westland Place, London, N1 7LP
www.fifteen.net