I’VE always been a little wary of restaurants opened by celebrity chefs, so when it was announced Jamie Oliver was to open his first restaurant in his home county, I had mixed feelings.

Jamie’s Trattoria is only the second of its kind in the UK, offering a more limited menu than its bigger brother, Jamie’s Italian.

The dishes are chosen by the Naked Chef himself and are his favourites from the sibling venue.

Perhaps a nod to the quality over quantity approach?

The restaurant, set in the old Barclays Bank building, has warehousestyle decor and a huge open-style kitchen, something I’m very fond of.

The giant neon Reem sign on the wall was surely a tongue-in-cheek doff of the cap to another wellknown Essex boy.

The four of us sampled much of the menu. The roasted tomato bruschetta was a creative, original and mouthwatering twist on an Italian staple. The crispy squid was partnered with a delightful sprinkling of chopped chilli, parsley and lemon.

The sizzling pork, beef and salami meatballs really were sizzling. The spiced tomaoto and prosecco sauce was an inspired choice.

The women enjoyed a fruity prosecco, the men Trattoria’s own birra.

Moving on to the mains, the prawn linguine oozed quality with rich tomato and garlic flavours. The mushroom chicken had a generous serving of lemon rocket and parmesan, as well as an unusually large crostini.

The Gennaro burger – named after Jamie’s mentor Gennaro Contaldo – featured beautiful, tender meat and flavoursome sticky caramelised onions.

Staff were attentive, well versed in the menu and always with a smile.

Overall, a resounding success. Maybe I need to try more of these celebrity eateries.