Jimmy’s

In many ways Jimmy’s is a joy to visit and hard to write about.  Pretty much all bases are covered here.  Let me explain, imagine that your family are keen for something to eat to finish a day out at the O2 in London, though as Jimmy’s has branches up and down the country just fill in your own location.  Now let’s assume that your youngest really likes Indian food but only if it’s not too hot and the Naan Bread is fresh.  Your oldest just loves Sushi because you never have it at home (who has time to make Sushi at home!) Your other half would like to have a bit of Green Thai Curry but just at the last minute changes that to Chinese Spare Ribs.  You on the other hand have always been keen on having Mexican Fajitas (well that’s your story anyway).  How on earth can you possibly keep a comparatively small family of four happy?  Looks like world war three is just half an hour away, doesn’t it?  Well, you have probably guessed the answer by now.  The answer to your problem is simply called Jimmy’s.

The O2, apart from being one of the best live event locations in London also has a very good selection of eateries to suit all budgets.  But all the above problems would have applied so we went to Jimmy’s.  Here we found a warm welcome and an instant explanation of how the restaurant works.  You pay a set fee and just help your self to as much or as little as you like.  Lunch (which covers a generous 12:00 – 17:00 at weekends) is £9.99, weekday evenings are £13.99 and weekend evenings are £16.99.  You pay for drinks on top of that.  I think that this offers excellent value for money.

There are about five ‘live’ stations where they will cook your food to order.  This is not only great fun to watch it ensures it’s fresh.  Take any seven year old to watch Coriander and Garlic Naan (his favourite) being made in 30 seconds in a traditional tall oven where the bread is stuck to the side then peeled off and handed to him is hard to improve on – they were delicious.  There are Salads: Italian, Indian Chat, Tabouleh or Chinese for example.  We all enjoyed Chicken Tikka Kebabs freshly made before us, as well as Sushi and these were just for starters.  The main courses continued in the line of pretty much anything you’d like from India, China, Thailand, Mexico, Middle East, Italian and a few modern classics.  All were good and in some cases too good – self control is vital here.  For my money the best part of Jimmy’s is the live stations where you feel part of the action and can decide exactly what goes into what you eat.

The kids (and us, but don’t tell them) thought the Ice Cream Station was also pretty cool too.  The principle continuing, you can choose from any number of flavours and combinations and have as many toppings as you like.  Now this is not a new idea but having somebody actually crush your Smarties for you is!  I wolfed down my Run and Raisin cone – they do ‘normal’ as well if you like, now are you full yet?  Thought not (think like a child here) so you have had your ice cream mash up, well what could be better than a Chocolate Fountain with Marshmallows and Fruit Kebabs.  Somebody who will remain nameless (Mum!) actually had Liquorice Allsorts with their fruit pudding – weird.  Yes it just kept on coming.  This is why Jimmy’s is such good value the food is of a high quality, there is a wide variety, vegetarians are not ignored and the staff delightful.  I recommend a visit with your family you might just find out a thing or two about their tastes that you never knew.

Millennium Way

Greenwich

London SE10 0DX

TEL:  0208 465 5511