Jamie's Italian Markthal dessert tasting

I think I almost went to have lunch at Jamie's Italian in the Markthal every week during my summer break, but I didn't go on vacation, so it was okay to indulge myself in some good food. After trying the Epic brownie, I got really curious about the other desserts they have. So, I went there one more time on a Thursday afternoon, to try one of their best desserts. After my visit, I found out that you could also order a tasting platter with a small piece of every dessert, but it was too late. I will save that for another time.
 
Jamie's Italian Markthal entrance bar stools



Near the entrance inside the Markthal (there is also an entrance on the outside of the Markthal), there is a person who looks in the computer to see where you can be seated. A waiter or waitress will then walk you to your table. If you just want to try one of their cocktails and some nibbles, you can also take a seat on the cool bar stools.   

This time, I didn't get to sit on the comfortable leather couch benches, but I did get a nice table for four against the wall near the entrance on the ground floor. I noticed it last time too, but the small table for two in the middle of the entrance isn't there anymore. It feels a lot more spacious than the first time I ate there. I also managed to take a clearer picture of the special Rotterdam themed tiled wall.
 Jamie's Italian Markthal leather couch benches
Jamie's Italian Markthal Rotterdam blue white tiles



We ordered three iced green teas (€2.65 each). You get a glass bottle of 200 ml of Lipton ice tea green and a drinking glass with ice cubes and a slice of lime. The iced green tea has a very subtle flavor, so adding ice cubes watered it down too much. Luckily, the lime added some flavor to it, but I didn't get a straw or anything to press the slice of lime with, so I used the knife (don't tell anyone, I did that). 

 First Courses

I went with some first-timers, so I ordered some of my favorite snacks. I also ordered one Summer menu just to take advantage of the discount and within the choices for the first course was the Porcini Arancini.

Jamie's Italian Markthal italian nachos crispy fried ravioli with a mozzarella, ricotta, and Bella Lodi cheese paste filling and a spicy Sicilian tomato dipping sauce

 Italian nachos €4.95

I had already tried this crispy fried ravioli with a mozzarella, ricotta, and Bella Lodi cheese paste filling and a spicy Sicilian tomato dipping sauce. What's new is that I got a cute Jamie's Italian flag with it. The flavors were still very good, but the nachos didn't puff up as much as the first time I tried it and the pasta crust was a bit hard (missing the soft chewy pasta part).

Jamie's Italian Markthal porcini arancini fried mushroom risotto balls mozzarella italian cheese fondue dipping sauce

 Porcini Arancini €5.50

I think I had eaten these every time I visited the Jamie's Italian in the Markthal. They are fried balls of mushroom risotto with mozzarella and with a Italian cheese fondue dipping sauce. I tasted these with three different kinds of dipping sauce (spicy tomato sauce, a white cheese sauce, and a thick, creamy cheese fondue sauce) and I like the one from the first time I ordered the Summer menu offer the most. It had a soft mayonnaise like texture and a strong cheese flavor. The new cheese fondue sauce is a bit too dense and I don't like the cheese flavor as much.

I also like that they now add a little spoon with the cheese sauce, as you can now hygienically put sauce on the fried risotto balls, even after taking a bite. The fried risotto balls are too big to put in your mouth at once and after taking your first bite, the dipping sauce on the outside is all gone. The dry risotto filling really needs a moist and flavorful sauce to balance out.    

Jamie's Italian Markthal italian nachos porcini arancini

I think I waited the longest between courses from all my visits, about 30-45 minutes. I took the opportunity to take some pictures of the interior. Whereas the chandelier lamps on the first floor have star shapes, the chandelier lamps on ground floor have cute flower shapes.

Jamie's Italian Markthal chandelier stairs lamps
Jamie's Italian Markthal flawer chandelier lamp

I also visited the toilet ("WCs" sign in the picture underneath) for the first time, it was really clean and there wasn't a bad smell. When you take the stairs up, it is located on your right. You can't really miss it.  

Jamie's Italian Markthal toilets sign

I also like the chalkboards with the daily specials. It feels really special to try something new, which you can only order for a limited time. The Summerberry Pavlova sounded really good, but I was already planning to try a different dessert.  

Jamie's Italian Markthal chalkboard daily special summerberry pavlova

After some waiting, we finally received the Squid & mussel spaghetti nero (small, €7.75), Prawn linguini (small, €8.75), and Chicken Cacciatore (€15.95). We were so hungry that we started eating immediately, so I forgot to take pictures. The small size of the Prawn linguini that I ate was really enough to fill me up, especially with the snacks as first course and the desserts afterwards. The prawns weren't as crispy as I ate the first time (slightly over-cooked) and just four small ones seems a bit too little. The piece of chicken of the Chicken Cacciatore, which I ordered from the summer menu, seemed a bit smaller than I tried the previous time and not as fresh tasting, but quality and amount could change every once in a while (not every chicken has the exact same size and it could be just delivered or laying in the fridge for a few days). The Squid & mussel spaghetti nero was as good as always.

This is also the second time, I tried to order the fresh crab spaghetti and they didn't have fresh crab, so I couldn't taste it again. I wanted to order this one, because I sometimes have a craving for crab and it is such an hassle to take out the crab meat that it is more comfortable to eat it in a restaurant than at home.       

Desserts

From the Summer menu, I picked the epic brownie (€7.50) again. It was too great to pass on. This time, I am not sure what happened to the chocolate sauce, but it looked too thick. It didn't really matter to me, because I liked eating it without anyway. Taking a bit of the warm and velvety soft brownie, with a bit of the cold vanilla ice cream, and on top, the crispy, airy, caramelized popcorn, is like heaven on a spoon. 

Jamie's Italian Markthal epic brownie caramelized popcorn chocolate sauce vanilla ice cream

The dessert I especially came back to try was the Amalfi Lemon meringue cheesecake (€7.50). You may wonder if it really needs three pictures, but yes, it really is so amazing that I want to capture it from all angles.

It is a mascarpone and lemon cheesecake topped with Italian meringue and served with lemon curd and blackcurrants. The thick layer of meringue has a fluffy and grainy (from the little shreds of sugar) texture and is a bit browned on top. The mascarpone and lemon cheesecake layer has a soft, creamy texture and the right amount of lemon flavor (not too sweet or too sour). The cheesecake crust has a strong buttery flavor and coarse crumbs texture. The lemon curd and and blackcurrant sauce are nice, but it already tastes great on its own.

Jamie's Italian Markthal Amalfi Lemon meringue cheesecake side
Jamie's Italian Markthal Amalfi Lemon meringue cheesecake front
Jamie's Italian Markthal Amalfi Lemon meringue cheesecake above

What do I think?

What I think about the service and food, can mostly be found in my earlier reviews (lunch 1, lunch 2, and lunch 3). The only thing was that some dishes were wrongly brought to our table and the waiting time seemed very long, considering that we were located right near the entrance and near the stairs. I am not sure what the reason was, because there were many empty tables and it wasn't that busy. Others who came in later seemed to be already eating their dessert, when we were still waiting for our main courses. It did look like they were a bit overstaffed in waiters and waitresses and understaffed in the kitchen. I hope they can find great chefs to keep the quality of the food constant and the waiting time short.

The desserts are a bit expensive, but I think it is okay to treat yourself to one on special occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries. You can also only order a coffee or tea and a slice of cake and enjoy it on the outdoor terrace for a little less than €10.  


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