AFTER hearing great things about Jamie Oliver’s chain of rustic Italian restaurants, I felt hopeful that my visit to the Bath diner would live up to expectations.

Sadly, I was left disappointed, hungry and slightly miffed that I had to part with nearly £60 for the meal.

On a sunny Saturday lunchtime, I knew that we would have to wait to be seated and it wasn’t long before we were shown to a table by a waitress, who immediately asked us for our drinks order. Having not even looked at what they had to offer, we politely asked for more time.

As we browsed the drink and food menus, nothing really stood out to me, and after a glance at the kids menu for my nephew, I felt exactly the same for him.

Scott decided he wanted chicken lollipops (£6.95), which were supposed to be served with baked hedgehog potatoes. They weren’t but instead came with some limp lettuce leaves, some grapes and carrots. He was also promised a drink of his choice but was given ‘flavoured fruit water’, which was water with a slice of orange and some mint.

My sister opted for Jamie’s Italian Burger served with smoky pancetta, balsamic onions, Westcombe Cheddar, tomato and homemade mayo, served with a chopped salad. She bumped the price up to £13.95 by including chips.

My mum and I went for the porchetta (£13.95) - slow-cooked pork belly filled with garlic, chilli and herbs, served with charred fennel, baby beets, spring onions, salsa verde and apple sauce.

Sides had to be ordered extra so we decided on a side of spicy fries (£3.85) to share.

When the food arrived, the presentation was second to none but that was as far as my praises go.

My sister said her burger was average but felt she could get one for the same quality but cheaper somewhere else. Our porchetta was greasy, which was partly down to the salsa verde, and it just didn’t feel like a cohesive meal.

With a Coke and a soda water and lime, our meal came to £56.90.

Judging by the reviews on TripAdvisor, other diners had a similar experience, with one saying: “good food, just missed that wow factor”.

Overall, I came away feeling less than happy because for the money I paid, I felt the meal was more about image than substance.

Jamie’s Italian, Bath

10 Milsom Street, Bath BA1 1BZ Phone: 01225 432340 ww.jamieoliver.com/italian/restaurants/bath

Parking: No

Disabled access: Yes

Gazette ratings: Food: 5/10 Choice: 4/10 Decor: 8/10 Customer service: 7/10

Main course prices: From £9.95 to £22.95

Trip Advisor rating: 3.5/5